If your furnace can’t keep its pilot light lit, it won’t be able to consistently ignite natural gas and heat your home. To stay warm in Hampton, VA, this fall and winter, you must keep a close eye on all pilot-light-related issues. Here are a few reasons your furnace pilot light might refuse to stay lit:
Obstructions in the Pilot Light Orifice
The pilot light orifice is the place from which the flame of your furnace’s pilot light emerges. If soot or other debris obstructs the orifice, ignition will be either unreliable or nonexistent.
The best way to deal with this problem is to ask trained HVAC service technicians to clean the orifice and the area surrounding it. They can do this for you as part of a regular maintenance tuneup.
Gas Flow Issues
If the pilot light doesn’t receive a steady stream of gas, it won’t stay lit. Gas may fail to reach your pilot light because of a leak or blockage in one of the valves or tubes that lead there. Alternatively, there may simply be no gas coming into your furnace in the first place.
In the former case, HVAC professionals will have to remove the blockage or seal the leak. In the latter case, they’ll have to restore your gas supply. If air bubbles appear in your gas line, service technicians will have to flush them out.
Malfunctioning Thermocouple
A thermocouple is a special safety device whose job is to detect whether your pilot light is lit and control the flow of gas to it accordingly. The thermocouple may mistakenly block the gas flow or misread the status of the pilot light. Our HVAC service technicians can examine this component, and based on what they discover, either repair or replace it.
Without an active pilot light, your furnace can’t function. Call Kearney & Sons today to get the best heating repair services around Hampton, VA, to make sure that it keeps burning.
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