How to Troubleshoot Electric Furnace Parts

Instructions

1. • 1

     Remove the air filter if the furnace seems to be working harder than usual while supplying less heat than usual. Air flow is the engine that drives an electric furnace, and a clogged air filter will cause heavier use that results in corrupted delivery of warm air.

   • 2

     Check the duct system for blockage when there is intermittent or uneven distribution of heat throughout the system. Ducts can become clogged with dirt and lint. Remove the registers and aim a flashlight toward the next closest register. Look through that second register and the light will reveal any significant obstruction.

   • 3

     Adjust the control handle on the outside of the ducts to allow less or more air to come through it. If a room is clearly cooler than the rest of the house, chances are that someone has closed the damper partway or entirely. The angle of the control handle also allows you some degree of targeting the flow of warm air either away or toward places where people sit or lie down.

   • 4

     Increase air flow to one part of the house by completely closing the duct register dampers in a part of the house where nobody currently resides. When a damper is closed, the force of air increases in all the other dampers through the house. If you close all the dampers except the ones in your bedroom at night, you won’t need as many blankets or heavy pajamas.

   • 5

     Adjust the tension of the blower belt if air flow is reduced, but all the dampers are open. Belt tension can be adjusted by turning a bolt located on the mounting frame. This will move the motor toward or away from the fan. Improper tension can result in a reduction of fan speed or a blower that operates at too high a speed. A blower operating at too high a speed can be troubleshot easily because it produces a noise that warns you something has gone wrong.

   • 6

     Check whether the motor and fan pulley are misaligned, as this can result in a reduction of noise even for a normally operating furnace. Use a straightedge or T-square to check whether these two objects are aligned properly or not. Loosen the set-screw on the interior of the motor pulley and move the pulley either in or out as needed. Tighten the set-screw and listen for whether the fan now makes more or less noise.