Solving problems with gas furnaces

Different furnaces have different efficiencies with condensing furnaces recording an efficiency as high as 90 percent AFUE and above. Although both the condensing and conventional gas furnaces use gas burners with an electronic ignition and so have similar combustion process efficiency, condensing furnaces record more efficiency because they have a better heat extraction process.

Of course, there are some problems you can try to troubleshoot on your own and there are others you should trust a gas engineer Surrey to help solve.

Below are problems you are bound to notice in when working with a conventional gas furnace.

1. No heat produced: There are a number of causes if there is no heat being produced. One of them is the thermostat being set too low and not calling for heat. Another cause is if the thermostat is malfunctioning or damaged. The furnace will also not produce heat if the circuit breakers and fuses have tripped down or blown.  You need to check whether the natural gas or propane control valve has been closed or if the pilot light is out, since these too can cause the gas furnace to fail to produce heat.

Other problems that cause the gas furnaces to fail to produce heat include a problem with the hot surface ignition problem or intermittent pilot electronic ignition problem.

There are a number of ways in which you could try to solve this problem even without calling a gas engineer in Surrey. For instance, you can try to check if the thermostat is in the heating mode. Try moving the dial setting up or down, clean the contacts in the thermostat, and try to reset tripped circuit breakers too. You can also try to relight standing pilot light, troubleshooting hot surface ignition or troubleshoot intermittent pilot ignition system.

2.  Gas furnace noisy operations: If the gas is producing a “squealing” sound, it may be that the slipping blower or motor or the shaft need to be oiled. If there is a “rumble” sound, the problem could be a poorly adjusted pilot light if this is experienced when the burner is off. If the sound is being experienced when burners are turned on, it may be that the gas burners are dirty. To solve these problems without calling a gas engineer in Surrey, try oil blower motor lubrication ports (using light weight oil). You can also check if the belt tension is to the needed standards of about 1” at the center of the span or tighten it all together. The problem can also be solved by adjusting pilot light. If necessary, contact a service technician.

3. Electronic ignition problem: In more recent equipment, the gas burners are not ignited using a standing pilot. Electronic ignition is done via the Intermittent Pilot or the Hot Surface Ignition. The former uses a high voltage electrical spark that is controlled electronically. The main burners are then ignited after gas pilot, when the thermostat calls for heat. In Hot Surface Ignition system, an electronically controlled resistance heating element is used to ignite the burner. You can contact a gas engineer in Surrey to repair the parts.