How to Tell if Your Furnace Ignitor is Bad (with Solution and Buying Guide)

Without modern convenience appliances, there is no way to face harsh summers or winters in today's world. Why should you, after all, when cheap and affordable heating and cooling gadgets with high-powered technology are at your disposal?

Why would you willingly subject yourself to cold, freezing nights in winter when you can get a heater or a furnace and improve your life?

But modern technology is not without its pitfalls; it's not perfect, so you might wake up this winter with your furnace not acting up to the expected standards.

A broken furnace can ruin your day, and you want to take preventive measures to ensure that doesn't happen to you.

You might have great intuition; your gut tells you to look at your furnace because the energy is off. Or you're like the rest of us ordinary folks who need a little help, which is why we're going to cover the art of identifying the symptoms of a malfunctioning furnace.

To diagnose this, you’d have to look at the ignitor, which triggers the furnace to heat up. The information provided below should assist you in determining whether or not your furnace ignitor is malfunctioning.

Signs of a Faulty Furnace Ignitor and Things to Check

There are various aspects to look at if you're considering that something might be wrong with your furnace ignitor.

The Furnace is Blowing Cold Air

Of course, one of the first noticeable signs of a faulty furnace ignitor unit is that it's failing at its job—it's not heating the room as it should. It's not sending warm air your way. Instead, if you're getting cold air, you might want to check up on these parts:

Check Your Thermostat

Make sure it is running at a higher temperature than the room temperature. If your room temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit, make sure your furnace is set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check that your thermostat is set to heat if your furnace has a heating and cooling option. If all is well with the thermostat, you must address some other part of your furnace.

Check Your Inducer Motor

The inducer motor makes sure that the chimney is used to get rid of dangerous and harmful exhaust fumes. Doing this creates a vacuum and leaves space for fresh, warm air to be sent into the room.

Ideally, the inducer motor is the first part of your furnace that should switch on. If you don't hear it revving up, you know where the problem lies.

However, no problem has been detected. In that case, consider calling in a technician to look at the thermostat, the draft inducer motor, the control board, or the pressure switch to figure out some deep-rooted issue you can't find externally.

The Power Switch

You should check the breaker box if your furnace doesn't come on. If the switch to your furnace is not tripped, it is simply turning it on. You can also trace the furnace back to the main power line that controls it and check if that switch was also turned on.

Clogged Air Filter

If your furnace ignitor suddenly stops firing up your furnace, you should check the air filter. Much like in an air conditioner, an air filter purifies and keeps the air clean both inside and outside the furnace.

However, if the air filter is blocked by dust and debris and is clogged up, it might prevent the warm air from flowing out properly. Proper maintenance of your unit, like any other appliance, will ensure that you avoid these issues frequently.

Check Your Return Vents

Another place to check when you're facing this issue is the chimney vent. More often than not, you're likely to run into practical problems like the chimney vent being blocked by an animal, something, ice, or soot.

Blockage in the return vents keeps the furnace from working, as it can't create a vacuum. If a furnace can't create a vacuum to exhaust air, this can be dangerous, so the pressure switch will automatically switch off the unit.

Constant Tripping Breaker

When facing a faulty furnace, you should check the breaker switch. If the breaker, however, trips off often, your furnace's ignitor is not working up to par.

Repeated breaker trips can be dangerous, so we recommend getting that checked by an electrician as soon as possible. If the furnace ignitor clicks but doesn't start up again, this indicates a faulty furnace ignitor.

If your problem is with your ignitor, there are ways to inspect it specifically. The ignitor is considered quite a quick and easy fix, so you can play technician and repair it with some internet help.

Once you've established that your furnace is safe to touch, open it up through the little burner panel. Then, you'll find a small device between all the electric wires—this is your ignitor. Your ignitor is a device with two metal prongs and a ceramic base, so double-check that you're keeping the suitable component.

Reasons Your Furnace Ignitor Could Be Causing Issues:

If your Ignitor has an incompatible limiter switch, it might turn off the unit sooner than needed. A faulty limiter switch can misread the temperature and perceive the ignitor to be running hotter than it is. This led to the heater being switched off before it could efficiently warm the room.
If you've recently replaced your Ignitor, perhaps you're dealing with an Ignitor that's simply a wrong fit for your unit.
Or, the opposite might be the case, if you've been using your Ignitor for a long time, it might have exceeded its lifespan, and it is probably time to replace it with a new one.
If your Ignitor doesn't show any cause for concern and is yet messing with the working of your furnace, it's time to resort to a technician. We recommend you do this even if there's technically not a problem with your Ignitor, but it's probably due for a replacement if it's still over seven years old.

Furnace Ignitor Buying Guide

Cost of Replacing Your Furnace Ignitor

Replacing a furnace ignitor can draw quite a hefty sum of money from your pocket. If you call up a furnace company to help you, they might charge you as much as $70 to $200, most of which is just the standard fee for a company to charge for their services.

Suppose a replacement is an absolute emergency, and you're unlucky enough for it to have happened during non-business hours. In that case, the furnace ignitor cost of replacement can even go up to $300.

However, if a furnace ignitor replacement is not urgently needed, we recommend that you try to handle it yourself. This will save you money and time, with the part costing at most $15.

Where to Buy a Furnace Ignitor

It is relatively simple to locate a furnace ignitor part in local hardware or repair shops. Moreover, the search might be easier if you require one of the popular kinds.

It would help if you took your furnace ignitor with you and referred it to your hardware supplier at the local store. They'll know precisely what you're looking for if you need more time to decide.

But you don't have to limit yourself; online hardware and HVAC parts stores are where you'll get a great deal and more options. Typically, furnace ignitors of the universal replacement type work for everything. But you can also search by brand name.

Conclusion

If your furnace is giving you trouble, your ignitor is one of the main parts you should check. This is especially true if you own an old or worn-out ignitor. It is easy to check your ignitor by following the tips outlined in this article. If you need a replacement, surely refer to the buying guide so you know how, when, and where to start looking for a furnace ignitor part for your furnace.

As long as you have the correct equipment and adhere to the recommended safety precautions, you ought to be able to work on your furnace without any problems. You may even find that fixing furnace issues is preferable or more cost-effective. If you don't know how to take care of your furnace, you might want to call a professional. Your heating system could be checked by a trained professional more safely and effectively, especially if there are problems that are hard to figure out.