Updated November 18, 2022

There’s never a GOOD time to be dealing with heating and cooling troubles. However, the holidays are probably the worst time of year to have HVAC problems. If you find yourself dealing with a broken heating system this holiday season, don’t panic! There are some simple steps you can take at home to get your HVAC back up and running. If you haven’t been running the system at all yet this year and it isn’t working, don’t despair! Check out this guide on How to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter. It has some quick tips to get things up and running. If those simple steps don’t work, continue through this list.

If you’re in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and need help with your HVAC ASAP, call Texas Ace! At Texas Ace Heating and Air, our professional HVAC team is ready to help whenever you need us.

Troubleshooting Your HVAC System

1. Make sure that your system is set to “Heating” mode.
You’d be surprised how often this is the problem! Do you have children? Kids playing with the thermostat is one common reason that temperatures get adjusted or even turned off!

2. Try adjusting the temperature up by 3 to 5 degrees.
Then, wait for 30 seconds and see if the heating system kicks on. (You can also do this for your A/C in the summertime, just turn the temperature down.) If the system turns on, you may be dealing with simple thermostat calibration issues. While inconvenient, this isn’t an emergency. You’ll just need to set your temperature higher than normal. Still, be sure to call in HVAC professionals to fix this issue as soon as you can. If the system doesn’t turn on at all, it’s time to call in the pros.

3. Make sure that all of your air grilles (registers) are open.

Again, this seems like a very obvious issue but it happens more often than you think!

4. Check to make sure your thermostat has power or fresh batteries.

a. If your thermostat is battery-powered — swap out the batteries out for a fresh pair. If you own a battery tester, you can also use that to check the battery charge levels first.

b. If your thermostat is wired directly into your home — make sure the wiring hasn’t come loose or gotten damaged. Finally, if everything looks good but the system doesn’t have power, check the circuit breaker. Verify that the circuit breaker hasn’t flipped for your HVAC system. If it has, try switching it back on. If the breaker continues flipping back into the off position, it’s time to call in the professionals.

Inspect Indoor and Outdoor HVAC Units

When was the last time you had your indoor and outdoor units serviced? If it’s been a while, there could be some kind of physical issue causing problems with your heating and cooling. Check your outdoor unit for blockages or debris. This can include twigs, leaves, grass clippings, or animal and bird nests. Any of these issues can cause a decrease or even a full blockage of air flow. They can also cause the fans to potentially jam. If you’re able to clear this debris yourself, you can! Just make sure your system is OFF so that the fans don’t kick on half way through the job. Make sure to take special care when working in your unit. Be patient and take your time. You don’t want to damage the fans or any smaller more delicate mechanisms.

Just like you would inspect an outdoor unit, evaluate your indoor unit as well. Remove and inspect the filter to make sure it isn’t clogged or improperly installed. Next, inspect the internal components. Look for dust or physical blockages that could be interfering with airflow. Ideally, you should have several feet of clearance on each side of your unit.

Call the Heating and Air Conditioning Professionals at Texas Ace HVAC!

If none of these steps have solved your problem, check out this blog post on How to Tell When Your Heater Needs Replaced. Have you been constantly dealing with the issues listed in the linked article? Then your system may simply be on its way out. If you try all of the above steps and your HVAC still isn’t working, it’s time to call in the professionals. Texas Ace HVAC in Dallas/Fort Worth is a 24/7/365 company. That means we’re here to offer emergency HVAC services any time you need them. Yes, even on the holidays! Give us a call at 817-240-6701 or contact us online.