{"id":1994,"date":"2023-12-18T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aprofessionalheatingandair.com\/blog\/?p=1994"},"modified":"2023-12-19T09:28:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T14:28:12","slug":"why-your-furnaces-flame-sensor-is-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aprofessionalheatingandair.com\/blog\/why-your-furnaces-flame-sensor-is-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Furnace’s Flame Sensor is So Important"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s a cold day in Louisiana and your gas furnace isn\u2019t working. You\u2019re wondering what could possibly be wrong. The symptoms are that the furnace turns on but then turns off after just a few seconds. It\u2019s not short cycling because the furnace doesn\u2019t stay on that long. What could it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this unusual situation, the likely culprit is the flame sensor. Although you may not have experienced this before, it\u2019s a common issue with gas furnaces. There may be a simple solution that\u2019ll require calling us for furnace repair in Hammond<\/a>. You should never attempt to work on your gas furnace yourself. Let\u2019s dive into what a flame sensor does and what can go wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is a Flame Sensor?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When a furnace starts a heating cycle, gas flows to the burners where the ignition system lights them. If the ignition system fails to work for whatever reason, gas will accumulate in the combustion chamber. As you can imagine, this is a major safety issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aptly named flame sensor is a safety feature that can detect if the burners have ignited. If the flame sensor doesn\u2019t detect flames, it will tell the furnace control board to turn off the gas, preventing it from accumulating in the combustion chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now you can begin to see why a furnace that shuts off in a matter of seconds is likely related to the flame sensor. The flame sensor can simply start malfunctioning and think that the burners haven\u2019t ignited and shut the gas off anyway, causing the burners to go out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the flame sensor is dirty and grimy. The flames from the burners will go out when they can\u2019t draw enough oxygen for combustion because of a buildup of grime and dirt. This is a common issue we see in furnaces that haven\u2019t received maintenance in a while. Cleaning these burners and checking the flame sensor is part of the maintenance process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you should grab a rag and try and clean the sensor yourself! It\u2019s a fairly involved process. The furnace will need to be turned off, the gas line shut down, and the flame sensor needs to be removed and disassembled. The working parts are cleaned of dirt and grime. Then it\u2019s reassembled and put back in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what other some other symptoms of a faulty flame sensor? Here are some signs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n