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If you\u2019ve had the same furnace in your home for many years, you\u2019re probably accustomed to it having a pilot light. If you have newer furnace, or you\u2019re planning on having one installed in the near future, it probably doesn\u2019t use a pilot light at all. Instead, an electronic ignition system ignites the burners. In fact, you rarely see standing pilot lights on newly manufactured furnaces anymore. Why did this change happen? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n
The pilot light has been around for a long time. In fact, the term goes back to the Colonial era. Standing pilot lights do their job, and seem to do it well. Yes, they can occasionally go out and need to be relit, but any system\u2014and this includes electronic ignition systems\u2014can malfunction. So what\u2019s the drawback with them?<\/p>\n
The problem is a simple one: a pilot light requires a continuous supply of natural gas to keep it burning through the winter. The pilot light has to be burning all the time during the heating season so it ignites the gas from the burners when they turn on. This isn\u2019t an enormous natural gas expenditure, but cumulatively it raises your utility bills and lowers the energy efficiency of the furnace.<\/p>\n
Electronic ignition systems are found in most new furnaces, and they require little power to work. There are different types of electronic ignition systems, one of which still uses a pilot flame to ignite the gas burners. But in both cases, the ignition only needs to turn on and use power for a short time before it shuts off. This is one of the reasons newer furnaces have higher energy efficiency ratings in general, even if they aren\u2019t special high efficiency models, than older furnace types. Electronic ignition systems have a number of other advantages as well, such as greater reliability than standing pilot lights.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a brief look at the two different types of electronic ignition systems:<\/p>\n
If your current furnace still uses a pilot light, we recommend considering having a new furnace installed. This isn\u2019t just because of the pilot light: the furnace is probably getting up in years and it\u2019s about time to replace it. We recommend looking into furnace replacement after 15 years of service.<\/p>\n
No matter how your furnace ignites, if the burners won\u2019t turn on, you need heater repair in Fresno, CA<\/a> from professionals. You can rely on our HVAC professionals to fix your heating system, no matter what\u2019s wrong with it.<\/p>\n