Homeowners' pick for heating and cooling across northeast Ohio and the Western Reserve
Ignitor & Flame Sensor Repair
We repair and replace furnace ignitors and flame sensors across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These are the two parts behind most short-cycling furnaces: the burner lights, runs for a few seconds, then shuts off, and the blower keeps pushing cool air. If your furnace clicks and tries repeatedly without staying lit, shut the thermostat to off and call us. If you smell gas, leave the building, call 911 or the gas utility from outside, then call us.
Call (888) 414-3292- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM ET
What the job actually involves
A hot surface ignitor glows to light the burners. A flame sensor confirms the flame is really there. If the sensor cannot see the flame, the control board closes the gas valve within seconds, which is the furnace protecting your house. We open the burner compartment, test the ignitor for continuity, read the microamp signal coming off the sensor, and check the control board's response. Then we clean or replace the failed part and watch a full heating cycle before we leave.dleaned sensor that still reads low gets replaced, not babysat.
What we check and what we install
We check the ignitor's resistance, the sensor's flame signal, burner condition, wiring and connectors, the gas valve response, and the pressure switch and inducer, since a weak draft can look exactly like an ignition fault. Cracked ceramic ignitors and sensors coated in white oxide are common in older homes with long heating seasons. We carry ignitors and sensors that match the furnace we are standing in front of, and we verify the flame signal after install rather than assuming the part fixed it.
How we decide this is the right call
An ignitor or sensor repair is the right call when the furnace attempts ignition normally and the failure happens at or just after light-off. If the furnace never tries, if the heat exchanger shows damage, or if the control board is dropping out, we say so instead of selling you a part. On furnaces near the end of their life with repeated ignition failures and other worn components, we lay out repair against replacement with the numbers in front of you and let you choose.
Other furnace repair work
What you get on every job
You approve a written quote first
Covering 60 cities across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and 4 more.Phones answered by people
Open 7 days, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.Independent of every manufacturer
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 reading the flame, so the control board closes the gas valve as a safety response. A dirty or failed sensor is the common cause, and it needs testing rather than guessing.
Can a flame sensor just be cleaned instead of replaced?
Sometimes. We clean it and then measure the flame signal. If the reading comes back strong and holds through a full cycle, cleaning is enough. If it stays weak, the sensor is worn and replacement is the honest answer.
How long does an ignitor replacement take?
Most ignitor replacements are a single visit, including diagnosis and watching a complete heating cycle afterward. Access matters. Tight closets and older retrofit installations in the region take longer than a furnace with open room around it.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call or fill in the quote form and describe what changed. Warm air, no air, a smell, a noise, a breaker that keeps tripping. Details on the phone shorten the visit considerably.
- Step 2
We diagnose on site
A technician checks the thermostat, airflow, electrical connections, the outdoor unit and the heat exchanger side before naming a cause. You get the finding in plain words, not a parts list you cannot read.
- Step 3
You approve the repair
We explain what failed, what it takes to fix it, and what happens if you wait. Nothing gets replaced without your say so. Most common repairs are handled the same visit.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Old housing stock is normal hereBasements with converted octopus trunk lines, ducts retrofitted around joists, returns that were never sized right. We work in these houses constantly and we size the repair to the house you actually have.
- Long heating seasonsFurnaces in this region run hard from October into April, and lake effect stretches it further. We know what wear looks like at that mileage, from cracked igniters to blower motors that have been dragging for two winters.
- Cooling and heating bothOne crew for air conditioning repair and heating repair. The same ductwork moves air in July and January, so a technician who understands both sides catches problems a single-season contractor tends to walk past.
- Plain talk about repair versus replaceSometimes a part fixes it for years. Sometimes you are putting money into a system that is done. We tell you which one we think you are looking at and why, then leave the decision with you.
- All major brands, gas & electricIndependent service on Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, York and the rest.
- Straight answersNot worth fixing? We say that out loud, and often it saves you the visit fee.
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
Rather not call? Get a free quote →