Trouble with your furnace is nothing to ignore; rarely do heating problems simply go away or fix themselves, and most will get worse over time and put added wear and tear on the furnace. Getting problems fixed as soon as they occur can mean avoiding expensive repairs down the road, and can also mean having your heat work when you need it most. Note a few common troubleshooting tips for a home heater and how to address them.

1. Blower runs continuously

If the furnace doesn't cycle off as it should, this might be a faulty thermostat. If the thermostat doesn't read the home temperature correctly or is not communicating as it should with the furnace, the blower might simply continue to run, not realizing that your home is warm enough. There is also something called a limit switch in the furnace, which tells it when to shut off. If this switch is faulty, you will usually need a repairperson, like those at Guy Hyde Gasfitting & Appliance Service, to replace it.

2. Furnace doesn't heat enough

As with a blower running continuously, not enough heat can be the fault of the thermostat. You may even have something very warm near the thermostat, so it reads the nearby temperature as being warmer than the rest of the house. Move any lamps or other heat sources away from the thermostat. Your furnace may also simply be too small and weak for the size of your home. In other cases, the air filter may be clogged and dirty and this doesn't allow for a healthy flow of air into the home. If the filter looks clean and new, have a repairperson check the thermostat or note the suggested space for the size of furnace you have installed and consider an upgrade.

3. Pilot light continuously goes out

With gas furnaces, a pilot light may go out continuously if the ignition is clogged. This won't allow for a steady stream of gas to keep the pilot flame lit. Have a repairperson clean out the ignition or replace it if it's worn and malfunctioning.

4. Circuits keep tripping

For an electric furnace, if the circuit keeps tripping, then your home's wiring may be too old to support the power needed for the furnace. You may need to have the wiring upgraded, or if something else is on the same circuit, have the circuits rewired. Your furnace should be on its own circuit so that the wires don't get overloaded with demands for power and, in turn, shut down the circuit.