There is not much worse than turning on your heat on a cold day in San Jose, CA and not having any warm air come out. You need your furnace to work promptly and efficiently. And when it doesn’t, you need to get to the bottom of the problem quickly. If your heating system does not turn on, or stay on, chances are you have one of these main problems.
How the Ignition System in your Furnace Works
While it varies slightly from brand to brand, here are the basics of how the average, modern furnace ignites:
- The thermostat sends the signal for heat.
- The inducer kicks on the fan to get fresh air into the combustion chamber.
- Gas valves send gas to the pilot burner.
- Electronic spark lights the pilot which activates the flame sensor.
- The sensor lets the furnace know the pilot light is on and the gas valve sends gas to the main burners.
- The pilot light ignites the main burners.
Any problem with any one of these components, and you will have problems with your furnace not staying lit.
Dirty Flame Sensor
This is one of the most common issues with furnaces that do not stay lit. Another clear indicator is if your furnace quickly cuts out two or three times a day. So if the pilot light comes up, but then goes out before activating the burners, this might be your issue. The flame sensor communicates with the circuit board, telling it when the flame inside the furnace is lit. If the sensor is rusty or dirty it will not be able to detect the flame and your furnace will not function as it should. A professional heating and cooling technician can clean or replace the part, and you can have your heating restored.
Restricted Air Flow
A lack of airflow can cause your furnace to overheat and shut down. As a safety feature, most furnaces have a control setting that turns off the burners if the heat exchanger gets too hot. If this happens, the blower usually continues to run until the system cools down. Once it reaches a safe temperature again, the burners will automatically reignite. But if it happens over and over, the limit control is likely to malfunction and the furnace cannot cool down or reset. You don’t want that. The most common limit to air flow is a dirty filter or closed or blocked vents. So change out your filters regularly.
A Bad Thermostat or Circuit Board
Another common problem for a furnace that keeps turning on and cutting off is a faulty thermostat. It could be incorrectly signaling to your furnace that your home is warm enough. So the furnace either never comes on, or it shuts off too soon. There might also be a problem with the circuit board. For this, you need a professional to come check your furnace, get the code for the malfunction, and make the necessary repairs.
If your furnace service in San Jose, CA will not stay lit, contact Pelle Heating & Air Conditioning located at 1045 N 10th St San Jose, CA 95112. They can come to your home and provide quick, efficient HVAC service to get your system up and running again. Call us at (669) 219-8957 today.
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