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Sunset Air Blog

Furnace Electrical Issues You Need to Know About

heating-technicianThere are a lot of different furnace problems that can cause damage to your system, some of which are more damaging than others. Among the worst furnace issues that you could deal with are the electrical problems, which can do anything from causing system breakdowns to starting house fires. Have a look at the various electrical problems your furnace can experience that we’ve listed below and when you should call for repairs.

Ignition System Failure

For a long time, gas furnaces made use of standing pilot lights to start their burner assemblies when necessary. This is no longer the case for most furnaces. Modern furnaces tend to use intermittent ignition systems, which generate sparks to ignite the burner assembly and stay off the rest of the time. This is an efficient way to start the furnace, but the system is still susceptible to developing a problem. If your furnace seems to be having difficulty actually starting up, it might be because of an electrical issue in its ignition system.

Short Cycling

Short cycling is an issue that causes the furnace to turn itself on and off every couple of minutes instead of completing a full cycle. This can be caused by a number of things, including an electrical issue between the furnace and the thermostat. Short cycling cuts into the furnace’s heating ability, since it can’t complete a full cycle. The bigger issue, however, is that short cycling increases the wear and tear the system suffers while it’s operating. The longer a furnace is allowed to short cycle, the more prone it will be to developing various other problems. Short cycling can also decrease the overall lifespan of the furnace system by a number of years. It’s important that you call for repairs as soon as you notice that your furnace is short cycling, so you can limit the damage as much as possible.

Dead Spots in Heating Coils

If you happen to be using an electric furnace, you have a couple of additional issues to worry about. The heating coil in the furnace will wear down over years of use, and it eventually may start to develop dead spots. The more dead spots are present in the coil the less heat the furnace will be able to generate. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done about this particular problem aside from replacing the heating coil. Most people prefer to replace the entire furnace at that point.

Electrical issues have the potential to seriously damage both the furnace and your home. If you suspect that your furnace is experiencing any kind of electrical issue, you should call for repairs as soon as possible. It may end up being nothing, but it’s better to confirm that then to ignore a potentially serious issue.

Sunset Air provides a full range of electrical and HVAC services. If you need an electrician in Union, WA, we can help you out. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert electricians.

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