Be Safe with these winter furnace tips!

By Don Segavac

What do you do if you come home and find that your house is cold and your furnace is not working?  There are several things you can do before calling a repair service. First, check your thermostat. See if it has any kind of digital display, time, temperature etc.  Also find out if  it is operated by a battery or two. Try replacing the batteries. This is the most common type of furnace failure. Second check your fuse box or circuit breakers. If these are fine you need to take a look at your furnace, older ones have an on/off switch that looks like a light switch. Make sure it is in the on position. There is also a small square fuse box next to it. Check this fuse. Newer furnaces have a lock-out switch that doesn’t allow the furnace to operate if the service panel to the filter is not properly in place. The last thing to check is your gas meter. The gas company may have shut it off due to nonpayment or some neighborhood kids may have shut it off as a prank. If you have checked all these possibilities and found them in good order,   than you may want to call a service person. This also applies to central air conditioning with one added step, outside next to your compressor unit you will find a service disconnect box. Most have a red hand. Move this hand to off position and open the box. Here you will find two fuses. Check to see if either of them has blown. If so you can get a replacement fuse at most hardware or big box stores. Be smart and think safety when dealing with appliances that use gas and electricity.