What to Do When Your Furnace’s Flame Sensor is Damaged
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If your furnace won’t stay on, your flame sensor might be what’s causing trouble. It’s a small rod inside your unit that “senses” the flame. No flame? It cuts the gas to keep you safe.
Sounds smart—and it is. But when it’s dirty or damaged, it becomes a reason to schedule heating repair in Amherst, NH. Sanford Temperature Control shares why.
Signs Your Flame Sensor Is Failing
You try to fire up the heat. It runs for a few seconds, then clicks off. Over and over again. What you just read is a description of a classic flame sensor issue. Other red flags that should prompt you to call emergency furnace repair are:
- Cold air blowing even when the heat’s on
- Frequent shut-offs
- No heat, no error codes—just silence
A homeowner in a nearby neighborhood shared, “Our house stayed freezing for two days until the tech said it was just a dirty flame sensor. It took 10 minutes to fix—it’s unfortunate we didn’t call for help sooner.”
What You Can Do Right Now
Flame sensor issues are common and fixable as part of furnace repair. Before you panic—or freeze—check the basics:
- Turn off the power to the furnace
- Remove the flame sensor (it’s usually held in with one screw)
- Use fine sandpaper or steel wool to clean the metal rod
- Reinstall it and fire up the system
Sometimes, following these steps is all it takes to address the issue. But if the problem keeps coming back despite your best efforts to fix it, the sensor may be cracked or beyond saving.
Flame sensors are affordable, but ignoring them isn’t. If your furnace keeps shutting off, expert heating repair in Amherst, NH, is non-negotiable. When in doubt, call a heating technician from Sanford Temperature Control to inspect and clean—or replace—the flame sensor. Call now and schedule a service.
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I thought Derek was polite. Courteous knew what he was doing. Got my furnace fixed in one day. I was very appreciative and because of his service I will now only use you guys going forward. He’s a great technician.
I'm always impressed when a service provider takes the time to educate me about the product I bought. Eddie explained the protocols for maintaining my mini-splits
, provided me with the knowledge that he brought to the inspection and showed me how to improve the longevity of the product. In the process he convinced me to extend my service.
Good job -
Eric, our Sanford tech, did wonderful as always. maintaining our beast of a heating system takes skill. He is prompt and kind gets the maintenance taken care of quickly. He doesn’t mind the annoying dogs or the beam that you have to duck under going up and down stairs.
They check in the day before coming and Eric texts when on the way. He is always on time. We have been very happy with the work and the professionalism.
This was my first time using Sanford. Derek was amazing. He diagnosed the problem quickly, showed me the problem, and then quoted me a price which was very reasonable. He had the part on the truck and had the problem fixed within a half hour. From the person I made the appointment with, Irish, to the dispatcher I spoke with for an estimated time of arrival, to Derek, my experience was nothing but positive. I had such a great experience that I will always use Sanford for my heating, cooling, and plumbing needs. Highly recommended!
After Sanford did such an impressive job installing our new Bosch furnace last winter, it was a no brainer as to who we wanted to add a central air conditioner to our house.
They gave us two options and we chose to go with a heat pump. Jason and his team did an incredible job installing the system in just a single day. The quality of their workmanship is second to none and he couldn’t be a nicer person to work with.
Another great job by Sanford !
We had Brian B come to our home to conduct a follow up visit to evaluate our Carrier AC that was installed in February. Just like the three-man crew who did the installation, Brian B did an outstanding job of making sure that everything was working just fine. He answered all our questions and made sure we were confident that our AC would be working fine this summer. Great job.
Extremely happy with the service I received. Mike did an excellent job of servicing my HVAC system. He was very efficient, knowledgeable and took the time to answer all my questions. Also, the office personnel were very helpful and responsive to all my requests and questions regarding scheduling and pricing. I will be using them again and would highly recommend Mike.
Excellent service. Arrived on time. Asked me questions to diagnose any possible issues. Explained several things I did not know about my system.
Eric was very pleasant & thoroughly cleaned & diagnosed my system. Every Sanford employee with whom I have had dealings has been pleasant, attentive, and professional. A friend recommended Sanford to me & I recommend them to you as well. I have been very happy with my equipment & service & know I can contact them anytime with questions & concerns & they will respond in a timely manner. Thank you Eric!
Our tech was great! He was respectful of the space (and rolled with the chaos of small kiddos running around like goons), knowledgeable, and efficient. We’ve used Sanford for years and will continue to do so.
Kyle G. from Sanford was awesome and super respectful. They installed furnace and AC system. He explained everything without being condescending, helped set up the wireless system, checked it and his team cleaned up everything after the job. My standards are pretty high and Kyle not only met them, he exceeded them. Thank you.
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