What a Flame Sensor Is and Why It Matters
Setting up your seasonal furnace maintenance helps keep your heating equipment working up to thirty percent more efficient and helps extend the life of the equipment. But things may still malfunction, and when they do, you could feel like it’s always something else.
This time it’s your motor, next time it’s your control valve. Now you need to replace your flame sensor.
What is a flame sensor, anyway?
A flame sensor is a crucial safety component on your gas heating system. During the ignition pattern, your gas furnace enters a process where either a hot surface ignitor or a spark will actually ignite the gas. When the gas is ignited, the flame sensor produces a current of electricity. The current is measured in micro amps. If the furnace’s control board does not read the right level of micro amps, the furnace will stop giving the system fuel to stop an explosion.
Over time, if the flame sensor is not adequately cleaned, oxidation or carbon buildup can impede the flame sensor’s ability to operate properly, which can result in a malfunction of the furnace.
The way to establish if an unclean flame sensor is the reason for a furnace malfunction is to take a micro amp draw reading, which a professional furnace technician can provide you. If a dirty flame sensor is the reason, the technician will clean the sensor with steel wool. If dirt was the sole factor, we will see a notably higher amp reading. If the reading doesn’t change, the technician will continue with the heating system repair diagnostic process.
If you aren’t confident your heating system is going to make it through these last few weeks of winter, give Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing a call and we’ll come out and perform a full furnace maintenance or a free in-home estimate on a new furnace.
