When your home’s heating system stops working during a chilly Illinois winter, knowing how to locate and use the furnace reset button just might save you from bundling up in an extra layer of blankets. With temperatures frequently dropping below freezing in the Chicagoland area, a properly functioning heating system is about comfort and safety. Learning how to reset your furnace can sometimes get it back up and running, but it’s equally essential to understand when it’s time to call in the professionals.
What is a Furnace Reset Button?
Sometimes called the flame rollout switch, the furnace reset button acts as a safety device to shut down your furnace if there are potentially dangerous operating conditions. As far as where the reset button is on a furnace, you’ll usually find the yellow or red button on or near your furnace’s motor housing or blower compartment.
Think of it like the circuit breaker for your furnace. Just as your circuit breaker box can trip when there is a power surge, the furnace reset button trips when something’s not right. This helps to protect your system and your home.
With most furnaces, this safety measure is in place to prevent damage from overheating or electrical issues. Modern furnaces have a series of safety sensors that work together to prevent possibly dangerous conditions, like pressure switches, flame sensors, and roll-out switches that detect backdrafting.
What Causes the Reset Button to Constantly Trip?
In homes all across Northern Illinois, heating systems often work overtime during our long winters. If your furnace reset button keeps tripping, it’s trying to tell you something important. In our experience serving communities around Greater Chicago, we’ve identified several common issues, including:
- Dirty air filters that are blocking proper airflow.
- Faulty flame sensors that are preventing proper ignition.
- Oil-soaked burners causing irregular flames.
- Short circuits in the electrical system.
- Block flues or chimneys, creating backdrafts.
- Cracked heat exchangers that lead to safety shutdowns.
- Improper furnace sizing for your home.
- Clogged condensate lines in high-efficiency systems.
- Malfunctioning thermostats, possibly sending incorrect signals.
- Worn-out motor bearings that cause overheating.
Between hard water, heavy snowfall, and high pollen, local Chicagoland conditions can push home heating systems to their limits. Knowing how to reset the furnace is helpful when it trips once or twice. However, if you find that your reset button is tripping repeatedly, it’s time to contact a professional for furnace repair rather than just going back to reset it over and over again. Ignoring these warnings could lead to more extensive damage or unsafe conditions.
Resetting a Gas or Oil Furnace
Before you try resetting your gas or oil furnace, wait at least 30 minutes after the initial shutdown. This cooling-off period is important for safety reasons. Never hit the furnace reset button more than twice in succession and keep the area around your furnace clear. Also check that your carbon monoxide detectors are working properly and the furnace room has good ventilation.
Here are the steps to follow for how to reset a furnace that runs on gas or oil:
- Turn off the power to your furnace at the circuit breaker.
- Check for any unusual odors that might indicate a gas leak.
- Inspect visible furnace components for obvious signs of damage.
- Find the furnace reset button. It’s usually near the blower motor or burner.
- Press and hold the reset button for about three seconds.
- Release the button to restore power to your furnace.
- Wait for your furnace to complete its normal startup cycle.
- Listen for unusual sounds or anything else out of the ordinary during startup.
- Watch the flame color through the sight glass if you can.
- Check that warm air is now flowing and circulating through all the vents in your home.
If your home’s heating system doesn’t restart properly or it trips again quickly, you must stop attempting to reset it. Multiple resets without addressing the underlying cause or problem can damage your system even further. At that point, you may need a brand new heater installation to replace your current one.
Resetting an Electric Furnace
How to reset an electric furnace shares some similarities to resetting a gas or oil furnace, but there are some key differences relating to various safety switches.
- Go to your circuit box to switch off power to your furnace.
- Remove the access panel on your furnace.
- Look for damaged heating elements, loose wire connections, and other possible signs of what went wrong.
- Identify the red or yellow furnace reset button.
- Press the reset button firmly until you hear a click.
- Put the furnace access panel back on.
- Turn the power back on at your circuit breaker box.
- Monitor the entire system as it restarts.
- Check for proper heating and airflow throughout your home.
Just like with oil and gas furnaces, electric furnaces can experience a variety of issues too. If you find that you have to reset your furnace frequently, it could point toward problems with heating elements or control boards. It’s best to call a HVAC professional for a thorough inspection and diagnosis.
Contact the Professionals at G & R Heating and Air
Here at G & R Heating and Air, our 100% family-owned and operated business has been serving the Chicagoland area for many years. We stand behind our work, including 24/7 emergency services and a full one-year warranty.
Knowing how to reset your furnace is helpful, but persistent issues require professional attention. By addressing problems early, you can extend the life of your equipment, lower energy bills, and enhance the efficiency of your HVAC system. Our experienced technicians can diagnose and repair these issues before they lead to more serious problems.
If you’re having any trouble with your heater in Northern Illinois or if you need to schedule a free second opinion, call us today at (224) 243-4293. From Geneva to Bartlett and throughout the Chicagoland area, trust the team of pros at G & R Heating and Air to keep your home comfortable and warm all winter long.
