How does your gas furnace light the burners when it starts a heating cycle? In your mind, you may see a standing pilot light doing the job. That makes sense because standing pilot lights did this job for many decades and it’s just become part of how we think about furnaces.
But chances are high that your furnace doesn’t have a standing pilot light at all. The pilot light is becoming a relic of the past, replaced with electronic ignition systems.
We’re going to look into this change and explain why electronic ignition is now favored over conventional standing pilot lights.
It’s a cold winter morning in Minneapolis. You leave the comfort of your warm bed to head over to your thermostat. You want to get your home a little toasty before you officially get out of bed to start the day. You choose the perfect temperature setting, start up your heater, and then *bam*… literally. Your furnace is banging up a storm in your home. What in the world is going on?
In the world of furnaces, you don’t ever want one that’s just “okay.” When you’re describing the furnace that you’ve got at home, you’re going to want to be able to describe this furnace as “great,” “dependable,” or “effective.” Anything short of this and you’re just wasting your time, energy, and probably a considerable amount of money in the process.