Your furnace is usually reliable, and it appears completely fine, but suddenly it’s not working–at all. You’ve tried toying with the thermostat, changing out the air filter, all the usual suspects, but nothing’s working. That’s because it could be this part that many homeowners don’t even know exists within their furnace.
We’re talking about the flame sensor: a small sensor that acts as a safety feature to help keep your family safe. From time to time, it can get jammed and require furnace repair in Conway. Let’s explain why.
A Flame Sensor Is a Safety Measure
You have a gas pipe that goes from your gas source to the furnace. When the furnace needs to fire up and heat your home, the ignitor lights the gas, and the flame sensor detects that fire. When it does, it allows the operation to continue, and your furnace fulfills its function.
But the flame sensor can get mucked up over time. Soot and small flecks of debris can surround the flame sensor and block its ability to detect a flame. The whole point of this component is to shut off the gas if it doesn’t detect a flame, but has received a request to turn on the furnace.
You don’t want gas just flowing into your air for you and your family to breathe in. Plus, without anything to tell it to stop, it would continue until someone noticed if you didn’t have a flame sensor in place.
So What’s the Big Problem?
Soot and debris block the sensor’s ability to do its job–detecting if there is or isn’t a live flame. Because of this, the furnace gets the request to turn on, tries to turn on, and then the flame sensor denies that operation.
But it just looks like your furnace is busted and not doing its job. You don’t have a real way to know that the flame sensor is the problem unless you know how to look for it and find out if it’s dirty. But now there’s another problem–you can’t be the one to fix it; you need a certified HVAC technician.
Don’t Void Your Furnace Warranty
The flame sensor isn’t just some augmentation that you can strip off at will. It’s a complicated component that needs to be served by a certified HVAC technician. Apart from ensuring that a trained professional keeps your safety device in check, you can also void your warranty if you disassemble, clean, and reassemble your flame sensor on your own.
Since furnace warranties can last a long time, you want to do everything in your power to preserve your right to call on the manufacturer if need be. Don’t take your flame sensor out on your own.
Let’s Fix That Flame Sensor
If it is the flame sensor, a technician will be able to tell (and if there are any other underlying problems, too). We’re at the ready and here to help you whenever you need it. It all starts with a phone call.
Contact Dewees HVAC today to schedule your furnace repair as soon as possible.