Goodman Furnace Won’t Start or Turn On

Now that the cold season is slowly coming back into our lives, we need to take care of many things around the house. You no longer have to struggle with the summer’s high temperatures, but you do have to check your home will be all warm and cozy in the winter.

When your Goodman furnace doesn’t light, several aspects could be the cause. Keep reading to find out what may cause your furnace not to turn on and which steps you should take for solving the problem.

1. Carefully examine the circuit breakers.

When the furnace doesn’t turn on, the first thing to do is take a look at the circuit breakers. Even if your furnace uses gas as a fuel source, electricity is still needed for some of the components to run.

Even if your Goodman furnace is on gas, it has electrical ignitors and several inputs into the thermostat that need power for running. The more complicated the furnace is, the higher the risk for power outage for your system. As a matter of fact, it’s the latest and smart thermostats that present a higher risk.

You can examine the electrical input to the furnace:

• Take a look at the electrical elements in your house. When they’re also not working, you should call the electric company to find out what’s the problem.
• Examine the circuit breaker on the furnace and all elements that have to be in the “on” position. They’re typically placed on the main power distribution panel, which is the circuit board.
• It would help if you also observed the circuit breaker on the furnace or the light switch found near the furnace. Some models come with redundant circuit breakers right on the furnaces; a light switch controlling the unit’s power is also possible to find.
• Should any of the circuit breakers be popped, you have to reset them, but do it just once. You should never reset the circuit breaker more than once. Most of the time, there is an excellent reason for which it’s tripping, so you won’t fix it by resetting it over and over again. More importantly, you may damage the entire system and even cause a fire.

Side note

It would help if you never taped a circuit breaker, as you may cause an electrical fire. When the circuit breaker doesn’t stop tripping and the furnace doesn’t turn on, you should contact the professionals.

2. Examine the thermostat

The second thing to check when your Goodman furnace won’t light is to examine the thermostat. Some models lose the programming and reset if they’ve lost power for as little as a second. When it occurs, the thermostat could go back to the default setting.

Here’s how you should examine the thermostat:

• See if the thermostat has power to it.
• Make sure that the thermostat is on.
• Ensure that the thermostat is in the “heating” mode

Test the thermostat and set it to the desired temperature, but add 10 degrees than the typical temperature as you only want to see if the furnace starts running or not. If the furnace does turn on, you can set the temperature you want. Should the furnace still doesn’t turn on, it’s time to go to step 3.

3. Study the condensate pan of the furnace

Condensate pans (drain pans) will collect water that was eliminated from the air by the furnace. Even if drainage pans are typically linked to the air conditioners, furnaces also generate condensation. They should have a float switch and a condensation pump.

As long as the furnace runs correctly, the condensation is supposed to seep or be pumped out through the pump found in the pan/collection recipient. Here’s what you should do when the condensate pan has water in it:

• For pans with drain, you have to make sure that the drain is clear. There are unique tables for keeping the drains clear. Continue with draining the fluid and see if the furnace starts running.
• You will have to deal with the collection recipient with a tube feeding into it and a float switch for pans with a pump. It’s essential that the switch is in the “down” position. If it’s blocked “up,” you need to clean it and ensure its effective movement. Take care of your safety and you’re your hands very well because of the acid in the collect condensation. If there’s water blocked in the pan, you will have to install a new pump. You can check it by pushing on the float and holding it. If that was the cause for your furnace not starting, it should turn on after 30 seconds or a minute.

Side note

The furnace won’t start when the float switch is triggered. The furnace won’t start when the float switch is up.

4. Examine the air filter

A clogged air filter could also cause the furnace not to start. When it’s clogged or if you haven’t replaced it in a long time, the furnace doesn’t start for safety reasons, as it has to reduce the risk of overheating. Needless to say, you must replace the filter if it’s dirty.

5. Observe the blower motor

You don’t have to be a professional to check the blower motor. If the furnace still doesn’t start, you can go and see through the tiny plastic window on the side of the furnace, where you should see a blinking green light.

Only green blinking is normal; all other lights mean that you should call the technician.

6. Inspect the pilot light

Most modern Goodman furnaces come with pilot lights. When the gas/propane flow to the pilot light is disrupted, even for just a second, the pilot light goes out, and it will have to relight. It’s why the furnace doesn’t turn on.

Modern furnaces don’t turn on when the pilot light is out for safety reasons; they will not push impressive amounts of gas/propane into the house.

7. Examine the gas/propane supply

When you’ve gone through all the previous steps, and the furnace still doesn’t turn on, you should take a look at the gas/propane. Verify the gas appliance in the house, like a stove. When your stove is also unable to run, a gas supply issue could be the cause. Make sure to fill the propane tank or call the gas company- it depends on which fuel you’re using.

8. Investigate the ignition sensor

We’ve passed the entry-level servicing the furnaces. Unless you know your way around the furnace, you will need to call the professionals. The ignition sensor is another safety feature of the furnace, telling it when there is no flame inside it.

When the ignition sensor gets dirty, it won’t work correctly, and cleaning is required. Go to the manual to see where the flame sensor is located and learn how to clean it.