Yes, a furnace ignitor can definitely work intermittently. This frustrating behavior usually happens right before the ignitor fails completely, and it is most commonly caused by micro-fractures, degraded electrical resistance, or an entirely separate dirty component.
Signs of a bad furnace ignitor include no flame or heat, clicking sounds without ignition, or a furnace not starting. You might also notice a steady blinking light on the control board, indicating an ignition failure. An HVAC professional should inspect and replace the ignitor if needed.
How often do furnace igniters go bad? Most furnace ignitors last several years, but lifespan depends on usage, system maintenance, and power cycling frequency. Dirty burners, restricted airflow, or voltage issues can shorten ignitor life.
Resetting a furnace igniter usually involves performing a power cycle to clear a system lockout, though some electric models have a physical high-limit reset button. If the igniter is cracked or covered in carbon buildup, it will need to be inspected and potentially cleaned or replaced.
Power and Control Issues
Thermostat Malfunctions: Ensure your thermostat is set to "heat" and the temperature is higher than the room's current reading. Dead batteries or loose wiring can also prevent communication with the furnace. Tripped Circuit Breaker: Even gas furnaces need electricity to operate.
The $5,000 rule is a guideline to help homeowners decide whether to repair or replace their HVAC system. You multiply the age of your unit by the cost of the needed repair. If that number exceeds $5,000, replacing your HVAC system is often more cost-effective.
A bad thermocouple typically fails to generate the millivoltage needed to keep the gas valve open. The most common signs include a pilot light that won’t stay lit after releasing the reset button, a furnace that frequently shuts down unexpectedly, or the main burners refusing to ignite altogether.
Parts: A new hot surface ignitor typically costs between $30 and $60. Labor: Professional labor costs usually range from $120 to $240, depending on your location and the service provider. Total Average Cost: Most homeowners can expect the total furnace ignitor replacement cost to be between $150 and $300.
If resetting your electronic ignitor doesn't solve your furnace issue, you need to call a professional to look at it. Remember, you cannot light the electronic ignition manually. Contact an HVAC specialist at Sanks to diagnose and repair your furnace as soon as possible.
Yes, you can clean a furnace ignitor to remove carbon or soot buildup, but you must be extremely gentle. Many modern "hot surface" ignitors (the glowing element) are brittle and can break easily.
The heat exchanger is often considered the most costly part of a furnace to repair or replace. It is a critical component that transfers heat from the combustion process to the air that circulates throughout your home. Over time, heat exchangers can crack due to the constant heating and cooling cycles they undergo.
Without the ignitor, your heater won't blow hot air. It's a critical part of the furnace system since it is responsible for lighting the burner that starts the combustion process that turns fuel into heat. In older units, the furnace ignitor is a traditional pilot light.
A dirty furnace flame sensor is one of the most common ignition issues, and one of the easiest to fix when caught early. Become a Kauffman Gas customer and let our team inspect, clean, and restore your ignition system before a minor buildup turns into a full breakdown.
To get your furnace to kick on, first verify your thermostat is set to "Heat" and raised at least 5 degrees above room temperature. Next, check that the furnace power switch (usually resembling a standard light switch on or near the unit) is toggled "ON".
To test a gas appliance (furnace or oven) igniter, either perform a continuity test (checks if the internal circuit is intact) or an amperage/voltage test (checks if it draws the correct power to ignite the gas).
6 Reasons Why Your Furnace is Not Igniting
A frozen pipes furnace failure can cause major problems inside your home. Ice builds up fast in unheated spaces, and when frozen water expands, it can burst pipes wide open. That kind of mess is the last thing anyone wants during a winter heating outage.
To reset a furnace ignitor (or clear an ignition lockout), perform a hard power cycle. Turn off the furnace power switch, wait 30 to 60 seconds to allow the control board safety relays to reset, and turn the power back on. If the ignitor is cracked or broken, it must be replaced.
A furnace ignitor typically lasts between 3 to 7 years. However, the exact lifespan largely depends on the material, your furnace's usage, and how well you maintain your system:
To determine if your furnace ignitor is bad, look for visible cracks, listen for repeated clicking noises without a flame, or check for a bright orange glow during startup. To confirm a failure, you can test it using a multimeter set to measure resistance (Ohms).
A healthy pilot flame should be a crisp, steady blue, engulfing the top third of the thermocouple. A weak, yellow, or wavering flame often indicates a dirty pilot orifice or a gas supply issue, preventing the thermocouple from getting hot enough to function.
Capacitors are used in nearly every heating system, from gas furnaces to electric furnaces to heat pumps. Even though other parts can fail, like the ignitor in a gas furnace or the compressor in a heat pump, the capacitor is by far the most common part to fail on a furnace because almost every system relies on one.