There’s been a misconception for a long time that electric furnaces use electricity, and gas furnaces use gas only. While this is mostly true, there’s actually one deep flaw in this manner of thinking. Everything in our lives uses some manner of electricity, and a gas furnace is no exception.
For instance, the majority of fuel used in your car to travel is gasoline. But to say your car doesn’t use any electricity is a huge mistake, because cars use electricity for everything from air conditioning to running the radio. Your gas furnace is very similar to this.
So, if there’s a malfunction happening in your gas furnace that requires furnace repair in Madison, WI, then you’ll want to find out if it’s an electrical problem first and foremost. For the reasons we’ll state down below, electrical problems can sometimes be the easiest and most affordable problems to get fixed.
What Can Go Wrong?
Now that we’ve established your gas furnace still relies on electricity, we should talk about some of the problems that can occur with it.
Electric furnaces rely entirely on electricity, so their electrical problems can be extensive. But a gas furnace only has a few places where electricity is used, so it’s easier to narrow down the problem in this case.
- Ignition. Modern furnaces use electrical ignition instead of a pilot light. Pilot lights can be hazardous and they waste fuel by running all the time. An electrical ignition is elegant and straightforward, using electricity to ignite your furnace’s flame. However, if this component malfunctions, your furnace might fail to turn on at all.
- Thermostat connection. In order for your furnace to run properly, it needs to be monitored by your thermostat. Without a proper electrical connection to your thermostat, the furnace could stop running entirely or run wildly, leading to severely uncomfortable temperatures in your home.
- Capacitors. Every furnace has capacitors, which basically allow the system to “start” and “stop.” This is the clicking noise you might hear when the unit turns on or off. These capacitors use electricity, and they can malfunction in certain situations.
- Tripped circuits. Many gas furnaces in older homes use more electricity than the home can handle. This problem can express itself as a tripped circuit, but it could be sourced anywhere from your electrical panel to the furnace itself. This can happen but it absolutely requires professional diagnosis to discover the problem.
Getting These Problems Fixed
Back in the day, a gas or oil furnace didn’t need electricity to run. But those furnaces were inefficient, outdated, unsafe, and not as affordable as units are today. This is thanks to some of the amazing electrical components in our furnaces that keep us comfortable at a lower cost.
But these components can fail just like any other component in your furnace, and you’ll want to get them fixed when they do. Make sure you hire a licensed HVAC contractor to diagnose and repair your malfunctioning furnace, even if the problem seems like a simple electrical failure.
Contact 24Hr Home Comfort Services, Your Heating and Cooling Specialists.