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A flame sensor is the safety equipment of your heating system. The flame sensor generates electricity when the gas ignites. The control board of the furnace senses the electricity and proceeds with the healing process. With time, the sensor gets dirty and malfunctions.
A dirty flame sensor gets dirty due to oxidation and carbon buildup on the sensor. You should clean it frequently to remove the carbon buildup so that it does not malfunction. You can call a professional company for a furnace tune-up in Los Angeles to help you clean it up.
Signs Of A Bad Flame Sensor
Before testing your flame sensor, you should look out for these signs that indicate your flame sensor is going bad. If you experience any of these signs with your flame sensor, test it:
- Your furnace shuts down unexpectedly even when the burners ignite on the thermostat’s call.
- The furnace faces short cycling frequently without any apparent cause.
- A charred porcelain base.
- Visibly dirty flame sensor
- If the porcelain base is not charred, but the flame sensor does not work efficiently, it needs cleaning.
How To Test My Flame Sensor
If you want to test whether your flame sensor is working correctly or not, you can follow the given steps for the same. You will need a screwdriver/wrench, a multimeter, and a test lamp/60-watt bulb for the same:
- Shut down the power supply and flip the breaker of the furnace for safety.
- Once you are sure that the power is off, locate the sensor in your heating system. It is a thin metal rod in front of the furnace flame stream.
- Use a wrench or screwdriver to remove the screws for the flame sensor.
- Grab your multimeter and touch the probes to the blue and white wire ports on the sensor. The multimeter should show low resistance when you do so.
- Grab your test lamp or a 60-watt bulb and press the open end of the flame sensor against it. Check the multimeter for a high resistance reading.
- If the multimeter does not show a reading when you place it against a light source, you need to replace it.
These simple steps will help you know whether your flame sensor is working efficiently or not. If you feel you cannot test the flame sensor, contact an HVAC company for furnace repair in Beverly Hills to help you.
How To Clean A Flame Sensor
The cleaning of a flame sensor is not a hard task. When you call for a furnace tune-up in Los Angeles, the technician will clean the flame sensor along with other parts of the heating system. Once you take out the flame sensor, rub the rod with sandpaper or a wired brush to remove the carbon buildup, and wipe it off with a towel.
Let Platinum Air AC help you to get HVAC services at nominal rates. Look for furnace repair in Beverly Hills, or contact us at (818) 464-4292.
