Darnestown Heating: How to Fix Your Flame Sensor

No one wants to deal with a broken furnace during the cold, winter months.

Hoping to avoid such a problem, Tuckers Air Conditioning and Heating of Montgomery County offers Darnestown residents some tips for maintaining the furnace's flame sensor in their blog.

The flame sensor, Tuckers AC&M says, "is a very small and specific component of your Darnestown home’s furnace, but when it is malfunctioning, it can completely shut down the operation of your furnace."

Tuckers suggested the following five tips for checking and fixing your furnace's flame sensor:

1. Locate the flame sensor on the furnace. It is a thin metal rod that extends through a bracket and into the path of the flame as it is expelled from one of the burners.
2. Turn off the power to the furnace.
3. Loosen the bracket holding the flame sensor in place and gently withdraw it.
4. Using fine grit sandpaper or emery cloth, gently rub away any combustion build-up that has accumulated on the end of the flame sensor.
5. Making sure all the build-up has been removed, replace the flame sensor in the bracket. Turn the furnace back on to test it.

For more information, be sure to check out Tuckers Air Conditioning and Heating blog.