Even the end of wintertime in Highlands, NC, can be cold, so you’ll depend on your home’s furnace to consistently deliver warm air. A problem with your furnace’s electronic ignition will prevent it from working. When an electronic ignition starts to fail, it gives some warning signs. Use these three tips to identify problems with your furnace’s ignition.
Limited Heat
There are two types of electronic ignitions for furnaces. These are intermittent and hot-surface ignitors. Intermittent ignitions make a spark. A hot-surface ignition accepts current, which heats a wire. The super-heated wire ignites the gas. A faulty ignition will cause your furnace to burn less fuel, so it will generate less heat. If there’s limited heat coming from the vents during a heating cycle, you could have a furnace ignition issue.
Frequent Cycling
If you notice short, frequent heating cycles, this could be caused by a furnace ignition malfunction. If the igniter can’t create a spark or get the wire hot enough to ignite the gas, the burner will be unstable. Your furnace will turn on for a few seconds, then turn off again. If you notice frequent or short-cycling of your furnace, you’ll need qualified furnace technicians to take a look. The Department of Energy recommends an annual furnace inspection to check for ignition and burner problems.
Blowing Cold Air
A furnace ignition problem leads to a cascade of events. The burner quickly turns off, so no heat will be produced. However, the limiting switch will communicate to the blower to keep blowing for a while. Under normal operating conditions, this blows the rest of the heated air from the heat exchanger. However, when there’s an ignition problem, the air won’t be heated. You’ll notice cold air blowing from the vents.
To learn more about ways to identify problems with your furnace’s electronic ignition, take a look at Radlee Heating and Cooling’s furnace repair services, or contact our qualified furnace technicians today for more information.
