Goodman Furnace Troubleshooting Basics – Common Problems and the Solutions

Before you troubleshoot a furnace, you should first understand how you work with potentially deadly voltage and highly flammable gas, and you do this at your own peril. If you can’t work on it safely, you shouldn’t attempt it because it wouldn’t be worth the danger. We first saw Goodman furnaces installed in the late 1980s to now, and they have 80 percent efficiency, but you occasionally have a need for Goodman furnace troubleshooting. The fan extracts burned gases from the heat exchanger and transfer it over to the vent.

Why You Might Need Goodman Furnace Troubleshooting

Understanding Goodman furnace troubleshooting and 80 percent of the failures can help you with your furnace. Before you call in the professionals, you might have some of the more common issues that will be easy for you to work on yourself. Even a need for a part shouldn’t discourage you because almost anyone can figure out some of the most common problems. It makes this easy to install, and you can normally buy this from one of the local suppliers. Here are some of the things that you should keep in mind with Goodman furnace troubleshooting issues:

• Examine the settings on the thermostat.
• Ensure the power works through the switch, breaker, fuse and indicator light.
• Look at the filter.
• The inline gas valve should be opened.
• The flame sensor for the ignition confirmation.
• Check for the blockage in the chimney and the pressure switch.
• Know when to call in a professional technician.

Some of these things are simple things that you can do, but we don’t recommend that you do some of the more complicated tasks because this can be dangerous without the skilled knowledge of a professional.

Tools and Specs to Keep in Mind

The tools and specs you need will largely depend on the task at hand. For example, if you were to clean your furnace, you will need a toothbrush, vacuum, scrub brush, cotton swabs, toothpicks, rags and a replacement filter. An HVAC professional will have a lot more like:

• Hammer;
• Cordless drill;
• Cordless saw;
• Tape measure;
• Bits;
• Screwdrivers;
• Wirecutters;
• Pipe wrench;
• Tool bag;
• Utility knife;

While these are tools a professional uses, we never recommend the average person start drilling in the furnace without the proper knowledge or use a cordless saw because working with a furnace can be dangerous. Even without the dangers of high voltage, you want to make sure you work on it correctly because furnaces can pose a danger. In fact, more than 200 people die across the United States each year because of a problem with furnace ventilation in the home.

How to Check the Thermostat and Furnace

While it might sound goofy, you actually want to look at the thermostat for a couple telltale signs. You’d be surprised how many times an HVAC professional shows up only to replace the batteries in the thermostat. First, look for a jumbled digital display. If you have this, the thermostat might need replacing, and an HVAC professional can do this. You might also check the batteries or look at the temperature setting to make sure that it has been turned up high enough. You might also look inside for loose wires or wires that are touching. In some cases, you might need to tighten up the wires or tidy them up.

You can test your thermostat easily with a small to a medium-sized screwdriver, and you will use a short 18-gauge wire. To test the thermostat, you go to the furnace and remove the doors. Next, you will locate the circuit board, which is where the thermostat connects to your furnace. You should disconnect the wires from the “W” and the “R” terminals. In most cases, the wires will be red and white, but this isn’t always the case. You will connect the jumper wire between the R and W terminals. Next, secure the door of the furnace to see if it will work. If it works, the thermostat isn’t the problem. If it does work, then you likely have a malfunctioning thermostat that you need to replace.

You might also check for the power to and from the furnace. You should hear the furnace attempting to ignite. If you hear the blower running without the heat, then it isn’t a problem with the power, and you can likely skip checking the power. Otherwise, you will want to check the service switch of the furnace, and you will want to make sure the red light for the furnace circuit board has been turned on. If you don’t have power, then you should call an electrician because this is working with high voltage, which can be extraordinarily dangerous without specialized knowledge.

Caution Notes

When it comes to the furnace, an ounce of prevention is worth one pound of cure. Routine cleaning and maintenance on the furnace don’t demand specialized knowledge if you have a few hand tools, but we don’t recommend you do anything tricky or dangerous with the furnace. For example, don’t try to adjust the gas burners. It’s one of the most important aspects of the furnace, and you want to make sure that it has been set right because this distributes the gas in the furnace correctly. If it isn’t done correctly, it can cause a flash fire.

With Goodman furnace troubleshooting, the key is almost always prevention. We want to take measures that will extend the lifetime of your furnace. When in doubt, call an HVAC professional because they will have the right knowledge to do the work. We will always recommend you leave the dangerous stuff to the professionals, but you might look at the symptoms to help you with diagnosing a specific problem to decide if you need a professional. If you don’t feel confident in the steps shown, we recommend you skip them. Have you ever done Goodman furnace troubleshooting? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences of it.