Thermocouples by Treat’s Heating & Cooling

A thermocouple is an essential part of a gas furnace.  Two metal plates are joined at a junction, which is used to monitor the temperature of the pilot flame.  The monitoring is necessary because the heat of the pilot flame sends the necessary voltage which then opens the valve to turn the furnace on.

When a technician from Treat’s Heating & Cooling comes to diagnose your furnace they will turn the furnace off and allow it to cool down so they can access the panel where the thermocouple is located.  The voltage meter should be connected to the wires and then they can run a test to see if the thermocouple has failed.

The first common problem a thermocouple can have is being bent out of shape.  This causes it to be out of the way of your pilot light, causing it to not detect any heat and automatically shut down the instant you are not telling the pilot light to be on.  If you suspect this is the case, or you notice that your pilot light will not stay on, a technician turn the pilot light on and see if it is actually aimed at the thermocouple.  If it is not, the thermocouple can be bent back into alignment with the pilot tube after everything is cool.

Thermocouples can also get dirty and need to be cleaned.  If you are experiencing problems with your furnace call Treat’s Heating & Cooling 360.825.0800 for service.  We will send a certified technician to your home to diagnose the problem.

The Auburn, WA thermocouple experts at Treat’s Heating & Cooling offer high quality installation, repair, maintenance, and other heating and air conditioning services throughout Western Washington including Enumclaw, Buckley, Bonney Lake, Sumner, Puyallup, Tacoma, Auburn, Black Diamond, Covington, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Kent, & Seattle WA.