Your furnace has a variety of sensors and safety functions inside to protect the system from overheating or malfunctioning if something goes wrong. When one of these sensors or safety switches is triggered, your furnace may shut off. While this can be an inconvenience, it is only for your safety.
If a sensor or safety mechanism continues to trigger your furnace to turn off, you need to schedule heating system repair in Cypress, TX. You can also keep reading to learn more about the sensor inside of your furnace that could be causing the heater to turn off in the middle of a heating cycle.
What Is a Flame Sensor?
If you have a gas furnace, gas releases into an airtight chamber, where the igniter flame lights to create combustion. However, there has to be a just-right balance of gas in the chamber for combustion to happen correctly.
The role of the flame sensor is to ensure that the flame is only on when gas is in the chamber as part of an active heating cycle. If the flame stays on for too long or doesn’t come on at the right time, it could cause problems for your furnace in addition to posing hazards.
Signs of Flame Sensor Problems
- Yellow flame – The flame inside of your gas furnace should always burn a bright blue color. Any other color flame is a warning sign that something is wrong.
- Persistent clicking – The igniter will click as it turns on to light a flame. You might hear it click a few times, but the flame should ignite fairly quickly. Persistent clicking can indicate that the igniter is not lighting.
- Rust – If there is rust around the igniter, that’s a major sign of corrosion that needs to be addressed. While rust cannot be reversed, we should be able to replace whatever components are rusting to prevent additional damage. It’s also important to get down to the root of the problem and keep rust from happening again.
- Exhaust Smells – Bad smells coming from your heater can mean that exhaust is not ventilating outside of your home properly. Instead, exhaust is mixing back in with clean air and blowing into your home.
What to Do Next
If you notice any of the signs above, or have other reasons to believe that something is wrong with your furnace, give our team a call. Don’t try to troubleshoot issues on your own. Furnaces require professional care, and when you throw in the addition of gas lines, that makes the project even more dangerous. Only certified professionals should be working on your gas furnace.
Don’t delay. Putting off service could mean that the problem gets worse faster. If you’re able to, turn your furnace off completely and leave it off until our team has a chance to inspect it. This prevents additional damage from happening and also keeps your family safe in the short term. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
At AC Comfort, your comfort is our business! Serving Katy, TX, and the surrounding areas. Schedule an appointment today for furnace service.