You probably don’t give much thought to what’s inside your furnace, at least, not until something goes wrong. What are the components of a gas furnace, and how do you know when it’s time to call for furnace repairs? Discover the answers in this guide from Grasshopper Heating & Cooling.
Your Furnace’s Major Components Demystified
Gas furnaces feature an array of parts, and unless you’re an HVAC industry pro, it’s tough to know which part does what. Here, we break down the parts of a furnace in plain English.
- Control board: The control board, or control system, does exactly what it sounds like. This part is the “brains” of your gas furnace, and it consists of electrical controls and a thermostat. The thermostat tells the furnace when to kick on by sending electrical signals to the unit.
- Pilot light or electronic ignition: Older furnaces have pilot lights, while newer models usually have an electric hot surface igniter that glows red-hot when it’s time for the furnace to kick on. Whichever system your furnace has, it’s responsible for igniting the gas and starting the combustion process.
- Burner: The burner’s role is to take natural gas from your gas line and turn that gas into fire that provides heat to your home. You’ll find your burner, naturally, in the burner chamber.
- Blower motor: Blower motors are responsible for transferring heat from the furnace throughout your home. Working together with the blower fan, the blower motor transfers heat by pushing heated air through your home’s ducts. High-efficiency furnaces may have a variable blower that allows you to control the speed of the fan.
- Flame sensor: The flame sensor recognizes when there’s a fire in the burner chamber and opens the gas valve, allowing gas to flow until the air reaches the desired temperature. If the sensor’s flame rollout switch doesn’t detect a heat source, it will close the gas valve.
- Combustion chamber: This chamber holds fire-producing components, including the pilot light or electric ignition.
- Heat exchanger: When your furnace runs, it produces combustion gasses which pass through the heat exchanger. Hot metal heats the air circulating around the heat exchanger, and with the help of the draft inducer motor, gasses travel through your exhaust vents and outside of your home via the vent pipe. Without proper ventilation and a working inducer motor, exhaust gas wouldn’t be able to leave your house.
- Pressure switch: The pressure switch is a safety feature that sits near the motor. If it detects negative pressure, it shuts the heating system down to prevent back-drafting.
- Secondary heat exchanger: After leaving the main heat exchanger, flue gas travels into the secondary heat exchanger. Here, water vapor forms, and the liquid adds more heat to the air.
- Air filter: Because the parts of your furnace burn fuel, you’ll need a high-quality air filter for your furnace system. Filters are responsible for trapping soot, dust, pet dander, and other debris. The higher the filter’s MERV rating, the better it is at filtering contaminants.
- Carbon monoxide detectors: Carbon monoxide is always a risk with gas furnaces and space heaters, so you’ll need a detector to alert you if it recognizes this dangerous gas drifting through your home.
How Regular Maintenance Keeps Your Furnace Components in Great Shape
Now that you know the answer to the question, “What are the components of a gas furnace?” it’s time to discuss the many benefits of furnace maintenance for furnace components. Here are the perks you’ll get when you schedule maintenance for gas furnaces:
- Efficient heating: Tired of high heating bills? With furnace system maintenance, you could slash your heating costs by hundreds annually. Our maintenance crew inspects and tests your furnace to ensure it’s running in top condition for peak energy efficiency.
- Fresh air: A dirty, poorly maintained furnace pushes contaminant-laden air throughout your home. With a well-maintained furnace, you’ll enjoy clean, fresh-smelling air that’s free of gasses and soot.
- Beat the winter chill: If your home’s internal temperature is starting to dip despite the furnace running nonstop, your furnace needs maintenance right away. Hire us for maintenance and stay cozy when temperatures plummet this winter.
- Maintain your warranty: Your new HVAC system probably came with a warranty, but without regular maintenance, the manufacturer might refuse to cover repairs. Don’t risk it; call for maintenance today.
How To Know if Your Furnace’s Components Need Repairs
Does your furnace blow cool air instead of warm and refuse to complete the heating cycle? Maybe the heating unit won’t turn on at all. Here’s how to tell if it’s time to call the pros for furnace system repairs.
- The furnace won’t turn on: If your furnace won’t start in the middle of a New York winter, you’ll definitely want to call a repair crew ASAP. The problem may be something simple, like a faulty thermostat, or something more complex, such as an issue with the flame sensor.
- The furnace won’t blow warm air: Does your furnace blow cool or lukewarm air? A broken blower motor or cracked heat exchanger may be to blame. Heat exchangers aren’t cheap to repair, but it’s still less expensive than buying a new furnace.
- The furnace makes scary noises: If your furnace is working properly, you shouldn’t hear anything from it but a gentle hum. Banging, grinding, or screeching noises indicate that something is amiss. If you don’t fix the problem, your furnace might provide inefficient heating or stop working altogether.
- You smell something bad when passing by the unit: Your furnace and air conditioning system shouldn’t smell bad when it runs. If you smell mold, a rotting stench, or gas, call a pro right away.
Has Your Furnace Stopped Working? Call the Pros at Grasshopper Heating & Cooling
Still wondering, “What are the components of a gas furnace?” Our experts at Grasshopper Heating & Cooling are happy to explain more about your furnace’s inner workings. When you need repairs for your furnace or air conditioning system, you can count on us to do the job right.
Call (518) 545-3271 to schedule your HVAC service today.
