If you own an older home, chances are you have a gas furnace that provides heat to your living space. While these systems can be reliable and efficient when properly maintained, they are also prone to various problems over time.
In this blog post, we will go over the five most common old gas furnace problems so that homeowners can identify them quickly and take steps toward resolving them. Knowing what issues could arise with your system ahead of time allows you to prepare for any potential repairs or replacements in the future.
With a better understanding of how your gas furnace works, you can ensure that it runs safely and efficiently all winter long!
Is your old gas furnace giving you trouble? You can visit this website to contact experienced HVAC technicians that can help you identify and deal with the problem.
1. The Pilot Light Goes Out
If your furnace pilot light has been going out consistently, it may be time for an upgrade. A pilot flame ignites natural gas flowing into your system; its light signals to thermocouples to maintain open gas lines; otherwise, it shuts them down and stops flowing gas altogether.
There are a variety of causes for your pilot light going out, and some can be more straightforward to repair than others.
A strong gust of wind could easily douse it; another possibility could be that the orifice opening near the flame has become dirty with soot, dust, or dirt accumulations; this problem can easily be remedied by switching off the power and using compressed air or needle to clear out this opening.
2. The Thermostat Doesn’t Work
Another common problem is a thermostat not functioning, leading to no heat or rapid temperature swings – in these instances, make sure its cord is connected, and its batteries are fresh before contacting a technician.
3. The Furnace Turns On and Off Too Quickly
As soon as your thermostat tells your furnace to switch on, a heating cycle begins and continues for several minutes to add warmth to your home. But if your furnace appears to start and stop multiple times within an hour, an issue may need immediate attention.
Short cycling refers to when something interrupts a furnace cycle, such as clogging of air filters or thermostat malfunction or dirty flame sensor rods.
If your flame sensor rod becomes corroded or covered in soot, it won’t detect flames; its safety feature will then shut off gas valves to avoid carbon monoxide leaks and shut them off to ensure no potential carbon monoxide exposure.
4. The Furnace Doesn’t Produce a Blue Flame
Your furnace’s flames should resemble triangles of lighter blue that radiate outward from its center, with some orange or yellow tones present as well. This indicates that the oxygen-fuel ratio is correct.
Yellow flames indicate something is off, possibly releasing carbon monoxide into your home and becoming dangerously concentrated in one location. A qualified technician must quickly be called out in this instance.
As part of your vent maintenance checks, ensure your vents are unobstructed by curtains or furniture that could block airflow. Listen for any pinging or popping sounds, indicating thermal expansion within your ductwork system.
5. The Furnace Doesn’t Turn On at All
Your furnace might not turn on for various reasons. This could range from simply having the thermostat set for cool mode instead of heat mode to a power switch or circuit breaker being turned off and/or broken off entirely.
Stop the gas and remove the access panel in order to locate your ignitor/ignition sensor, which are small ceramic components with electrical connections on their ends. Unscrew it using a screwdriver before brushing it with medium-grain sandpaper in order to clean off dust or debris without breaking it – then replace exactly where you found it and reattach your front panel.
If your AC unit still seems to be acting up, it could be time to contact an HVAC technician – but only after taking these other steps first!