With winter in full force and the snow falling outside, the last thing you need is for your furnace to break down. If your gas furnace will not start, one of the first things you need to check is the ignition sensor. Often, all you need to do to get your gas furnace started again is clean the ignition sensor.

Troubleshooting The Issue

Many issues can affect your furnace. In order to tell if the ignition switch needs cleaning, pay attention to what your furnace is doing. When the ignition switch is out, you will notice your furnace trying to turn on. It may even sound like your furnace is getting ready to blow out hot air. However, instead of hot air, you will hear your furnace turn off before it offers you any warmth. If that is what you are experiencing, you need to clean the ignition switch to get your furnace running again.

Take Care Of Safety First

The first thing you need to do before you clean your furnace's ignition switch is turn off the power to your furnace. You can simply unplug your furnace, or you can turn off the breaker in your breaker box that supplies power to your furnace.

After you turn off the power to your furnace, you also need to turn off the gas supply to your furnace. The line connecting the gas to your furnace should have a handle, which indicates which way you need to turn it to shut off the gas.

Cleaning The Sensor

First, you need to find the ignition switch. Usually it is located behind the front panel next to where the flame is located when your furnace is lit. If you can't find it, consult your owner's manual.

Next, get out your screwdriver and remove the ignition sensor from your furnace. After you have removed it, you will need to clean all the gunk off of it. Gently wipe the sensor down with a microfiber cloth that will not leave any lint behind. If there is any stubborn residue left on the sensor, you can use some sandpaper to carefully sand away that stubborn grime. Just be sure to wipe away any dust the sandpaper created.

Now that the sensor is clean, all you need to do is reattach the ignition sensor using your screwdriver again. If you have to remove a panel to get to the sensor, you need to also reattach it as well.

Restarting Your Furnace

Once all the parts are back where they belong, turn the gas back on. Make sure that you return the handle to the same position it was in before you shut off the gas. If you unplugged your furnace, plug it back in. If you turned off the breaker for your furnace, flip it back to the on position.

You can wait for your heater to come back on, or you can crank up your thermostat to force your furnace on. If your furnace starts putting out heat, you will know that you fixed the right problem. However, if your furnace is still not starting up, it may be time to call in the professionals, like those at Best Way Heating Inc.