厂肠丑别诲耻濒颈苍驳听测辞耻谤听补苍苍耻补濒听furnace maintenance聽helps keep your聽heating equipment聽operating聽up to聽thirty percent聽more efficient and helps extend the life of聽the equipment. But things聽can聽still聽go wrong, and when they do, you聽could聽feel like聽there is always聽something else.
This time it’s your聽heat exchanger, next time it’s your聽pressure switch. Now聽you need to replace your flame sensor.
What Is a Flame Sensor, Anyway?
A flame sensor is聽a critical聽safety聽component聽on your gas聽heating equipment. During the ignition聽sequence, your gas furnace聽undergoes聽a process where聽a spark or a hot surface ignitor聽will actually ignite聽the gas.聽As聽the gas is ignited, the flame sensor聽produces聽a current of electricity.聽The current聽is聽measured聽in micro amps. If the furnace’s control board聽does not聽read the聽right聽level of micro amps, the furnace will聽quit giving聽the system fuel to聽prevent聽an explosion.
Over time, if the flame sensor is not聽adequately cleaned, oxidation or carbon buildup can聽restrict聽the flame sensor’s ability to聽operate聽properly, which can聽cause the furnace to malfunction.
The way to聽determine聽if聽an unclean聽flame sensor is聽to blame for a聽furnace malfunction is to take a micro amp draw reading, which聽an expert heating聽technician can聽supply聽you. If a dirty flame sensor is the聽culprit, the聽heating expert聽will clean the sensor with steel wool. If dirt was the聽single聽factor, we will see a聽much聽higher amp reading. If the reading聽doesn't聽change, the technician will聽carry on聽with the聽heating equipment聽repair diagnostic process.
If you aren’t聽sure聽your聽heating equipment聽is going to聽outlast聽these last few weeks of winter, give聽天美传媒聽a call and we’ll come out and聽provide you with a聽full furnace maintenance or a聽complimentary聽in-home estimate聽on a new聽heating system.
