Why Burner Service Is Important For Your Furnace
Posted on: 8 May 2020
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The burner in your furnace or boiler is a critical component, and if it is not working correctly, the system will not run efficiently if at all. Burner service is crucial to keeping the system running right and should happen several times a year for boilers that run all year long.
The Burner
The burner is inside your boiler or furnace and is the part of the system that heats the water in your boiler or air in your furnace. The burner is a box with a fuel nozzle, igniter, and the heat exchanger inside. The igniter provides the spark for the fuel coming out of the nozzle, which creates the flame in the burner to heat it.
As the burner heats up, the heat exchangers get hot and pass the heat to the water or air circulating through them. If you have a boiler and the water is for heating only, there is one closed loop that runs through the burner. Still, buildings that get the domestic hot water from the boiler will have two or more loops that need heating, so it is critical that the burner is running right or it will not keep up with the needs.
Hot air systems use a similar circulation method, but instead of a closed water loop, they draw air in from the building, heat it, and then pump it back out into the rooms again. The loop uses the air in the building but is not a closed loop in the sense that the air the system is drawing in could be from almost anywhere.
Servicing the Burner
Hiring a burner service company or heating company to come clean and inspect the burner and boiler, in general, is essential. Burner service is something that should happen every fall before the weather gets cold at a minimum. The technician will clean the burner and heat exchangers, check the condition of the fuel nozzle, and typically replace it.
During that service call, the tech can change the fuel filters for you, and they will inspect the heat exchangers and firebox for cracks in them. Damage like cracks can be a huge problem, and if you do not repair them, the boiler may stop working, and getting it started again may not be possible.
The service call will take about an hour if everything is still in good shape. If the tech does find a problem during the burner service call, they can replace the parts or make the repairs required to ensure that the boiler will continue running all year.