4 Parts In The Furnace Combustion Area That Need To Be Cleaned So Your Furnace Can Create Heat

One of the most important heating services your furnace needs is cleaning of the combustion area. This part of your furnace needs to be clean so the burners can ignite and burn properly. The rest of the furnace needs to be cleaned too, but if the combustion area is coated in soot, then your furnace may not even ignite and make heat. Here are some important parts in the combustion area that need regular cleaning.

1. Burners

Your heating service technician might remove the burners from your furnace to clean them, especially if they look very dirty. Cleaning them is a matter of scrubbing them to break off debris that is stuck on the metal. All parts of the burner need to be cleaned, and when the debris is removed, the technician may spray the burners with compressed air to blow away bits of debris left behind.

Before putting the clean burners back in the furnace, the technician may use a brush to scrub the sides of the combustion area and then vacuum out all the debris so the burners stay clean as long as possible.

2. Flame Sensor

The flame sensor has to be clean so it can detect the flames when the burners kick on. If the sensor is too dirty, the flames won't be detected and your furnace will shut right back off. The sensor is mounted next to the burners, and it needs to be removed to be cleaned.

The heating service technician has to be careful not to touch the sensor's metal rod because that could leave body oils on it that keep the sensor from working. Once the flame sensor is pulled out, it can be cleaned off with emery cloth or other gentle abrasive cloth, and then placed back in the furnace.

3. Hot Surface Igniter

The electronic igniter in your furnace replaces the pilot light. An electrical charge heats up the igniter so the burners ignite. If the part is coated in soot, it may not work properly. The part can often be cleaned by blowing canned air over it, but if necessary, the igniter can be removed and cleaned manually with emery cloth or a small brush.

4. Thermocouple

If your furnace has a pilot light rather than an electronic ignition, it should have a thermocouple that acts as a safety device and allows the pilot light to light the burners. If the thermocouple is dirty, the burners may not be able to ignite. Cleaning this part involves removing it and cleaning the metal rod on the end with emery cloth. Look into heating services for more information.