Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2023

HVACR NewsMagazine January 2023

Tech News

4. Check the venting.

When you check the venting, make sure that the flue isn't blocked. In many cases, rodents or birds may make their nests in flues and chimneys, so it's best to be on the lookout for those. You'll also want to make sure the vent piping is appropriate for the system (for example, high-efficiency gas furnaces often use plastics like PVC). Check for unsafe backdraft risk factors, such as orphaned water heaters, too. Melted grommets or insulation on the top of a water heater are often a sign of backdrafting or spillage from the draft hood.

3. Inspect the filters and auxiliary equipment.

Filters and auxiliary equipment, such as humidifiers and dehumidifiers, are often crucial to the home's indoor air quality and the occupants' health. Check to see if the filter needs replacement (which they often do) and if it's the correct size for the system. If you have a dehumidifier, check the filtration on that to make sure it's appropriate and see if it needs replacement. While you're at it, make sure the dehumidifier's float switch hasn't tripped. If you have a humidifier, check the water panel to see if it needs replacing or if the humidifier needs to be cleaned.

Cleaning and inspection

After you complete your visual inspection, it's time to move on to checking and cleaning the individual components of the furnace. 5. Check and clean the flame sensor or pilot assembly. You'll generally see flame sensing rods in modern hot-surface ignition (HSI) or intermittent-spark ignition (ISI) systems. Flame rods may fail to work properly if the ceramic insulation has cracked, they aren't fully placed in the flame, or they get coated in silica. So, you'll want to keep an eye out for