As discovered by Nest, your furnace shuts off within 15 minutes of heating

Using a smart thermostat is sensible for more reasons than just saving money on heating. It can also let you know if your furnace has a problem.

Furnace Heads Up is a feature on Google Nest that alerts you if it detects an issue with your heating system. The warning will be visible on the thermostat, in the Nest Home app, and in your monthly report.

"Nest discovered that your furnace shuts down within 15 minutes of heating," is one of the most prevalent problems. Here are the causes of this and some solutions.

Your furnace is cycling briefly.

Your furnace is short-cycling if you read the message "Nest discovered that your furnace turns down within 15 minutes of heating." The term "short cycle" refers to the furnace briefly turning on before shutting off. This HVAC "red light, green light" game delays the heating of your home and may increase your energy costs. Additionally, it can cause your furnace to age more rapidly. Also, it could be more likely to break down and might need to be replaced sooner.

Your furnace's blower fan may continue to run if you don't have Furnace Heads Up, so you might not notice that it cycles on and off repeatedly. This tool can be used to find power outages that take place during brief cycling.

How Can I Prevent Short Cycling in My Furnace?

There are a few easy techniques to prevent short-circuiting in your furnace.

Switch Out Your Air Filter Often

Your air filter will impede airflow if it is too dirty. This will cause your furnace to turn off early in order to prevent overheating. We advise changing pleated filters every three months and flat filters once a month. Setting up a filter reminder on your thermostat makes it simple to remember to change your filter.

If you changed your filter after getting a Furnace Heads Up alert, you can check to see if the problem is fixed.

• To open the Quick View menu, press the ring. From there, select "settings" and then "equipment."
• The wires connected to the thermostat will be visible. Activate "Continue"
• The system's components will be visible. Choose "test."
• Choose "Furnace Heads Up" and adhere to the directions. Your furnace will do a 15-minute heating check before informing you of the findings.
• According to Google, if the filter is clean or your furnace failed the test, something else may be wrong and require professional help.

Your furnace's flame sensor should be cleaned or replaced.

Another major cause of your furnace's short cycling is a dirty or broken flame sensor. Pay attention to your furnace when it starts up to determine if there is a problem. What to look for is listed here.

In order to see the burners in your furnace, remove the door. You might not need to remove the furnace door if it has a viewport for this.

Turn on the furnace by increasing the indoor temperature on the thermostat, turn on the furnace.

The fan will turn on first when the heat is turned on. It should turn on and be visible.

It will start to glow on the ignitor. Depending on the furnace model, the ignitor may be to the right or left of the burners.

The gas will turn on and the burners will ignite once the ignitor is hot enough.

The flame sensor is typically filthy or broken if it is unable to detect a flame. Your furnace will shut off for your safety after that. You'll notice the flame and fan switching off after a few seconds if your furnace is short cycling.

If you're wondering how flame sensors may become soiled despite being constantly exposed to fire, a combination of moisture and chemicals in the air creates a thin layer of carbon on the surface. The issue with short cycling will be resolved by cleaning a dirty flame sensor. It is advisable to leave this task to an expert. That's because a qualified HVAC technician like HVAC Repair Guide Experts will be able to clean it without harming it or notify you if it has to be replaced.

Examine the exhaust pipe of your furnace frequently.

Through a PVC pipe, the combustion gases from your high-efficiency furnace are vented outside. Snow and bird nests can clog this pipe, so you'll want to make sure it's kept free of obstructions. The pipe could become clogged, which could lead to an overheated furnace. It can also let carbon monoxide back into your house, which could be deadly.

However, contemporary furnaces come with a pressure switch that typically stops these occurrences. Families with young children frequently discover that, if the exhaust is in a place where small hands can reach it, the youngsters have stuffed toy cars, sticks, or nuts inside of it. The pressure switch will be activated by even this tiny quantity. The pressure switch is tripped by the unbalanced flow of air into and out of the system, which turns off the burners. If this is the problem, your furnace will start and stop quickly and give you an error code that says the pressure switch was tripped.

HVAC Repair Guide Experts' HVAC experts can look up the codes and provide a diagnosis for you. You will still need help from a professional since Nest has not yet reached the point where it can figure out what the error codes that furnace manufacturers give mean.