Gas furnaces can scare some homeowners. It’s not really their fault, people get a scary image in their heads sometimes when they find out that a combustion system is burning gas in the basement or crawlspace of their home. What if something were to go wrong? What if the system accidentally started a fire in your house?
We want to start off by saying that everything is going to be fine. We don’t want any of our customers to panic, and we’re confident in almost all of the gas furnace technology in our industry. These systems are designed to run safely and effectively for a decade or more. However, a furnace can run into some problems that can make it unsafe if it doesn’t get the heating repair in Southborough that it so desperately needs.
Let’s discuss together some of the safety features of a gas furnace, and what can potentially go wrong if they’re left neglected.
The Flame Sensor
First, we’ll start off with a tiny little component in your furnace that goes a long way towards keeping you safe. Introducing the flame sensor, a component that’s sole job is to detect heat or a flame inside of your furnace to ensure that the system is running correctly.
If it notices that gas is flowing through the system but no flame or heat is detected, it will shut off the system’s access to natural gas so you don’t have to worry about the system leaking gas into your home. Neat, right?
When It’s Neglected…
When the flame sensor is neglected, it can get dirty and do a poor job of measuring heat or a flame. This can endanger your home and allow wasted gas to flow through the unit.
The Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger is one of the primary safety devices in your furnace. It contains all of the burning fumes while the gas is turned into heat, exchanging that heat with the fresh air that you can safely breathe. This component is vital because it allows your furnace to heat your home without the smoke, carbon monoxide, and other byproducts of combustion.
When It’s Neglected…
A heat exchanger can crack over time, causing carbon monoxide to leak into your breathable air. Make sure this component is maintained and repaired when needed!
The Limit Switch
How do you know if your furnace is getting too hot? Thanks to the limit switch, that job is done for you! The limit switch simply detects if the furnace is running at too high of a temperature. This can cause problems for other components since a furnace that’s too hot will run in unsafe ways. The limit switch will simply shut the system off until it reaches a safe temperature and it can turn on again.
When It’s Neglected…
The limit switch is a hardy component, but its job is to keep you safe while you get your system repaired. If it’s constantly overheating and the limit switch has to shut it down, then something is definitely wrong and it needs to be fixed.
We take comfort in YOUR comfort. Contact Landry Mechanical Inc Plumbing HVAC & Electric to have your furnace maintained or fixed today!