Furnace Failed To Come On? See If Your Pilot Light Has A Flame

5 December 2018
 Categories: , Blog

Share

You may depend on your gas furnace to keep your loved ones warm each winter. But, if your furnace takes longer to start up than usual, take a look at the pilot light. Without a working pilot light, your furnace won't work at all. Solve your furnace's problem with the information below.

What Can You Do About Your Pilot light?

One of the first things you want to do is check your furnace's pilot to see if it has a flame on it. If your basement has any openings in it, such as a broken window glass or cracked expansion joint, drafts of air can leak into the room. The drafts can blow out the pilot light flame or prevent it from igniting. 

If the pilot light isn't lit, go through the basement and seal every crack or opening you find. After you seal your basement, try relighting the pilot. If the pilot light comes on and looks blue, you successfully solved your furnace's problem. If the pilot light doesn't come on or looks yellow, contact a company that specializes in furnace repair immediately because there may be something wrong with the furnace itself.

What's Wrong With Your Pilot Light?

The flame on your pilot should be blue in color, but flames that appear completely yellow in color can indicate an airflow problem within the furnace's combustion chamber. The pilot light or its tubing may be soiled with dirt, or you may have a gas leak in your furnace or supply line. A furnace repair specialist can clean out the tubing to see if it solves your problem. 

If cleaning the pilot tube doesn't solve the issue, a contractor can check and replace the thermocouple inside your gas furnace. A broken or nonworking thermocouple can prevent the pilot light from igniting once you switch on your heat. The part can also prevent the burners inside the furnace from coming on properly. After a contractor replaces the thermocouple, your furnace should come on as expected.

If you can prevent problems with your pilot light by keeping both parts clean and properly maintained. Some homeowners clean their pilots with wire brushes. If you don't feel comfortable cleaning the part or any other fixture inside your furnace, contact an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) contractor and request that they do it for you. 

You can find more information about your furnace and its pilot light by calling a contractor near you today.