Posted by: Tim Burton on September 26, 2001 at 12:45:06

I went to start my furnace for the first time this season and I get no response. I checked to make sure the pilot was on and checked visually. I was wondering how to check and see if the thermostat is working? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
A thermostat is a switch. If you remove the two wires from the thermostat and touch them together, the burner will go on if everything in the circuit is OK and connected and that is a clue that the thermostat might be bad.

If the burner goes on, the wiring is OK. If the burner does not go on there is something else in the circuit that needs to be repaired. Then you will need to know enough about electricity to check the transformer, ring wires for continuity, and understand how the ignition system works. These are a small portion of the lessons learned by a skilled heating technician.