Your furnace plays a crucial role in your comfort, and when it’s on the fritz, you think of the most probable issue–a thermostat malfunction, maybe the air filter needs to be changed. But there’s one little component in your furnace that works tirelessly, and it could be the issue that’s preventing you from enjoying toasty comfort in your own home: the flame sensor.
We’re going to explain what a flame sensor is, what it does, and exactly how it impacts your furnace. While it sounds like a straightforward solution, you still need heater repair in Ashland by a professional HVAC technician to ensure you and your family’s safety.
A Flame Sensor is a Safety-Heavy Component
We all know it’s not good to huff gas from the line that enters your home. When gas makes its way to your furnace, it comes through a pipe, and then turns into a flame (it’s a bit more complicated than that, but you get the gist).
That flame is necessary for your furnace to operate. But if you can’t get that gas to light, you would just be pumping gas into the air in your home endlessly. A flame sensor identifies when the line is open, and if there’s an active flame or not.
Without a flame, the flame sensor realizes there’s a problem and shuts off access to the gas line. While it can be frustrating, it’s a vital piece of safety equipment in your furnace.
So What’s the Problem With Your Flame Sensor, Anyway?
It’s dirty. Plain and simple. Soot and debris build up on your flame sensor over time, getting in the way of doing its sole job–detecting a flame. Even if there is a flame going, it can’t detect it because there’s a blockage getting in the way. So it shuts down the gas line to prevent any problems from happening, and in turn, causes a problem for you by cutting off your access to heat. Thankfully, we’re able to fix it for you.
Now it Needs to be Cleaned
The most likely fix is simply to clean the flame sensor. To do this, a technician needs to shut off the gas line (temporarily), shut down your furnace, and remove the flame sensor. Then they take it apart, clean out all the working components, reassemble it, and put it back where they found it.
Now that the soot and debris have been cleaned off, it should be able to detect a flame without any problems. Your technician will get the gas line running again, fire up the furnace, and make sure everything’s working properly before calling it quits on another successful repair job.
Keep the Flames Coming
Now that you know what a flame sensor does for your furnace and just how integral it is, you can see how a bit of dirt and grime can really throw it off. Thankfully, we’re here to repair your furnace for you, stopping your worry in its tracks. It all starts with a phone call.
Contact us today to schedule your heater repair as soon as possible.