Gas burning furnaces work through the alchemical process of taking cold air and transforming it into warm air. This warm air is then forced by a blower through your system of ducts. The air that the gas furnace sucks up is filtered by a, well, air filter. That is the simple explanation of how a gas burning furnace heats your home, but it is really much more sophisticated than that. You’ve got plenty of things that go wrong, including thermostats, fuses and pilot lights.
Check the Electricity
It may be a gas burning heater, but it still uses electricity. If you notice that you furnace is not putting out any heater, check for a blown fuse in an older house or a tripped circuit breaker in a more recently constructed house. Other problems that could cause your gas heated furnace to not provide warmth is the pilot light going out or faulty transformer or combination control.
Pilot Light
The pilot light is like the governor of the state that is your forced air furnace. If the governor isn’t doing his job effectively, your schools won’t be financed, the potholes on the interstate will just keep getting bigger and those receiving checks courtesy of state jobs will go without. A pilot light that goes out means no heat. A pilot light that is set too high could mean you are burning far more fuel that you need to. A pilot light that is set too low may make an exploding sound when the burner ignites.
Clogged Burner Ports
When the burner ports on a gas furnace become clogged it can lead to an array of problems. Look for signs of clogged burners like an uneven burner flame or that explosion sound during ignition.
Pilot Light Lit, but Burner Won’t Ignite
If the pilot light stays lit, but your burner isn’t igniting, the gas pressure may be too low. Other problems that may cause this are faulty combination control and faulty transformer.
Yellow Pilot Flame
Your pilot flame should burn like the sun. A yellow pilot flame can mean that your burner has gotten dirty or are downright faulty. If the furnace isn’t getting sufficient air to cause combustion, it could lead a yellow pilot flame. Open the vents in the room containing the furnace or make sure that the air shutter opening isn’t too small.
Pilot Light Goes Out
A gas burning furnace where the pilot light continues to go out can mean one of several different things. Check to make sure that the pilot port isn’t clogged and if it is, use toothpick to unclog after turning off the power. Other things that can cause the pilot light to not stay lit are usually best taken care of by a repair professional. This includes a faulty thermocouple which you can replace yourself if you have done other similar repairs, a faulty electric pilot or faulty combination control. Call in the pros so save yourself the trouble of doing something really wrong.
Noise, Noise, Noise, Noise.
Gas burning furnaces can make other noises because the firecracker explosion caused by clogged burner ports. A rumbling sound when the burners are off indicates that your gas furnace pilot light needs some adjusting. Adjust until the color of the flame is a pretty blue with just the faintest smidgen of yellow at the top. If the rumbling noise in the furnace occurs when the burners have kicked on, it’s a good best that the burner ports have gotten clogged. If that doesn’t solve the problem, adjust the air shutter if your heater has an adjustable shutter or call in the pro if your heater has a fixed air shutter.
