How To Open Carrier Furnace Door [In 4 Easy Steps!]

The maintenance of your Carrier furnace is on your list, or perhaps you're just doing a random check-up. But what worries you is how to open the door of your furnace before you proceed safely. Well, worry no more; we've searched this topic and have found the answer!

To safely open the door of your Carrier furnace, you'll need to:

1. Shut off the entire furnace power breaker.
2. Ensure that there's no electric current left using a voltmeter.
3. Loosen the screws with a screwdriver of the furnace.
4. Tilt the furnace panel or door until you can open it.

That was easy, was it? Keep reading as we tackle how you will find your furnace filter and how to change it. We will also address some related queries that you might find helpful. With that said, let's dive in!

Where Is The Filter On A Carrier Furnace?

Depending on the model you used, most carrier furnaces set their furnace's filter on the blower cabinet's top, bottom, or sides.

You will see the filter set in a vertical or horizontal setup based on the angle of the air handler unit. You'll find the filter inside the blower cabinet in some cases, notably on the older model.

How Do I Clean/Change A Furnace Filter?

In every valued machine in your house, it is crucial to regularly check and maintain its component.

You can remove and replace the filter by tilting it out from the furnace bracket. If you use a washable filter, clean it by rinsing it under cool running water.

Before replacing washable filters in your furnace, make sure it is clean and dry.

WARNING: Make sure to turn off the furnace power breaker before working your furnace!

How Do I Reset My Furnace Ignition Lockout?

Suppose your furnace shuts down so often and fully ceases to respond after multiple efforts to switch it on. It needs to reset as it is under lockout mode, and to unlock your furnace; you will need to do a quick reset procedure.

You may quickly reset your new gas furnace without a hassle by turning off the power and waiting around 20 seconds before turning it back on.

But in some other models, a reset may come out of lockout after 1-2 hours, and try to turn it on again.

How Many Times Can I Hit The Reset Button On My Furnace?

The furnace's reset button is a safety feature. So, you should regard it as such a crucial part of the furnace unit. You should not press it aimlessly. As most advice says, you can press the reset button twice only.

Otherwise, this could cause an incident and an explosion in your oil furnaces.

Is It Safe To Reset A Furnace?

A reset button's primary function is to provide a safety feature. So it is indeed safe, and it helps the furnace notice when it becomes too hot. This means preventing the circuit breaker from being tripped by the hot furnace.

A furnace may need to be adjusted on time, such as when it becomes scalding. In this instance, the reset button helps a lot. Therefore, following our detailed tips above about resetting a furnace will ensure your safety and your furnace unit.

What Causes A Furnace To Lockout?

The gas furnace system has the features of three sensors that can notice any unsafe status during startup and even the entire operation. If these sensors fail to perform correctly, the gas furnace will shut down to prevent significant harm.

Moreover, your house is in real danger, as defined by Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). So it is best to address these lockout causes quickly to ensure safety when using your furnace.

Faulty Flame Sensor

In general, your furnace has a sensor system in charge of looking over your furnace unit if there's an emerging fire. As a result, if the sensor fails to do its task, it will not be able to detect the flame.

The control system will then take over and stop the gas furnace from finishing the igniting process and set it to ignition lockout.

Damage Igniter

One likely cause is a broken igniter when your furnace ignition lockout occurs. The flame sensor will not detect a fire during its few seconds of ignition.

If the igniter isn't working correctly, the unit will shut down.

See this visual on how to test the igniter on YouTube safely:

Limit Switch

The other usual cause of your furnace's lockout is when the filter gets dirty. This will result in your furnace not pushing enough airflow passage and forcing the limit switch to stop the air pressure process.

How Do I Avoid My Furnace Locking Out?

It may be essential to clean the furnace based on how regularly you maintain it. Also, it could have rusted if you hadn't managed to keep up with cleaning.

In other instances, it will collect carbon over time within its working cycle. Nevertheless, both will prevent a sensor from working properly.

Replace Flame Sensor

Completely replace the flame sensor. This requires a detailed check for cracks and any signs of damage. If the sensors aren't the issue, we'll need to look at the component that maintains everything in control.

Check out this flame sensor on Amazon.

Replace A Dirty Filter

One that needs regular cleaning or replacement is the furnace filter, so the limit switch will not force the unit to shut off and go to lockout mode. So it best to remain it clean otherwise replace them.

Some people suggest changing 3-4 inch filters every 6-9 months. You'll need to replace 5-6 inch air filters every 9-12 months.

See this Carrier filter on Amazon.

Check And Keep Your Vent Clean

Some experts advise that you inspect your ducts whenever your furnaces have serious problems. There may be obstructions and damage that need to be repaired or cleaned to improve airflow quality.

To avoid furnace lockout, the furnace will maintain adequate airflow.

What Is The Difference Between A Soft And Hard Lockout?

A furnace can experience two sorts of lockouts: Soft and hard lockouts.

Soft lockouts assess the problem in which your furnace will allow you to restart it again within a few minutes of resting. The furnace will enter a hard lockout if it misses igniting.

If the sensor does not detect a flame within a particular time, the system control will assess the ignition process and stop potentially dangerous actions. This is referred to as a hard lockout.

NOTE: This kind of process should be performed by an HVAC professional. It's not meant for you to always DIY it.

What Does A Blinking Red Light Mean On A Furnace?

A small red LED light should be visible somewhere on the side screen of your home's furnace if you look closely. This light serves you as an "On" indicator, a way to communicate and let you know ahead of time its current status.

Years ago, many companies devised this unique method of communication, and it is now widely used to the point where you can be sure your unit employs it for better unit utilization.

How Do You Reset The Pilot Light On A Furnace?

A pilot light is in charge of ensuring your furnace receives enough natural gas supply. Therefore, when you see this pilot light flashing ON, the furnace hasn't gotten sufficient natural gas, and it requires to be reset.

To reset your pilot light, you'll need to:

1. Shut off the furnace power.
2. Find the gas valve and put the knob on the "PILOT" angle.
3. Press down the "RED" button situated near the gas valve.
4. Light the orifice with a kitchen light to ensure safety.
5. Turn your gas along with the furnace on again.

To Wrap Up

We've learned how to open the carrier furnace door throughout this article safely. Besides, You've also learned how to locate your furnace filter and how to replace or clean it.

In addition, we've also addressed what causes your furnace to lockout and some vital points relating to it. We hope you used this knowledge to your benefit and maintain your furnace well to serve you better during its life cycle.

Made it this far? Check out these related articles!