Turn off heating on thermostat and call a gas technician if you can, or get out of the house and call 911.

Often, when your water heater won't ignite, it's due to the thermocouple. A faulty thermocouple can cause problems with your water heater not staying lit. Dirty thermocouple: If you can light your pilot light, but the water heater pilot keeps going out, there are many possible causes.

1) check thermostate setting, set thermostate “AUTO” insyead of “ON”.  If the fan set to “ON”, it just runs the fan even when the air isnot being cooled.

2)check the air filter, replace it when dirty. A dirty air filter reduces airflow into your AC, causing a)AC struggles to circulate enough cool air into your home b) Evaporator coil (the part that cools the air) literally freezes, turning into a block of ice that blocks cool air.

3) check outside unit, clean it if dirty.

4) Is the condenser fan motor broken?

5) Is low refrigerant charge/refrigerant leak?  Refrigerant is the liquid that absorbs the heat from your air. When you don’t have enough, your AC can’t absorb enough heat to cool the air. 

6) Is it a bad compressor? The compressor is the heart of the AC system circulating refrigerant like blood between the inside and outside unit. The AC can’t cool air when it’s damaged.

Pros and cons of renting vs. buying a water heater:

The cost of renting in Ontario is between $13 and $26 a month from Direct Energy or Reliance Home Comfort depending on the size of the heater. You don't have to worry about maintenance or replacement. The heaters cost between $800 to $1,200 depending on the size with 6 years warranty, plus $200 to $300 to have them installed. Based on the manufacturer's suggested service life, the life expectancy of a water heater is about 8 to 12 years. That varies with the location and design of the unit, quality of installation, maintenance schedule and water quality.

How to choose a furnace filter?

Look for an Efficiency Rating. Many filters carry a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating, which indicates their effectiveness. The higher the MERV rating, the more effective. Most spun filters have a MERV rating of 4. Standard pleated filters average MERV 6. Electrostatic pleated versions start at MERV 8, with the highest quality ones hitting MERV 12.

How to solve the reduced airflow problem?

Pleated air filters work great for reducing allergens in your home. But when homeowners leave them in too long, they clog. The reduced airflow causes overheating and burner shutdown. If that happens too many times, the ‘limitswitch’ fails and then the furnace won’t fire up at all. The service call and new part can easily cost you $175.

No filter manufacturer can predict how long its filters will last because none of them know the dust conditions in your home So you have to check it often. The rule of thumb is, ‘If it looks dirty, it is dirty.’ If you want a smarter way to determine when it needs replacing, install an air filter gauge (General G-99 Air Filter Gauge Kit; about $16 through our affiliation with It measures airflow between the filter and the furnace via a small hose.