Furnace ignition issues are common, so here’s what you should know about this type of furnace repair!
Broken furnaces are like a nightmare scenario when your northern Utah home needs heat in the middle of the winter, and this is one reason why it’s so important to reach out to our experts during the fall and early winter months for seasonal checkup appointments.
But furnace repairs simply happen from time to time, and you can always count on our professional heating technicians to promptly arrive at your property and fully assess your damages as quickly as possible.
When your furnace’s issues are related to its ignition, you’ll fortunately have many options for fixing the problem. Below we’ll be delving deeper into what you should do when your furnace won’t ignite!
How Furnaces Are Ignited
It’s first and foremost important to go over how exactly furnaces ignite, because this will help you to identify the source of your furnace’s ignition—and how your lack of ignition may be effectively resolved.
There are two main furnace ignition methods, including:
Pilot Light
A pilot light is a tiny flame that’s consistently burning within your furnace, and you’ll likely see your furnace’s pilot light at the very bottom of your furnace. In order to ignite a pilot light, you may need a long lighter or long match to supply a flame to this area. And if you do this, be sure that your furnace’s control knob is set on pilot mode.
Electric Furnace Ignition
Another common furnace ignition method is an electric ignition, which is popular for many modern furnace models. This is technically considered to be the safer ignition method as compared to a pilot light, and it doesn’t require any gas consumption.
Electric furnace ignitions are made of a metal alloy that gets very hot as electric currents travel through it, which then ignites the mixture of air and gas that goes into your furnace. It’s not possible to relight electric ignitions like you could with a pilot light, so when you’re experiencing ignition issues, you’ll instead be checking to see if the metal alloy is lighting up.
Four Common Reasons Why Your Furnace Won’t Ignite
When you’ve taken specific steps to reignite your furnace and nothing is working, it could mean that your furnace ignition is damaged or needs to be replaced. There are many different causes for this type of situation, so it’s important to go over our checklist to first make sure that you’re not experiencing any less significant dilemmas.
It’s possible that your furnace ignition repair may be a lot easier and cheaper than you think, which is why we’ve listed the following four common reasons why your furnace won’t ignite:
- Check your thermostat. The first thing you should do when your furnace isn’t igniting is double-check your HVAC system’s thermostat, and ensure that it’s set on heat mode. You should also make sure that your indoor temperature is set above your current ambient temperature, which may require you to increase your temperature by a few degrees. If you still don’t feel any heat coming from your vents after making this adjustment, you can rule out any thermostat discrepancies.
- Check your air filters. It’s also possible that dirty air filters are preventing your furnace from properly igniting, because this could be detrimental to your entire system’s airflow. This subsequently can restrict your furnace’s pilot light from staying lit, or igniting at all.
- Check your furnace’s circuit breaker. It’s also possible that the electrical circuit servicing your furnace has tripped. When this happens, you’ll need to turn off the breaker for a few minutes and allow it to reset. This may not be the end of your problems, so be sure to watch and see if your circuit breaker trips again. When you’re experiencing consistent circuit breaker tripping, you’re going to need our HVAC specialists to investigate what exactly is occurring within your furnace and your electrical system.
- Check your gas line. Your furnace will have a switch that turns itself on and off, so be sure that this switch is in the on position. You should also verify whether or not the furnace’s gas valve is shut. If your home has other gas-powered appliances, you should check on them to see if they’re operating correctly as well.
Is Your Furnace Igniting, But You’re Still Not Getting Enough Heat?
If you’re able to get your furnace reignited but you’re still not getting enough warm air throughout your property, then it’s likely that you have other issues plaguing your furnace system.
There are all sorts of troubleshooting steps that you can implement that target specific components of your heating system, and our experts will be more than happy to help you with these types of diagnostic tests.
Reach Out To Beehive Heating & Air When You Need Furnace Maintenance & Repairs!
Beehive Heating & Air is a top-tier HVAC service provider based in northern Utah, and we’ve helped countless homes and businesses with furnace repairs and maintenance appointments.
Our team of seasoned specialists will be fully capable of resolving your furnace ignition issues, and you can contact us online or call us at 801-849-3860 to schedule your next appointment and let us know what you’re currently experiencing!