If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think about your furnace burners all that often. But if you’re noticing a higher than a normal heating bill, it might be time to take a closer look at your furnace burners and see if they need cleaning. Dirty furnace burners can cause all sorts of problems, from decreased efficiency to carbon monoxide leaks. So if you’re not sure whether or not your furnace burners are clean, check out these common symptoms of dirty burners.
Also check: How To Relight A Pilot Light On A Furnace
Symptoms of Dirty Furnace Burners
Here are some of the most common symptoms of a dirty furnace burner.
- The pilot will go out frequently or not come on at all.
- Large amounts of visible soot build up on the elements and burner tubes. Burner flames will also be yellow, orange, or smoky looking instead of blue. These are all signs that your pilot flame is either too small, has gone out, or there is no pilot present (for safety reasons).
- Burner shuts off during blower run cycle: If your burner cycles off during the blower run cycle then you could have excessive carbon monoxide gas entering your home due to uneven combustion in some cylinders (the furnace won’t distribute the heat properly). It may indicate insufficient oxygen for complete combustion (caused by too-combustion air dampers, leakage in the furnace blower compartment, or leak of furnace blower).
- Excessive blowdown or water leaking from your vent piping.
- Visible cracks and/or damage to burners and burner tubes.
- Rust-colored stains on heat exchanger surfaces and/or flue pipes may indicate a problem with the protective coating inside of the furnace. A qualified professional should inspect this as soon as possible to ensure that this is not a symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you have dirty furnace burners then the solution could be as simple as just cleaning them with the use of a brass brush. The whole process doesn’t take long and ideally, should be done at the start of each cold season.
Also check: Should the Pilot Light Always be On in a Gas Furnace
Conclusion:
Dirty Furnace Burners are a common problem for homeowners in North America. The symptoms of dirty burners range from increased energy use to decreased efficiency, but the most common symptom is no heat getting to your home despite everything is working fine within your furnace. The flame sensor attached to the burner detects the flame and sends signals to the furnace to start working. The gunky burner will not allow the flame to reach the flame sensor and thus the flame sensor will shout off the furnace due to safety reasons. Therefore, you will not have the heat even though the furnace itself is working fine.
If you have any one of these symptoms, call K2 Mechanical today! We will be happy to diagnose the issue and fix it right away so that you can save money on heating bills this winter season. Don’t wait until it gets worse- make sure your home has clean burners now by giving us a call today!
