The burners are one of the most important parts of a gas furnace as they are what cause the gas to combust in order to create heat. Although natural gas burns extremely clean and doesn’t produce any soot or ash, furnace burners will still get covered in dirt and grime over time. When this happens, it can create numerous issues and limit the effectiveness of your heating system. This makes it essential that furnace burners are cleaned regularly, and here is everything you need to know about why this is necessary and how it is done.
Why Furnace Burners Need to Be Cleaned
Dirty burners can create several major issues for your furnace. If the burners are clogged with gunk and debris, it can make it so that the gas doesn’t fully combust. This leads to lots of energy waste and thus higher gas bills. If the gas doesn’t fully combust, your furnace also won’t create nearly as much heat. This means that it will take your furnace much longer to fully heat your home, leading to even greater energy costs. This issue also results in greater wear and tear and may shorten your furnace’s lifespan.
If the burners aren’t cleaned regularly, it can also lead to a slight delay before the gas inside the combustion chamber ignites. Even a slight delay can allow gas to flood the combustion chamber and lead to a fireball once it finally ignites. This is similar to if you leave the gas on your barbecue grill running for too long before lighting it, and it has the potential to crack the heat exchanger or otherwise cause major damage to your furnace. It also creates a loud booming noise every time the furnace first ignites.
Steps for Cleaning Furnace Burners
Cleaning the burners is an essential part of routine furnace maintenance, and it is something that you should always hire a certified HVAC technician for. Depending on the age and model of your furnace, the burners may be fairly easy to remove. If you have an older furnace, it may require partially disassembling the unit to access and remove the burners.
In either case, if you attempt to remove and clean the burners on your own, you can easily damage the gas assembly or the flame sensor. Should this happen, it will end up costing you much more in repairs than if you had simply hired a technician to handle your heating maintenance.
When cleaning furnace burners, a technician will first shut off your heating system and turn the gas off to the furnace. The burners then need to be removed from the unit so that they can be properly cleaned. This is done by using a wire brush to scour away any dirt, dust and grime. They will also need to clean out any debris from the burner hole using compressed air. If the burner is badly clogged, the technician may need to first clean it out with a wire before then spraying out any remaining debris with the compressed air.
Once the burners are fully cleaned, the technician will also make sure that the flame sensor is clean before reassembling the unit. All this being said, cleaning the furnace burners is only one small part of annual furnace maintenance as the technician will also fully inspect and clean the entire unit. They will also inspect and clean the blower fan and make sure that your ductwork and thermostat are in good shape and working properly.
How to Tell If Your Furnace Burners Need Cleaning
If you make sure to have your heating system professionally maintained once a year, then you really should never need to worry about your furnace burners becoming too dirty. If you haven’t had your heating system inspected and maintained recently, then you may want to inspect the burners when the furnace is running.
When the burners are clean, then there should be a strong, steady blue flame coming from each one. If you notice that any of the flames are smaller, weaker or flickering, this indicates that that specific burner is dirty. You should also make sure that all of the flames burn blue constantly. If you see any green, yellow or orange streaks in the flames, this is a sign that the burners are dirty and the gas isn’t fully combusting.
Expert HVAC Maintenance in Oak Harbor
If you need your furnace burners cleaned or any other furnace or HVAC maintenance, you can trust the team at Island Heating & Air Conditioning. We service all models and brands of furnaces, and we also work on heat pumps, air conditioners and ductless mini-splits. If you need any HVAC unit replaced, we install high-quality Bryant units and can help you decide which is best for your home. Our team also works on ductwork and indoor air quality equipment. To schedule a furnace tune-up or any other heating or cooling service, give us a call today.
Tags: Furnace MaintenanceTags: Heating
October 20, 2022 1:46 pm
