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Dual Fuel Hybrid Heating Systems Troubleshooting Tips

Dual Fuel Systems utilize two different sources for heat energy, typically gas or oil and electricity.

Most Dual Fuel heat pump systems operate with the heat pump condensing unit only when outdoor temperatures are moderately cold. Like most heat pump systems the systems have back up or an emergency heat stage. For dual fuel systems the back up heat is the Natural or Propane Gas Furnace, this back up heat will usually come on when it gets too cold outside or when it is too cold in your home, in many cases you can manually turn on the emergency back up heat at the thermostat.

 Checking your Control Thermostat

    * Is the thermostat's system selector switch in the "heat" position?
    * Is the thermostat's temperature set point at least three degrees higher than the temperature inside?
    * Is your thermostat is electronic? Some electronic  thermostats operate from batteries and if they okay the LCD display should be visible. Many times if the LED display is not visible this may also indicated that the power to the furnace is off (see below). If you think you have a thermostat that runs off of batteries you can usually change the batteries by carefully removing the thermostat from the wall mount as the batteries are generally located inside the thermostat.
    * You can test your thermostat if it has switch or button to control the indoor blower or fan, switch it to "on." Listen to hear if the blower or fan comes on. If you do not hear any fan or there is no air coming from your supply registers then check to be sure the power is on at the indoor unit. (see below) If the power is on and you do not hear the fan running this may indicate that you have a bad capacitor, blower motor or other common control issue.


Checking your Power or Electrical

    * Your heating system may have a power switch at the indoor unit. In most homes in the Treasure Valley area the power switch looks just like a regular light switch and is generally located right on or beside the indoor unit. Make sure the switch is on as indicated above.
    * Most heating systems have another hidden switch that shuts off your unit if the front service panel or blower door is removed. Make sure all the service panels are on and secure.
    * If the fan still does not operate check to see if any electrical panel circuit breakers are tripped. Usually if a circuit breaker has tripped it will not be fully in the "on" position. To reset the circuit breaker turn it off all the way and then back on.


Checking your Gas Furnace Ignition

    * If your heating system is an older gas furnace (usually 10 plus years old) it may have a standing pilot light like a water heater, if this is the case carefully follow the instructions on the furnace to light the pilot.
    * Some models have an intermittent pilot light and you can usually hear the the system try to light the pilot flame with a spark (makes several clicking sounds).
    * Most newer heating systems these days have a hot surface ignitor which will glow red hot when the system is trying to light the main burner flames. The hot surface ignitor looks like a very small electric oven heating element and they are fragile and easily crack and break over time.
    * On all but the oldest furnaces you will have what is called an inducer fan which runs prior to the flame being lit, this is small fan in the inside of the unit and if it does not start and run when the system is trying to start and heat then you more than likely have a bad inducer fan motor or other possible safety switch problems and you should call a qualified service company.  

In all cases if your furnace fails to light the pilot, the pilot will not stay lit or the main burner flame does not ignite you should shut off your furnace and contact a qualified service company to inspect your system. If you smell gas open an outside door and/or windows and exit the area immediately.


Other Common Gas Furnace Issues

    * If you have a high efficient gas furnace (usually indicated by having 2 to 3 inch white plastic PVC pipe running from the furnace all the way up to the roof or through an outside wall from a crawl space) and it is real cold outside a common issue is having a frozen condensate drain. In this case look outside your home for where the condensate drain is located, many times there is an ice build up around it and this blocks the water from draining properly. You can use a hair dryer and melt the ice from both outside and inside the pipe and the furnace should start working once the water drains out.
    * In Treasure Valley we do not get much for snow but in the event that we do get a lot of snow and you have a high efficiency unit located in the crawl space with the PVC pipe going out a side wall of the house then check to be sure the pipe is clear from snow, it is common, up north in Idaho, for these pipes to get blocked up by the snow. Just clear away the snow from the pipe.
    * If your heating system runs the fan, lights the main flame but only heats the house for a short period of time and shuts back off only to restart a few minutes later or it restarts after you turn the power off and back on then the first thing you need to check is your air filter. If the filter is very dirty this prevents the system from flowing the proper amounts of air through the heat exchanger and this results in overheating of the furnace. There are safety devices to prevent this and they shut off the furnace until it cools back down.
    * On newer systems you can usually find an LED light, usually green, on the units control circuit board that is either steady on or blinks. This LED light will indicate the status of your unit based upon if it is steady on or the based on the number of the fast blinks. You can try to de-code these blinks by reading the equipment instructions at the unit or in the manual. Sometimes it will just simply have a steady blink which usually means that the system is trying to start. Usually if it is blinking several times this indicates some sort of fault or failure. What you can try is to reset the control board by turning off the power for a few seconds and then turn it back on, sometimes the system will start working again but most times the system will simply repeat the blinking fault after trying to run.  Either way you should have it checked as soon as possible by a qualified service company.   


Some Common Heat Pump Issues

    * If you have a heat pump and you can hear the outdoor unit running but cold air is blowing in your home you should wait a few minutes to see if the system starts heating again. Heat pumps will typically build up ice on the outdoor unit and in order for the system to continue working properly this ice must be removed. The heat pump will go through a defrost cycle to melt the ice that usually will last just a few minutes. Sometimes the defrost timer or controller fails and the unit either builds up ice to the point that it will not work or it gets stuck in this defrost mode. Check to see if you have ice build up on the outdoor unit if you do then you should call a qualified service company.
    * Most heat pump systems have back up or emergency heat, this back up heat will usually come on when it gets too cold outside or too cold in your home, in many cases you can manually turn on the emergency back up heat at the thermostat with a selector switch or button, this will get you some heat while you wait for repairs to your heat pump.

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SAFETY FIRST!
These easy to understand HVAC maintenance tips are for common tasks that almost any homeowner can perform. Please do not perform these tips if you are not comfortable performing them. Electricity is dangerous and can cause serious injury or death, always assume electrical power is on unless you have checked it with an appropriate electrical meter. Understanding Electrical Circuits and Standard Household Voltages Heating and Air Conditioning Equipment have many moving parts such as fans and other devices, Always stay clear of fans and other moving parts as they can start at any time. Many electrical heating equipment operate at high voltages. All gas equipment and many other types operate using either natural or propane gas or fuel oil, always use extreme caution when working with flammable sources.  It is always required to secure the power and gas or oil off to any equipment or appliance before performing service or repairs. Ameri-Serv, Inc. assumes no liability for the use of the information provided on this website.  Please always use common sense and make sure the electrical power is off before opening and accessing the inside of any equipment or appliance. Reaching into anything with electrical or moving parts can result is serious injury. Remember Safety is Always First
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