Furnaces are still a popular home heating choice, but sometimes they can be inconvenient. There’s a feature on your furnace that may actually get in the way of its operation altogether. It’s not sabotage, but the opposite—it’s a safety precaution, and it has a powerful purpose.
It’s called a flame sensor, and it’s the cause of some furnace repair in Benton, LA calls we get. Let’s go over what a flame sensor is, how you can tell if it’s the problem, and why you unfortunately can’t take the DIY approach on this task.
Your Flame Sensor Keeps You Safe
…and your entire family, for that matter. It’s designed to cut off the flow of gas before it reaches the ignition, and for good reason. If the flame sensor can’t detect a flame, that gas would just pump into your air supply, turning your home into a powder keg ready to pop.
It’s a massive safety hazard any way you look at it. When your flame sensor does detect a flame, gas burns and fuels your furnace, and the whole world keeps on spinning. So what might the problem be with it? Unfortunately, it’s one that’s unavoidable.
Your Flame Sensor Is Dirty (Most Likely)
During annual maintenance, your flame sensor is cleaned. It’s not an exciting part of your furnace, which is why you may have never heard of it before now. It gets cleaned, put back together, and that keeps it running for another year.
Depending on usage, however, it might get dirty faster than normal. Soot and debris clog the sensor over time, essentially blinding it to the ignition. Even if there is a flame, it can’t detect it through all that muck, and it needs to be cleaned.
But It’s Not a DIY-Friendly Task
There’s two main reasons why you can’t afford to DIY your own flame sensor. First and foremost: it’s a safety hazard. Even if you find the best online tutorial possible to disassemble, clean, and reassemble your flame sensor, it doesn’t give you the same level of care and guarantee that you get from a professional HVAC technician. We’re trained on this equipment and have continued education. We work with these machines every day.
Beyond safety, you can also void your furnace’s warranty. Your warranty is voided when anyone other than a certified technician does work on it. You can read the fine details of your specific warranty, but this is fairly universal across most manufacturers. Then if something is truly wrong or needs to be recalled, you’re up the creek without a paddle. It’s simply not worth it to take the DIY route.
Fixing That Flame Sensor
Your flame sensor needs to be cleaned, or it may need to be replaced. Whichever problem it’s facing, you need to make sure it’s taken care of promptly and accurately. We’re here to help. All it takes is a phone call or filling out our online form to get started.
Moon’s Air has provided whole-home comfort since 1971. Call us for service today—it’s good to be Mooned!