No Heat in Cheney, WA

Cheney has a mix of housing stock worth understanding. The Eastern Washington University campus area and neighborhoods near the Historic First Street commercial corridor have older homes - some with aging systems that have been patched more than once. But a significant wave of construction happened roughly 15 to 20 years ago, and those builder-grade furnaces are now hitting the end of their designed lifespan. They weren't bad units - they just weren't built for decades of hard use in a climate that swings from 100°F summers to single-digit winter nights.

Here are the most common mechanical reasons a furnace stops producing heat:

1. Ignition failure Modern furnaces use either a hot surface ignitor (a fragile ceramic element that glows red-hot) or an electronic spark ignitor. Both fail over time. When ignition fails, the gas valve won't open, the burners never light, and you get cold air from the blower - or nothing at all.

2. Flame sensor fouling The flame sensor is a small metal rod that confirms the burners actually lit. When it gets coated with oxidation or residue (which happens gradually over years of use), it can't "see" the flame. The furnace lights briefly, then shuts down as a safety measure. You may notice the system cycling on and off every few minutes.

3. Limit switch lockout The high-limit switch is a safety device that shuts the furnace down if it overheats. Overheating is usually caused by restricted airflow - a clogged filter, blocked vents, or a failing blower motor. Once the limit switch trips, the furnace locks out. It may reset after cooling, but it will keep tripping until the airflow problem is fixed.

4. Pressure switch failure Gas furnaces use one or more pressure switches to confirm that the inducer motor (the fan that vents combustion gases out of the home) is working before allowing ignition. If the inducer motor is weak, the venting is blocked, or the pressure switch itself has failed, the furnace won't fire. This is a common failure point on furnaces in the 10–18 year range.

5. Gas valve or control board failure The gas valve controls fuel delivery to the burners. The control board is the brain of the system - it sequences every step of the startup process. Either can fail, and when they do, the furnace may appear to start normally but never produce heat.

6. Heat exchanger cracks A cracked heat exchanger is the most serious no-heat cause on this list. The heat exchanger is the metal chamber where combustion gases are contained while air passes over the outside of it to pick up heat. A crack allows combustion byproducts - including carbon monoxide - to mix with your home's air supply.

If you suspect a cracked heat exchanger, treat it as a safety issue, not just a repair. We'll cover CO safety below.

Before you call, run through these checks. They take five minutes and occasionally solve the problem.

• Check your thermostat. Make sure it's set to "Heat" (not "Cool" or "Fan Only") and the setpoint is at least 3–5 degrees above the current room temperature. Check the batteries if it's battery-powered.
• Check your air filter. A severely clogged filter restricts airflow and causes the furnace to overheat and shut down. If it's gray and matted, replace it. Standard 1-inch filters should be replaced every 1–3 months during heavy use.
• Check your circuit breaker. Furnaces run on electricity even if they burn gas. Find the breaker labeled "furnace" or "air handler" and confirm it hasn't tripped. Reset it once if it has - but if it trips again, stop and call.
• Check your vents. Walk through the house and confirm supply and return vents aren't blocked by furniture, rugs, or closed dampers.
• Check the furnace power switch. There's usually a standard wall switch near the furnace that looks like a light switch. It gets bumped off accidentally more often than you'd think.