Bryant gas furnaces are great at making homes feel more comfortable in the chilly winter months. But if your Bryant furnace isn’t getting any gas, how can it keep you warm when you need it the most? So, what’s causing this annoying problem of your Bryant furnace not getting gas?
Your Bryant furnace isn’t getting gas because of problems with the thermostat, a tripped circuit breaker, a closed gas valve, a corroded ignitor, or a dirty air filter or flame sensor. Fix the problem by checking the thermostat, circuit breaker, and gas valve and cleaning the furnace.
This article will expand on some common problems with your Bryant furnace that stop it from getting gas and how to fix them.
Problems With the Thermostat
The thermostat is the “brain” of your furnace. It tells the furnace when to blow hot air into your room — when the temperatures in your home dip, the thermostat triggers the heating cycle to raise the room temperature to what’s set on the thermostat.
When a thermostat is faulty, it can’t properly communicate with the furnace, and it simply won’t turn on. Since thermostat issues are usually easier to troubleshoot, this is the best place to start if your Bryant furnace isn’t getting gas.
A thermostat malfunction can be caused by dust accumulation, old wiring, and low batteries. Sometimes it can be just due to wrong settings.
The best way to solve these problems is to start with the basics. Is your thermostat set to HEAT? Also, is it set to a higher temperature than what’s displayed as the current temp? If the answer is no, that’s why your device isn’t turning on the gas.
Next, check the batteries. If you haven’t changed your thermostat’s batteries for a while, there’s a chance they are starting to fail, preventing effective communication with the furnace. Get new ones.
If the device is still acting up, remove its cover and gently dust off the internal components. But if you suspect the malfunction is caused by old wiring, consult a knowledgeable HVAC technician if you don’t have the technical know-how.
Tripped Circuit Breakers
Another reason why your Bryant furnace isn’t getting gas could be a tripped circuit breaker. Even though your furnace is gas-fueled, some components run on electricity, like the air blower and ignition system. If these parts are drawing more current than usual, the furnace circuit breaker will trip as a safety precaution, and your furnace won’t come on.
One component that’s notorious for tripping circuit breakers is the blower fan. If your blower struggles to push out hot air through the vents (perhaps due to blocked heat registers or leaky ducts), it’ll require more energy. It’ll use more electricity than when working correctly. Your furnace’s safety switch will turn off the system’s circuit breaker to prevent damage. You’ll have to switch the circuit breaker back on to get the furnace to work.
Solving a tripped circuit breaker is easy — open the breaker box and flip the furnace switch back to ON.
If the switch trips again almost instantly, there could be a more complex problem with your furnace. Contact an HVAC expert immediately.
Closed Gas Supply
If you have set your thermostat right and turned on the breaker switch, but your Bryant furnace still isn’t getting any gas, check the gas supply to ensure it wasn’t shut off.
A valve near the gas line controls the gas supply to your furnace. It must be open to allow gas to flow.
To know whether gas is supplied to your heating system, check the valve handle. It should be parallel to the outlet pipe. If your HVAC system isn’t getting any gas, the handle will be turned perpendicular to the gas line. The gas control valve must be fully open; if it’s only partially open, your system won’t receive the sufficient fuel it needs for combustion and may not even ignite.
Defective or Corroded Ignition System
The ignitor is responsible for starting the combustion process that generates heat and blows it out of your vents. It sparks to ignite the burners. If you’re using an older Bryant furnace, you may have a pilot light instead of an electric ignitor. Either way, the furnace can’t fire up if the ignition system is dirty or corroded.
And if your furnace can’t ignite, the system’s safety switch will immediately shut down the gas supply to prevent leaks. If a faulty or rusty ignition system is the reason your Bryant furnace isn’t getting gas, you should troubleshoot it. That’s the only way you’ll get your furnace working again.
Depending on the problem, you can involve a professional or do it yourself. If your ignitor is just corroded, you can solve the problem by scraping off the deposits with a piece of steel wool or fine sandpaper.
If your ignitor still doesn’t spark, have it replaced by an HVAC expert. They’ll test the ignitor for continuity with a multimeter to determine whether it needs repair or replacement.
Dirty Air Filter
Dirty air filters cause almost all furnace problems, which is why you should check it if your Bryant furnace isn’t getting gas. The reason is simple — filters carry filth that can sneak into your furnace’s internal components and clog them to the extent of malfunctioning.
If the burners are clogged with dirt, they can’t heat the gas. The system will automatically turn the gas supply off to stop it from flowing into the burners.
You should change a furnace filter frequently. Experts recommend doing it every 30–90 days. If you use a one-inch-thick filter, you should change yours every 30 days. Filters thicker than two inches can be replaced every 90 days.
Just remove the old filter from your Bryant furnace and slide in the new one. Check the owner’s manual if you can’t locate the air filter in your furnace. Additionally, ensure the new filter is the same size as the old one.
Clogged Flame Sensor
The flame sensor is another furnace component that can be affected by dust getting through the filter. The flame sensor’s job is to check whether your furnace is lighting. If the sensor doesn’t see any ignition, it’ll signal the control board to turn off the gas to prevent leaks.
A dirty sensor won’t read the flame, and so the control board will assume there is unburned gas in the system and trigger a shutdown. This could be the reason your Bryant furnace isn’t getting gas.
To solve the problem, grab a fine abrasive pad and scrub the dirt off the sensor’s surface. If the sensor is faulty, have an expert replace it.
Final Thoughts
You can try several solutions to get gas flowing into your Bryant furnace. Although it’s best to ask a professional for help, there are still a few things that you can do yourself, including:
- Resetting the thermostat and replacing its batteries.
- Flipping a tripped circuit breaker switch back on.
- Turning on the gas valve.
- Cleaning a dirty ignitor and flame sensor.
- Replacing the furnace filter.
Steve Rajeckas is an HVAC hobbyist with an avid interest in learning innovative ways to keep rooms, buildings, and everything else at the optimal temperature. When he’s not working on new posts for Temperature Master, he can be found reading books or exploring the outdoors.