Where Is The Pilot Light On My Carrier Furnace

Another pilot light drawback is energy waste.

Where is the pilot light on my carrier furnace. The pilot light on older gas furnaces must be lit manually and stays on continually while newer models use an electronic ignition system that is safer and uses less gas as the pilot light is lit automatically only when the furnace switches on. In turn the pilot lights the gas for the burners. Once the burn cycle is complete both the burners and the pilot turn off. A number of things can make an old furnace pilot light go out including a strong draft a faulty thermocouple or a loss of gas.

The thermocouple assists with furnace operation by monitoring the presence of the flame and turning off the gas supply to the pilot light if it should become extinguished or becomes weak. A gas furnace s standing pilot in which the flame is lit at all times is sometimes referred to as a pilot light but no matter what you call it its purpose is to serve as a small ignition flame for the gas burner when the thermostat signals for gas to be delivered from the gas valve to the burner it is the standing pilot that ignites the gas flowing to the burners to heat the air in the. Instead what you have is most likely what s called a direct spark ignition dsi system that has the furnace board trigger a spark at the appropriate time to light the gas it indeed is a computer control system. Its main function is to ignite the burners when the furnace is called upon for heat.

How can i re light it when it goes out it s a question installers often hear from customers. A modern gas furnace usually has an electronic spark generator to ignite the gas when the thermostat calls for heat. Pilot lights can develop problems that cause them to burn inefficiently. The furnace s electronic control board activates an electric igniter that uses a high voltage spark to light the pilot.

The pilot light on your gas furnace utilizes a small flame for the purpose of igniting the gas burner when your furnace switches on. Any gas furnace uses a pilot light to trigger the burners to heat your home. Your furnace being a modern day unit does not use a pilot for ignition. Furnace pilot light troubleshooting.

The pilot light in a furnace that ignites the burners is so much a part of our collective understanding of how gas furnaces work that some homeowners find themselves surprised when they discover their new furnace doesn t need a pilot light. It s not a lot usually just a few therms of gas a month but that obviously adds up over time. The pilot light is a small flame that is either lit manually and remains burning. There is a safety issue as well.

An older gas furnace has a standing pilot that stays on all the time or at least it s supposed to. Since the pilot light needs to remain active your furnace is always consuming some gas.