How To Know If Your HVAC Furnace Ignitor Isn’t Working

Here we are in December and the last thing you want to interrupt your holiday planning is waking up one morning to a cold house because the furnace stopped working. If that happens it’s possible you are dealing with a furnace ignitor that’s gone bad. As the name implies it’s the device responsible for igniting the gas which provides the heat to keep your Fort Wayne, Decatur, Angola, Indianapolis, or Greenwood, IN home warm. Masters Heating & Cooling is using this article to take a closer look at some symptoms that can be caused by a bad ignitor.

Furnace Won’t Run

When an ignitor is not working correctly the furnace may not run at all. This is a safety precaution to prevent any buildup of gas. There are a number of reasons why a furnace won’t run but only an HVAC technician can determine if the ignitor is causing the problem.

System Blows Nothing But Chilly Air

This should not happen when the thermostat is set to HEAT. This could be another symptom of a bad ignitor that isn’t igniting the gas burner. Before you call for a technician just double check the thermostat to make sure the system is not set to COOL.

Furnace Is Cycling On & Off Repeatedly

The industry term for this is short cycling. Generally, it means the furnace is shutting down before the house reaches the target temperature and then comes back on just a few moments later. There can be many reasons this happens, and a faulty ignitor is one of them.

What To Look For

Ignitors have replaced pilot lights on modern furnaces so if there is any confusion the ignitor on your furnace should be in the same place you would normally look for a pilot light. Instead of an actual flame the ignitor heats up and glows, igniting the gas. If you look and don’t see something glowing red when the furnace turns on, you likely have a bad ignitor.

An Ounce Of Prevention

It may be an ignitor or some other problem, but Masters Heating & Cooling is always ready to help. You can reduce the risk of any cold nights in your Fort Wayne, Decatur, Angola, Indianapolis, or Greenwood, IN home by scheduling seasonal furnace maintenance. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn more about the services we offer.