Furnaces are complex units that heat up our buildings. Though some furnaces are gas-powered, they all have circuit boards that use electricity to function. Circuit boards can eventually burn and stop working, causing the circuit board to need to be replaced.
SM Mechanical Services LLC is Lebanon’s qualified furnace repair contractor. If your furnace circuit board needs replacing, give us a call to get on our schedule. Continue reading to learn what causes a circuit board to burn in a furnace.
Old Furnace in Your Lebanon, CT, Home
Aging furnaces cause many problems, from poor indoor air quality to frequent repairs. Burnt components are part of that problem, which leads to a burnt circuit board. Regular maintenance will keep your furnace in the best shape and allow the circuit board to last longer.
If the furnace circuit board gives out because of old age, the entire furnace is likely next. Rather than spending money on a new circuit board, go ahead and spend money on an entirely new unit. It will save you money in the long run since you won’t have to purchase a circuit board now and a new furnace and circuit board later.
If you recently bought a home in Lebanon, CT, have an HVAC technician inspect the furnace to determine its age so you can know when to expect to replace it.
Electrical Problems
Since circuit boards are electrical components, it’s no wonder there are so many different electrical problems that could be the source of a burnt circuit board. “Burnt” doesn’t necessarily mean burned by heat in these scenarios; it can also mean electrically fried, like if you accidentally get electrocuted.
Issues With the Wiring
Faulty wiring is a highly probable scenario. As time goes on and the furnace vibrates as it heats your home or technicians work on it, wires may become loose. Electrical shorts will make the furnace circuit board trip and could eventually burn. This is typically a simple fix, but you’ll need a certified technician to handle the electrical components safely.
Power Surges
If you dutifully protect your computers and gadgets from power surges during storms, remember that these can happen to your furnace, too. Whether the power goes off during a storm or randomly on a sunny day, your furnace circuit board may be affected and burn out.
If a power surge makes the circuit board short circuit, you’ll have no choice but to replace it completely. Consider the age of your furnace at this point, as it may be wiser to replace the whole unit rather than just the circuit board.
Relay and Switch
Furnace circuit boards contain relays and switches, allowing power to flow through them. The switches may get stuck if:
- The voltage is too high
- There are too many voltage fluctuations
- The board has dirt or corrosion
- The board is warped or misaligned
Releasing the switch can temporarily fix the problem, but more often than not, the entire circuit board needs replacing, or the issue will happen again.
Solder Connections
A circuit board connects to the furnace by Molex plugs soldered to the board with metal connections. If the plugs crack or break, it produces a weak connection and the circuit wiring can’t receive enough electricity to make the furnace circuit board function correctly. The furnace technician can resolder the Molex plugs to secure the connection, allowing the circuit board to function properly without needing to replace it.
Transistor
Transistors are responsible for powering the system. They’re a critical component that passes energy from the furnace to the circuit board. Electrical overloads, power surges, and voltage spikes that don’t burn the entire furnace circuit board may only damage the transistor, but if this vital piece fries, the entire circuit board is useless and must be replaced.
Transistors are typically the first piece to give out due to wear and tear. If your furnace has been around for a while, anticipate needing a new circuit board due to the transistor failing even if it never fried.
Thermal Expansion
Thermal expansion is a type of heat damage related to the furnace’s age. If your furnace has been around for years, the circuit board will likely have heat-related issues. Years of the furnace reaching hot temperatures can cause the circuit board to burn or expand, leading the board to break and stop working.
If the damage lies in the solder connections, the furnace technician can solder it again to make it function correctly. However, extensive damage or thermal expansion elsewhere on the furnace circuit board may require replacing the entire board to function correctly.
Static Electricity
You may have charged up your feet on a carpet and shocked your friends or siblings for fun at one point, but this simple act can ruin an entire furnace circuit board. What feels like a short but sharp sensation to us has enough power to render a circuit board useless.
HVAC technicians may accidentally ruin circuit boards if they have an electric charge built up and don’t discharge it before touching the circuit board. The damage doesn’t show up right away, however, so your technician may not realize the damage they did right away.
People make mistakes, but this issue is more common among novice technicians, so it’s important to choose a reliable company that has been around for years and employs technicians who have been in the business for a long time.
Call SM Mechanical Services LLC in Lebanon, CT
If your furnace isn’t working properly, it could be due to a burnt furnace circuit board. The experienced HVAC technicians at SM Mechanical Services LLC in Lebanon, CT, can inspect your furnace to determine where the problem lies and repair or replace it as needed so your furnace will work correctly.
Malfunctioning furnaces can lead to dangerous problems, so call us any time you need emergency HVAC services. We can repair and replace circuit boards and furnaces as needed to ensure your system gets up and running again.