Homeowners' pick for heating and cooling across Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic
Ignitor & Flame Sensor Repair
We replace failed hot surface ignitors and clean or replace dirty flame sensors on residential gas furnaces across Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, West Virginia and Washington DC. You need this when the furnace tries to start, runs for a few seconds, then shuts down and repeats, or when it never lights at all. Before you call, check the thermostat settings and batteries, look for a tripped breaker, and change a loaded filter. If you smell gas, leave the house, call 911 or the gas utility, then call us.
Call (888) 365-6280- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM ET
What the job involves
Most short-cycling on ignition comes down to two small parts. A hot surface ignitor is a brittle ceramic element that glows to light the burners, and it fails from age, cracks or repeated cycling. A flame sensor is a thin metal rod that confirms flame is present, and a film of oxide on it will make the furnace think there is no flame and close the gas valve. We pull the burner assembly, test the parts, then clean or replace what has failed and confirm the furnace holds a full heat cycle before we leave.
What we check and install
We start with the control board sequence, because the board tells us where the call for heat stopped. We measure ignitor resistance and look for hairline cracks, then read microamps on the flame sensor circuit while the burners fire. Weak signal usually means a dirty rod or a poor ground. We also check burner condition, wiring connections at the board, and the pressure switch and inducer, since a blocked flue or a crawlspace draft problem can imitate an ignition fault. Replacement parts are matched to the furnace model and gas type.
How we decide it is the right call
Numbers decide it, not guesses. An ignitor that reads out of range or shows a crack gets replaced. A flame sensor with a low microamp reading gets cleaned first, and if the signal will not come up we replace the rod and correct the ground. If the board is dropping the sequence before the ignitor ever warms, the fault is upstream and we say so rather than selling parts. On older furnaces with cracked heat exchangers or repeat failures across several components, we lay out repair against replacement in plain terms.
Other furnace repair work
What you get on every job
The quote comes first, in writing
Covering 171 cities across Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland and 5 more.A real person answers
Open 7 days, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.Every major brand, gas and electric
Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman and more. We are not an authorized dealer for any of them.Ignitor & Flame Sensor Repair — quick answers
Why does my furnace light and then shut off after a few seconds?
That pattern usually means the flame sensor is not confirming flame, so the control board closes the gas valve as a safety measure. A dirty sensor rod or a weak ground is the common cause, and both are repairable.
Can I clean the flame sensor myself?
We do not recommend it. Reaching the sensor means opening the burner compartment on a gas appliance circuit with live control wiring, and that is not safe homeowner territory. Call us and we will handle it.
How long does an ignitor replacement take?
Once we have diagnosed the fault and have the correct part on the van, most ignitor swaps run under an hour, including a full heat cycle test. Older or tight installations in crawlspaces take longer.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call or fill in the form and describe what changed. Warm air, short cycling, a smell, water near the indoor unit. Details like that help us load the right parts before we leave.
- Step 2
We diagnose the whole system
We check the thermostat, the indoor unit, the outdoor unit and the ductwork, including runs in crawlspaces where damp air and loose joints quietly cause weak airflow and long run times.
- Step 3
You approve the fix
We explain what failed, what it takes to repair it, and what we would watch next season. Nothing gets replaced without your yes, and we clean up before we leave.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Humidity is our home groundMuggy summers and damp shoulder seasons drive most of the calls we take. We look at moisture and airflow together, not the cooling number alone, because a clammy house often means a sizing or duct problem.
- Crawlspace ducts get checkedOlder homes across the region run supply ducts through vented crawlspaces. Crushed flex, disconnected boots and soaked insulation show up constantly, and we get under the house to look instead of guessing from the register.
- Heating and cooling bothSame crew for air conditioning repair in July and heating repair in January. We know how your furnace, heat pump and air handler share ducts and a blower, so one visit covers the whole system.
- Plain talk on repair or replaceWhen a repair makes sense, we repair it. When a system is failing in ways that will keep costing you, we say so and explain why, then leave the decision with you and your timeline.
- All major brands, gas & electricCarrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York and more, as an independent company.
- Straight answersIf a system is not worth repairing, we say so, often right on the phone.
Ignitor & Flame Sensor Repair
Ready to book ignitor & flame sensor repair?
Describe the system and your ZIP. The written quote comes before any work.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
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