From the hallway, a furnace that will not heat looks the same no matter what broke. Inside the cabinet, though, everything happens in a strict order: inducer on, pressure switch closed, igniter glowing, gas valve open, burners lit, flame proven, and finally the blower sending heat through the house. Most of the diagnosis comes down to finding the broken link. In Wichita homes, it tends to be the same handful of culprits: a flame sensor coated in oxide, a hot surface igniter cracked by thermal cycling, a pressure switch held open by a tired inducer or a plugged condensate trap, or a control board with a burned relay.
When the AC quits in summer, see AC Repair.
Warning Signs for Furnace Repair
Spotting the early warning signs lets you act before the problem gets expensive. Watch for these telltale signs:
- Squeals, scrapes, or grinding noises behind the blower door
- A furnace that shuts off every few minutes before the house warms up
- Water, rust stains, or black soot around the flue or cabinet
- A fan that keeps running while the registers blow cool air
- Flames that start, last a few seconds, and go out again and again
- A pilot or burner flame that is lazy yellow instead of crisp blue
- The igniter glows and clicks, yet no flame ever appears
- Loud booms at startup caused by delayed ignition
Act Before It Gets Worse
A failing capacitor, clogged condensate drain, or dirty flame sensor rarely fixes itself and usually gets more expensive to address the longer it runs. Call (620) 472-3699 at the first sign of trouble.
