My Furnace Is Tripping The Circuit Breaker. What’s Going On?
The last thing you want to deal with on a cold night is a furnace that refuses to work.
It’s never fun to deal with a furnace that refuses to work on a cold day or night.
If you’ve recently noticed that your furnace keeps tripping your circuit breaker when you go to turn it on, here is some background as well as possible causes.
Electricity & Your Furnace
Although your furnace may use natural gas, propane or oil to heat your home, it also needs a good dose of electricity to power all of it’s electrical components.
Some of the largest parts in your furnace that use electricity include the circuit board, blower motor as well as the gas valve.
If you have an older furnace, it may utilize a standing pilot light instead of a electronic ignition source.
Most Common Cause: Stressed Blower Motor
The most common cause for your furnace to trip your circuit breaker in your blower motor overworking itself.
The blower motor can begin to overwork itself when air flow to the motor becomes restricted.
One of the largest causes of this is a dirty air filter.
If you haven’t changed your filter in a while, be sure to check to make sure it’s not overly dirty.
A dirty filter can also cause your furnace to short cycle.
Standard 1 inch filters should generally be changed once every 30 days.
If you have a thicker media filter, they can usually last 6-12 months depending on your home environment.
You will also want to verify that all of the air ducts in your home are open and free from debris as this can also lead to stress on your blower motor.
A blower motor is usually a costly furnace repair, so care should be taken to prevent it.
What You Can Do
As previously stated, the main thing to check is your furnace filter.
Go ahead and change it and flip the breaker back on again.
If the breaker continues to turn back off, it’s time to call an HVAC professional to diagnose your furnace!
Any attempts to repair something you are unfamiliar with can lead to more damage.
Your HVAC system may keep tripping the circuit breaker because:
- Your air filters are clogged.
- Your HVAC system has a refrigerant leak.
- Your HVAC’s capacitor or motor is broken.
- Your HVAC system’s wiring is loose or worn out.
If your HVAC system keeps tripping the circuit breaker, you should identify what issue is causing it and have it addressed right away. Allowing the process to persist can pose a threat to the operation of your HVAC system as well as lead to further damage. Call us today to get your HVAC system repaired.
Some things that may cause a furnace to not turn on include:
- The air filters are dirty or clogged.
- The thermostat is not set correctly.
- The ignitor sensor is dirty.
Sometimes, the reason behind your furnace not starting is simple and easy to fix. Although, other times it may require a bigger repair. If your furnace is not kicking on and you have determined it is not due to one of the issues above, you should have an HVAC technician repair your furnace. Contact us today to have your furnace repaired.
Yes, a bad thermostat can cause your furnace not to work. When your thermostat is unable to properly register the temperature in your home, it fails to communicate with your furnace to turn it on. If you believe your thermostat is the reason your furnace is not working, you should check the power supply to the thermostat and inside the thermostat to check for dirt, dust, loose screws or loose wires. To get your furnace working again, call Sears Heating & Cooling today.
