Tool · No-heat checklist
Furnace not heating? Work this list, in order
The safe, ordered checks for a no-heat situation. Steps that involve gas, combustion or opening the burner compartment are not on this list — those belong to licensed technicians.
01Gas smell or CO alarm? Stop here
If you smell gas, or a carbon-monoxide alarm sounds, do not investigate: leave the building, leave the door open, and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 (gas) or 911 (CO) from outside. Do not re-enter until emergency services say it is safe. Every other step below waits for that.
02Thermostat
Set to Heat with the set point above room temperature. Replace dead batteries. Confirm the display shows a call (usually a flame or heat icon); if it is blank, the furnace may have lost power too.
03Power
The furnace has a light-switch-style disconnect on or near the cabinet and a breaker in the panel. Both should be on. A furnace with a condensate pump also stops if the pump's safety switch tripped because the pump reservoir is full.
04Blower door
The door switch cuts power to the furnace when the blower compartment door is not fully seated. Push the door firmly closed — never tape or jumper the switch.
05Gas valve
Confirm the shut-off valve at the furnace is fully open: the handle sits in line with the pipe. Someone may have closed it in the summer.
06Filter
A heavily loaded filter can trip the limit and make the furnace appear dead between attempts. Note its condition; change it if you have the right size.
07Read the code
Modern furnaces show a status code on a display or as LED flashes through a window in the door. Write down the exact digits, including any minor digit, then decode it below.
08One reset only
If the owner's manual allows it, reset once by cycling power. If the code returns, stop: repeated resets hide the fault and can allow unburned gas to build up after ignition failures.
09Call with the facts
Call BC Wide at 604-473-9690 with the brand, the full model number from the rating plate, the exact code, and whether the furnace runs at all. That decides the priority of the call and what the technician brings.
Decode what the furnace is telling you
A code is a condition, not a diagnosis — but it points the technician at the right system. Look the code up in the error-code decoder, or browse the symptom pages for no heat, cold air and repeated lockouts. Typical winter no-heat causes are condensate blockages and ignition faults, both documented here with their codes.
Keeping the house safe while you wait
- Set the thermostat to Off so the blower does not push cold air all night.
- Close doors to rooms you are not using and protect pipes in unheated areas.
- Use only approved space heaters with their clearances; never the oven, and never a generator indoors.
Smell of gas or a CO alarm? Leave the building, then call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 (gas) or 911 (CO) before anything else — including this checklist.
Priority no-heat scheduling across Greater Vancouver; attendance confirmed by phone, never guaranteed on this site.