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If you are having problems with your furnace, don't count on that repair bill just yet: You may be able to skip the call to your service technician by trying a few furnace troubleshooting tips on your own.

Not only might you get your furnace up and running again, you can avoid paying a technician whose help you didn't really need.

Before you try any furnace troubleshooting tips, turn off the gas and electricity to the heating system.

If your furnace is not generating any heat, make sure your thermostat is on heating mode, not inadvertently set to cooling. If you have an older furnace, make sure your pilot light is lit, and reignite it if needed. (Older furnaces usually have a button to press that lights the pilot.) Then check your circuit box to see whether the furnace’s circuit breaker has been tripped and needs to be reset.

If your furnace is not generating enough heat, first check your furnace filter. If your filter isn't replaced regularly, the particles it captures accumulate and create a thick layer your warm air can’t pass through. With your system turned off, pull out your filter and hold it up to a light bulb. If the filter is so dirty you can’t see the outline of the bulb, it is time to replace it.

Leaky ducts can also shed a lot of warm air before it ever reaches your registers. Find holes in the accessible ducts in your attic or basement and patch them with duct mastic, a putty-like material you spread over holes before it hardens. (Don't use duct tape, which will fall off.)

For more furnace troubleshooting tips, contact Home Comfort Experts. We have served Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan since 2006.