Troubleshooting
Furnace notigniting?
When the furnace won't fire, there's a short list of safe things worth checking before you call — and a hard line you shouldn't cross. Here's both.
Safe to check yourself — 10 minutes
- Thermostat set to HEAT and a few degrees above room temperature
- The furnace switch (looks like a light switch on or near the unit) is on
- The breaker hasn't tripped — flip it fully off, then on
- A fresh filter — a fully clogged one can trigger safety shutoffs
- Watch a startup: you should hear the inducer fan, see the ignitor glow, then hear the gas valve click
Stop and call us if…
- You smell gas — leave the house and call from outside
- The ignitor glows but the burners never light, or light with a loud boom
- It fires up, runs a few seconds, then shuts off — repeatedly
- The status light is blinking an error pattern
- You've reset it once already and it locked out again
Why it matters
What's usually
going on.
01
The flame sensor is dirty
The single most common no-heat call we run. The furnace lights, can't sense the flame, and shuts itself down. A quick cleaning fixes it — but it's inside the cabinet, which is our side of the line.
02
Ignitors are wear items
Hot surface ignitors are fragile and wear out like light bulbs — typically every few years. A furnace that won't glow at all usually needs one.
03
Don't keep resetting it
The lockout is a safety feature doing its job. Resetting over and over can turn a simple sensor cleaning into a bigger, more expensive problem.
Members pay $69
for heating maintenance.
Most no-ignition calls trace back to things a tune-up catches early. Go Dutch Rewards members get discounted maintenance — unlimited, every season, and the card is free.
Get a quote
Tell us what's
acting up.
Send the form and a real human from our dispatch team calls back within one business hour. Rather talk now?
(317) 399-783924/7 emergency line