Bard Furnace Troubleshooting

The Bard Manufacturing Company was founded in 1914 and has developed a reputation for building high-quality home heating systems. If your Bard furnace is malfunctioning, it may be possible to diagnose the problem and correct it yourself. Keep in mind that a Bard gas furnace has a large number of components, which can make troubleshooting a tricky task for the average homeowner.

Before troubleshooting, the first thing to do is to check the air for the presence of gas. If you smell gas around your furnace or in your house, do not attempt to fix the problem yourself. Immediately evacuate all persons and pets from the building and contact your gas company from a neighbor's house or a cell phone.

Examine your thermostat and verify that it is set to a temperature higher than the ambient room temperature. If your thermostat has a power switch, make sure it is set to "On." If it is a programmable thermostat, verify that the batteries are still working.

Examine every heating register in your house and verify there is nothing obstructing them. Blocked registers can lead the furnace to overheat and automatically shut down. If your furnace is vented through a wall or chimney, ensure that no obstructions are preventing the expelled gases from venting outside. Check your fuse or breaker box to make certain that you have no blown fuses or any tripped circuit breakers.

Ensure that the switch on the electronic ignition unit is set to "On." If you have an older Bard model without an electronic ignition unit, verify that the pilot light is lit. If the pilot light is out, relight it using a long-reach safety lighter. Follow the gas line into the furnace and check to see if all valves are open. An open valve will have its valve handle running parallel to the pipe to which it is attached.

Take off the lower panel and examine the blower motor. If your furnace is not running at all, try pressing the "Reset" button on the side of the blower motor. A Bard gas furnace that constantly cycles on and off usually indicates an overheating blower motor that is resetting itself. Remove the lower panel on your furnace to verify that nothing is obstructing the motor or the blower. Verify that the air filter is clean because a clogged air filter will cause the unit to quickly overheat and halt the blower motor.

Due to the extremely dangerous nature of gas, if you are not able to fix your problem using these simple inspection techniques, you will have to contact a professional HVAC technician.