A pilot light is the ignition source for a furnace’s burner. However, when it goes out, it can allow natural gas to leak into your home. Since the pilot light is so important, you should know what do to if it ever goes out. Here are some possible explanations for why the furnace pilot light in your Brick Township, NJ furnace won’t stay lit.
Dirty Pilot Light Orifice
Before gas can reach your pilot light, it must flow through your pilot light orifice. If anything obstructs the orifice, the pilot light either won’t be able to ignite at all or will ignite sporadically. Since cleaning the pilot light orifice requires disassembling parts of the furnace, only a trained HVAC technician will be able to do this for you while performing repairs or routine maintenance.
Faulty Thermocouple
A thermocouple is a special copper tube located just above your furnace’s pilot light that detects your pilot light’s flame and regulates gas flow through. If something throws the thermocouple into misalignment or otherwise damages it, it may fail to sense the pilot light flame and turn off your furnace. When that happens, the pilot light will shut off.
This arrangement exists to stop gas leaks by preventing gas from flowing through your furnace at inappropriate times. The solution to the problem we’ve just described is to call a furnace repair technician and have him fix your thermocouple.
Old or Filthy Air Filters
You should replace your furnace’s air filters at least once every three months. If you don’t, they will accumulate so much debris that air will no longer be able to flow properly through the unit. When this happens, the furnace may react by shutting off entirely, thus turning off your pilot light.
You should not allow any issues with your furnace’s pilot light to go unaddressed. Call Comfort Zone Home Services and ask for our heating services for high-quality help with this problem in Brick Township, NJ.
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