Receiving your annual furnace maintenance helps keep your heating system running up to 30% more efficient and helps extend the life of the equipment. But things could still malfunction, and when they do, you might feel like you’re always hearing about something else.
This time it’s your motor, next time it’s your control board. Now you need to replace your flame sensor.
A flame sensor is an important safety element on your gas heating equipment. During the ignition cycle, your gas furnace enters a process where either a spark or a hot surface igniter actually ignites the gas. When the gas is ignited, the flame sensor creates a current of electricity. This is quantified in micro amps. If the furnace’s control board does not read the correct level of micro amps, the furnace will stop giving the system fuel to prevent an explosion.
Over time, if the flame sensor is not cleaned properly, oxidation or carbon buildup can interfere with the flame sensor’s ability to operate properly, which can cause the furnace to malfunction.
The way to diagnose if an unclean flame sensor is to blame for a furnace malfunction is to take a micro amp draw reading, which a professional furnace technician can provide you. If a dirty flame sensor is the culprit, the technician will clean the sensor with steel wool. If dirt was the single factor, we will see a much higher amp reading. If the reading doesn’t change, the technician will carry on with the heating equipment repair diagnostic process.
If you aren’t sure your heating equipment is going to survivie these last few weeks of winter, give Broad Ripple Service Experts a call and we’ll come out and perform a full furnace maintenance or a free in-home estimate on a new heating system.
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