If you can hear your furnace kick on, but aren’t able to feel any warm air coming through your vents inside your Iowa home, chances are the pilot light may have went out.
This happens quite often with older furnaces, and it could even be a sign that you may need to upgrade your Sioux City home’s HVAC system with a more efficient model. Usually around ten years your system loses its efficiency and starts to break down more frequently. This results in your heating bills and your repair costs to start increasing. At some point, it makes more sense financially to replace these older systems with newer models. When this time comes, CW Suter Services will provide you with all the tools and knowledge to help you make the right decision for you and your home. We install, repair, replace, and maintain all major brands of heating systems.
Here are just a few basic guidelines that involve your pilot light in your furnace.
How does your pilot light work?
The main purpose of the pilot light is to ignite the gas coming from your furnace’s main burner. If this light ever goes out, there is a safety valve on your furnace that cuts the gas leading to the pilot light so gas is not escaping into your home,
So, why might the pilot light go out? There are several causes, but here are just a few of the most common ones:
- A strong draft, or improper air flow, blows it out: This can happen on excessively windy days or nights. A leak in other areas of the furnace can also cause improper air flow that’s causing the light to blow out. If this is the case be sure to give us a call so we can repair your furnace from a certified technician.
- The thermocouple is damaged: This is the safety mechanism that shuts the gas off if the pilot light were to go out. If it is broken, dirty, or it’s not properly lined up it wont be able to detect the flame and it will shut the gas valve resulting in your furnace not running correctly. Call the Sioux City HVAC experts to get this issue fixed correctly or replaced if necessary.
- There’s an issue with the flame: If you can get the flame on for just a moment, inspect the flame. It’s supposed to be a strong blue color, instead of a weak yellow flame. A weak flame won’t envelop the thermocouple properly and your furnace will shut off the gas to your pilot light.
- Your furnace is dirty: A buildup of debris and dirt is not ideal for your system. This could prevent not only the pilot light from coming on, but can cause many other issues with your furnace. Schedule a tune-up with CW Suter Services to have our professionals clean and inspect your furnace today.
Furnace Maintenance
The annual heating and cooling costs account for approximately 40% of your homes total energy expenses, according to Energy Star. Maintaining this equipment pays for itself in the long run.
If you want to receive the most value for your HVAC equipment invest in our maintenance plan. Scheduling annual maintenance and inspections on your system allows us to inspect and clean your unit, as well as diagnosis any issues before they become more costly.
Comfort and Convenience Maintenance Plan
Our Comfort and Convenience Maintenance Plan is a small yearly investment that gives you increased comfort and lower energy bills overall. It also extends the life of your equipment. Not only that, with our maintenance plan you get 30 day labor warranty on repairs, a 10% discount on parts and labor for repairs, and priority service to your service requests. Enroll in the plan today by filling out this form and one of our comfort specialists will be in contact with you. You can learn more about our maintenance plan here.
Call your local heating and cooling experts
If your pilot light does go out, it is likely something that needs a repair. It can also be an indicator that your furnace no longer operates adequately to heat your Iowa home. At CW Suter Services, we have service that suits you! Call 712-252-3007 or request service online here to schedule a furnace tune-up or diagnosis.