Self Help Tips

Choose a topic below

Thermostats
Changing Filters
Weed Eating Around Your Air Conditioner
Electrical Switches Turned Off
Circuit Breakers
Pilot Lights
L.P. Tanks
Blocked Registers
Savings While Away From Home
Kitchen And Bath Fans
Savings BY Using Your Draperies

Thermostats

Check your thermostat setting and insure it is set on the correct setting of the function you desire. Heat for Heat, Cool for Cool, Fan Auto for the fan to cycle with the heating and cooling settings. Make sure someone has not turned the thermostat to the Off position. Make sure you are not turning the thermostat the opposite direction of the temperature you wish to achieve. Some thermostats have a built-in time delay; wait ten to twelve minutes to see if your setting changes have an effect. Check your furnace filters or air cleaner media to insure it is not stopped up or very dirty. Change them if they need it. Dirty filters can cause many problems with your system such as air conditioner coils to freeze up, heat exchangers to overheat and crack, blower wheels to become clogged with dirt, mechanical damage to the air conditioner compressor bearings, tripped and damage to safety switches, just to name a few.
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Changing Filters

If you have recently changed your filters and had the furnace or air handler compartment door off, make sure it is tightly secured. Most equipment has a safety door switch that will cause the system not to run if it is tripped from a loose blower door. A loose blower door is a common cause of a system shutting down that our service technicians encounter.
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Weed Eating Around Your Air Conditioner

If you are weed eating outside by your air conditioning unit, make sure you don’t hit the small brown low voltage wiring going from the house to the unit. If you break this low voltage control wire your system will shut down.
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Electrical Switches Turned Off

Check your electrical switches to insure they are in the on position. Most indoor units have a safety disconnect switch at the equipment location either on the side of the unit on the wall next to it. Make sure it was not switched off accidently. Also check your outdoor unit electrical disconnect. If it is the type disconnect that has a on and off handle on it make sure a prankster has not turned it to the off position.
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Circuit Breakers

Check your circuit breaker box to see of any breakers are tripped or turned off. To reset a breaker that is tripped turn it all the way to the off position and then back on. If the circuit breaker quickly trips again then there is a serious problem and you need to call a professional technician to find the problem. Do not constantly reset the breaker. A tripped or off breaker can keep part or all of your system from working.
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Pilot Lights

Most newer types of furnaces are equipped with direct hot surface ignition or a electronic pilot to light the burners, however some of the older type furnaces still have a standing pilot light. In some instances, like on a windy day, a downdraft from the chimney or vent can blow out the pilot. Check to see if it is lit. If not check the pilot lighting instructions attached to the furnace to relight the pilot. If the pilot will light but will not stay lit then you have another problem and need to call a qualified service technician for a repair.
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L.P. Tanks

If your heat is not working and you have an LP gas tank supplying your furnace, then check to see if you have run out of gas. Most LP gas tanks have a gauge on top indicating the amount of gas remaining in the tank. If you are out of gas contact your LP provider and ask if automatic LP delivery to your location is available.
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Blocked Registers

Check to make sure your floor supply registers and return grates are not covered over. It is easy to have them blocked over time by furniture, clothing, newspapers, shoes, storage boxes, and just about anything else you can imagine. Also make sure all the registers are open and have not been closed over time. For a system to work safely and to its full potential all registers should be open and none of your return grates blocked or sealed.
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Savings While Away From Home

In the summer when it is hot outside and you are leaving your home for less than 24 hours, it is less costly to set the thermostat up 3 or 4 degrees from where you normally keep it, then to turn it off. Turning it off will only let the temperature, and more importantly the humidity, to rise too much. Humidity will seep into all your furnishings, carpet, ect. This increased humidity in the home will only cause the air conditioner to run many hours to get the temperature and humidity back under control. This can cost more than you saved by turning it off for less than a full day. If you are going to be gone from your home for several days or weeks it is till best to leave the air conditioner on and not turn it completely off. You can turn it up 10 or 12 degrees and still have some dehumidification for when you return. In this case expect your air conditioner to run for more than 24 hours in order to bring down the temperature to your desired setting.
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Kitchen and Bath Fans

Use kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans wisely; in just one hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed or cooled air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job.
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Savings By Using Your Draperies

Keep draperies and shades open on south-facing windows during the heating season to allow sunlight to enter your home; close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows. In the cooling season close draperies and shades on the west side of your home to prevent the hot afternoon sun from heating up your cooled rooms on that side of the house.
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Special Note:

If you have concerns as to the condition of your heating equipment condition, you should have a professional heating contractor evaluate its safety. The above tips are a guide to help you recognize and correct minor problems with your system and not be a substitute for services of a qualified heating technician. Perform them at your own risk.