Are Gas Furnaces Dangerous Options for Residential Heating?

Some homeowners have safety concerns about using a gas furnace. While gas is highly flammable, furnaces are manufactured with multiple safety switches and mechanisms that help ensure you and your homebs safety. As such, gas furnaces are no more dangerous to operate than any other type of furnace. However, if you are concerned about your furnace in Arden, one of the best ways to maintain safety levels is to schedule annual maintenance.

Why Maintenance Helps

There are a few ways in which maintenance helps maintain the safety of your gas furnace:

• Thorough inspection b your entire system is thoroughly inspected during a maintenance appointment. This allows the technician to detect any existing or developing problems, including things like a cracked heat exchanger or corroding joints in your flue.

• Testing of system b your system is tested to make sure it is operational and all safety mechanisms work as needed.

• Cleaning of components b the components in your heating system are cleaned and adjusted, so that dirt and dust canbt build and cause problems. No component functions well with a layer of dirt and dust on it, but certain components, like the heat exchanger, can develop serious problems from a thick layer of dust.

Types of Safety Mechanisms

Here are a couple of examples of the safety mechanisms on your furnace:

• Flame sensor b the flame sensor in your system is responsible for detecting whether or not a flame is present and if itbs at the temperature it should be. There is a flame sensor in the last jet of your furnacebs burner and a second one if your furnace uses an intermittent pilot for ignition. For ignition, the flame sensor has to detect that the pilot is lit and viable; if itbs not, the flame sensor will not allow the main gas valve to open. If the burner has been lit, but the last burner isnbt firing correctly, the flame sensor will turn off the main gas valve, abruptly halting the heating cycle.

• Limit switch b the limit switch prevents your furnace from overheating. The switch is set to two temperatures: one that cues it to blow the warm air from the heat exchanger into your home and a second that cues it to shut down the system when the temperature becomes too hot.

These are just two of several safety mechanisms your gas furnace in Arden is equipped with. If you have concerns about your gas furnace or questions about our furnace maintenance service, call Comfort Central, Inc. today and schedule an appointment with one of our experts.