Why Is My Furnace Blowing Cold Air?

Brrr! Did you notice your furnace fan is running but there is COLD air coming out of your vents? Actually, there are a few reasons this could be happening – let us troubleshoot your problem – here are a few steps you can take if your furnace is blowing cold air:

#1 Wait for a minute for your furnace to warm up.

It is normal for cool air to emerge from the vents when your older style furnace first starts up, so wait a minute or two to see if the air eventually warms up.

#2 Check your thermostat.

Make sure your fan switch on your thermostat is set to “auto” rather than “on”. When it is set to “on”, the furnace will blow continually, even when the furnace isn’t actually heating air. The problem might be a simple thermostat setting – an easy fix! Also look for the primary exhaust fan switch in your home – these are typically found in a hallway or installed higher than normal light switches. Once you flip that switch, a bathroom fan will turn on and the furnace will run normally again.

#3 Change the furnace filter.

A dirty air filter may restrict airflow into your furnace and this may cause your furnace to overheat or cause a safety control to shut off the burners. This is actually a preventative measure to protect your furnace from overheating and causing any damage. So change your filter if it’s dirty. If you want a hassle-free way to keep track of when to change your furnace filter on a schedule, click here for more information about our Ignite Maintenance Club – we can help you with annual furnace maintenance which will help you lower your energy bills, reduce the number of repairs, lower the risk of surprise breakdowns and improve your equipment life. Contact us to join the club!

#4 Clean your flame sensor.

Pilotless ignition furnaces use a flame sensor to keep the furnace burning once it starts up. If your flame sensor is either defective or dirty then your furnace will turn on and then stop shortly after. If you are familiar with furnace components you can likely clean your flame sensor yourself using a fine abrasive pad. If it is faulty then you will need to replace the flame sensor.

#5 Call a professional at Ignite.

Call Ignite Heating today at 780-919-4916 if your furnace is still blowing cold air (or not working at all!) – do not try to repair your furnace yourself. We will troubleshoot and identify what is causing your furnace to blow cold air and we’ll give you an upfront estimate on how much it will cost to fix your furnace. Our friendly professionals will repair the problem, and after the repair is complete we will help you prevent this from happening again!

Our technicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (including holidays!) to help you diagnose problems and come up with viable solutions to ensure your family doesn’t have to go without heat when you need it most! We service all makes and models and stock some minor parts in our vans. Call us today at 780-919-4916 or contact us here.