Spot These 6 Symptoms of Dirty Furnace Burners

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When you turn on your gas furnace, you expect it to generate enough heat to keep your house warm and cozy. Unfortunately, a lack of furnace maintenance can reduce your system's performance and leave you without the heat you need. For example, soot buildup around the heating unit's burners can cause major performance issues, but what are the symptoms of dirty furnace burners?

As furnace repair experts in Helena, MT, our professional HVAC technicians at Premier Systems have years of experience and training on various heating system issues. Here, we explain some of the warning signs that a furnace has dirty burners. 

6 Signs Your Furnace Has Dirty Burners

Dirty gas furnace burners won't only affect your heating unit's performance. The problem could also be dangerous for your household. 

Soot buildup around the burners poses a major fire risk, and it can create clogs around the burners that could lead to incomplete combustion. Carbon monoxide, a deadly odorless gas, is a combustion byproduct that can seep into your home if it can't vent outdoors. 

Routine furnace maintenance includes burner cleaning. It's crucial to schedule the annual service before using your heater to minimize the fire and carbon monoxide risks.

Know when to contact a qualified HVAC professional for furnace maintenance by learning these symptoms of dirty furnace burners.

1. Unusual Flame Color

When your furnace operates correctly, the pilot light and burner flames should be blue. The flames should also be steady. However, if the fire changes from blue to yellow and constantly flickers, it shows that the furnace isn't facilitating the combustion process correctly. 

Incomplete combustion increases the chances of a carbon monoxide leak. You'll need an HVAC expert to inspect your gas furnace if the burner flame changes colors because the problem could be due to dirty burners or a mechanical defect. 

2. Not Enough Heat

If your home doesn't feel as warm as it should despite the settings on the thermostat, the problem could be a dirty burner. A partial clog could generate a weak flame, which also leads to insufficient heating. 

With an inefficient furnace, you might notice cold spots in certain rooms or inconsistent temperatures throughout the house. This is the last thing you want to deal with in the middle of winter, so it's best to contact a heating system expert for help.

3. Total Lack of Heat

Sometimes a furnace will stop generating heat altogether if the burners are dirty. When burners have a bad clog, the entire system can shut down. Even if the unit produces some heat, its blower fan won't activate to distribute the warm air through the property's ductwork.

A sensor inside the heating system is the reason a furnace will generate heat that your household can't feel. The sensor monitors the combustion chamber's temperature. Unless the sensor reads a specific temperature, it won't trigger the blower fan to turn on and distribute the heat. 

4. Unpleasant Odors

When burners have a dirty, sooty buildup, the flames around them will burn the debris. As a result, you'll smell an unpleasant odor like smoke or rubber whenever you run the furnace. 

5. Strange Furnace Sounds

Your furnace might produce a loud, strange noise when it has a problem. For example, dirty burners may cause the furnace to create rattling, popping, or booming noises when you turn on the heat.

The noise occurs because dirty burners cause a small explosion inside the combustion chamber during ignition. The explosion could be strong enough to damage the heat exchanger. 

6. Increased Energy Bills

One of the most common symptoms of dirty furnace burners is higher-than-normal energy bills. Skyrocketing utility expenses can indicate many problems within an HVAC system, but it usually means the unit is consuming more energy than normal. That's what happens when gas furnace burners are dirty and clogged. 

Until the buildup around the burners becomes bad enough to shut down the system, the furnace will continue working. However, it will consume extra energy to compensate for the inefficiencies of its burners. 

Count on Premier Systems' Experts for Reliable HVAC Maintenance

At Premier Systems in Helena, Montana, our team of skilled, experienced HVAC and electrical technicians offers a wide range of heating and cooling services. Whether we're identifying symptoms of dirty furnace burners or addressing furnace circuit board burns, we provide stress-free services and innovative solutions. 

Our team also provides 24/7 emergency services, so call (406) 708-4601 to schedule furnace services from Premier Systems.