Sounds like it may be the fan motor to me. At 30 years old it may be time to replace. Fan motors themselves can be purchased for a few hundred depending on size but changing them oneself is not an easy task.

Could also be the fan motor solenoid, I've had one replaced and it was still under warranty.

Since it's that old, I would look into getting a new one, which will be much more energy-efficient and cost less to run.

I hope you've been having it inspected every few years or more. Furnaces are notorious for developing cracked heat exchangers and having that can put carbon monoxide and other dangerous combustion compounds into the inside air.

It is probably time or past time to replace it. Call a few HVAC contractors and get quotes. If only a furnace is involved (and not an old AC system too), it won't be too expensive. If AC too, plan on spending more.

I'd suspect the fan. I have radiant heat in the ceilings here, but in my former house heat pump with electric back up furnace. When in the kitchen one day (furnace was directly below in the basement), I heard an unfamiliar noise. It was time for an annual system check anyway and called the heating and cooling company. The aging fan went out right as he was doing his inspection - how we laughed about the timing that day. 25 yr old system. All was still performing well when I sold the house a few years later.

First be glad that you found this out now and not when all the companies are backed up and it is much colder. One of the reasons I suggest that everyone on the first cool days turn the furnace on and let it run/warm up for at least 15 minutes or longer. I do not know where you are located or what type of fuel you use but check with your utility to see if there are any rebates and what is needed to obtain them. Hopefully it is not a replacement but if it is you will be ready. Make certain that you look at the needed efficiency because not all will qualify.

yep...start shopping before it gets any colder!

Raye - yes, the solenoid would be the first thing to check and an easy replace.

I would say it is time for a new furnace, especially with winter coming. I just had to replace "both" the air conditioner and furnace to the tune of $7365. Costly yes, but should last a long time now, longer than I will last LOL. Both are the Rheem brand which are good. A yearly contract is included in that price. Everything gets checked twice a year, spring and fall.

That happened to mine, too. Had the motherboard replaced but finally had to get a new furnace. Thirty years is an old furnace.

We've had to have the solenoid replaced on each of our two furnaces -- when they were less than five years old, too.

we just had to replace ours. It was only 45 years old.

Thanks everyone for the solid advice. I've reached out to the HVAC guy who put in my central air.

It could also be something very simple wrong. A bad sensor could be not telling it to come on or even the sensor needs to be cleaned. Another thing is a computer part like thing(switch) that had to be replaced on ours for a little over a hundred dollars. Get the A/C guy to diagnose it, could be simple. Our furnace is old too, my BIL that has worked on HVAC his whole life said it's still in great condition and wouldn't do anything.

We had a cold spell this week but our mgmt won't turn heat on cuz temps are going up this week. Had to use oven and space heater. Do they care? No.

Yes Definately get it checked by professional

Samkaren, mgmt at work or where you live? Never heard of someone not being able to turn on your own heat. That is not nice at all.

Judy, all the apartments in nyc are like that--I believe there's a big boiler that's either on or off--a decision made my the management. Dd has no control over the temp in her little apartment.

I thought there was a rule for aparentments in NYC- I looked it up and there is. If outside temps are below 55 degrees, heat needs to be provided for inside temps to be 68 degrees between 6 am and 10 pm. A setback of several degrees overnight is allowed.

Many NYC apartments in older buildings have steam heat and are notorious for being so overheated in the wintertime that it's necessary to open windows.

NYC heating regs...

heat must be provided under certain conditions during the “heat season,” which runs from October 1st to May 31st.”

The heat laws during heat season are as follows.

• From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., your landlord must ensure that the temperature inside the apartment is at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit if the outside temperature is below 55 degrees; and,
• From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., the temperature inside the apartment must be at least 62 degrees FahrenheIt

Newer NYC apartments have individual thermostats, but in any building older than about 1980, unless it's been retrofitted, the heat is either off or on. If the radiators are in good shape you can turn the knob a bit and adjust the heat that way, but that's a big 'if'.

When my husband and I bought our first house I marveled at the thermostat, a thing I had never seen before. Plus, central air - what a revelation!

I remember dealing with that in an apartment before we bought our house. It was a PITA. It was small, so we just used a space heater for a while.

We have the same rules for apartments here but mgmt doesn't care. Also instead of fixing pot holes in lot they are redoing the landscaping. We have a boiler in basement and my pipe has to be opened all the way. I either get heat 24/7 or not at all. Big corporation bought all the buildings and are trying to turn them in luxury apartments. They should have talked to residents first...they never would have bought the complex

samkaren you need to do some reading on what happens as buildings are turned into luxury apartments. Even if you stay you will need to find temporary quarters while they renovate your apartment.

I am assuming you have a gas furnace. An oil fired furnace has similar controls to the ones described below plus additional controls and safeties for the oil supply.

When the circulating fan does not run, the furnace bonnet will overheat and what saves you is an over-temperature switch that cuts out the flame. Most often, the problem is with the controls and not the fan motor. On those older furnaces, there is a thermostatically controlled switch that turns the fan on and off. Its temperature set points are adjustable. The process: First, the room thermostat calls for heat. A relay turns the burner on - it probably has a pilot light for ignition. When the bonnet rises to the set point temperature, it closes a switch that operates a relay to run the fan motor. If the fan runs, the furnace should be designed such that the circulating fan removes enough heat to keep the bonnet from over heating. Eventually, a balance is reached at a temperature where heat removal equals heat production.

After the room arrives to temperature, the room thermostat open its circuit cutting off the furnace burner. The fan should continue to run until the furnace bonnet cools to a set point temperature typically between 90 to 120 F. Upon cooling, the bonnet switch opens and stop the fan. This completes the heating cycle.

Failure of the circulating fan can be caused by the fan motor, its relay, the thermostatic bonnet switch, or the house power circuit is open - tripped circuit breaker or the switch on the side of the furnace is off. However, if the furnace is wired correctly, nothing should work if its switch is off, but a possibility exists of strangely wired circuits from various causes. A VOM (volt-ohm-meter) is very helpful plus a basic knowledge to use one for trouble-shooting this problem.

My suspects listed in order of first being the most likely:

1. Thermostatic Bonnet switch has failed or is mis-adjusted.

2. Fan relay. Usually, these are simple general purpose relays having maybe a life of 50,000 electrical operations. Some relays are built to only 25,000 full load electrical operations, but will have a longer life if the fan does not draw the fully rated current of the relay.

3. Fuses or circuit breaker in the furnace supply circuit (household circuit).

4. The fan motor.

5. A parted wire or failed connector.

6. The furnace master switch usually on the side of the furnace. If it is off, nothing works.

You should get it looked at as soon as possible.

You did not say what kind of heat you have but am suspecting forced air gas heat. You will probably need a whole new furnace given its age.

Most furnaces have a cut off switch that will time out and prevent it from firing up if the blower is not working

Given the age, it is probably due for replacement. If it were newer it might be more likely to be something that can be fixed.

Ours cut out due to a failing and it was way old. Had to have it replaced. It could hav been fixed, but we opted for a new one because of its age. We have cold winters.

I don't mess around with gas appliances. I want them to function properly and safely.

I've already taken into consideration that they will move me out of this apartment and into another. And I have even started collecting boxes just to be on the safe side. Each unit has six Apartments and there are 150 buildings in our complex. I don't think they've started on the insides of any of the buildings yet.

I'm hoping to be able to afford a condo within the next year so I can get out of here. I've started looking online add a few different areas to see what is out there and what I can afford.

Good samkaren because the rent when you move back in will be much higher than it is now.

The HVAC company came out today. They will email me 3 options tomorrow. I will have a new furnace next week. I'm very comfortable with the company. They did my AC a few years ago and recently did work for my friend.

Annegriet , you will be glad you made the choice for new rather than sinking money into repairing an old one that is doomed.

Other things sometimes to consider when replacing a furnace..

- Was a load calculation done to determine the proper size needed ? Replacing like with like (size wise), or basing on square footage, is very unlikely to get the right answer, especially since a 30 year old furnace was very likely oversized. Proper sizing provides more comfort and more economical operation.

- Duct leakage testing and repair? Or was this done with the recent AC work?

- New thermostat? Or ditto if replaced with recent AC work?

- Building permit and inspection?

I speak from experience, I've replaced 3 complete heating and AC systems in the last 3 years, all with good results.

Good luck.

I'm a little surprised that the company didn't replace the whole system when they added the A/C. (Maybe your A/C is separate from the furnace...like mini-splits?)

I'm prepared for that too. When I moved in 7 years ago I negotiated the rent down to $725 from $775. I currently pay $800 for my 1 bedroom. I'm lucky because my neighbors below me pay $950 for their 1 bedroom.

When the belt seized and it was suggested that at the age of the furnace it be replaced along with the air unit I did not know enough to even think about having the ducts replaced nor were they even mentioned which they should have been since the smoke filled the house. If it goes out again will have everything replaced.

Hard ducts (usually made of galvanized steel) don't often need to be replaced but over time, the many seams where pieces fit together get loose and develop gaps. Sometimes the seam points are inadequately sealed from Day 1. Also, gaps can be common in plenum junctions. The best sealing is done with mastic, a rubber like compound that's painted on and dries. The cheaper and lower quality approach is to use tape but mastic tape, not so-called retail "duct tape".

"Flexible ducting" is made of plastic that will deteriorate over time and can need replacement. Flex ducts can also develop crimped points (like a crimped cheap garden hose) from suspension points and holes from animal activity. And can also wiggle loose at connection points.

Holes in ducts cost big bucks if not fixed because the heated or cooled air isn't being delivered to where it's supposed to go. Additionally, if the leaks are outside the interior, as in an attic or crawl space, outside air gets sucked in to replace what's blown out the leak. Cold air in winter, hot air in summer, gets sucked into the house.

In my state, duct leak testing (done by a third party, not the HVAC contractor) is required whenever equipment is replaced or installed and a permit is pulled (as it should be). If the ducts fail the test, repair of all visible/accessible junctions is needed until the max leak standard is achieved or until all that can be accessed has been fixed. No walls need to be opened up.

Edit to add:

Sorry, probably too lengthy a comment. I wanted to share what I've learned.

It’s a nice feeling to have reliable heat. We sure need it here today. Woke up to freezing temps outside. Enjoy the warmth.

Glad to see your update, and that you're happy with the work. It was 26F here last night, but we have sun today and a warm period is predicted. I had to let the landscaping crew take my pretty lavendar mums form Costco yesterday. Waiting to see if our pears will give us ANY color this autumn; nothing for the past two years.