5 Reasons Why Your Natural Gas Detector Keeps Going Off

A gas line.

If you are using natural gas, having a natural gas detector installed is a great safety feature for home and office. An early warning system will let you know if there is a leak or an operating problem. Natural gas is injected with the smell of rotten eggs so that you can be aware that there is a problem of improper operation of equipment. The detectors will pick up this odor before it becomes so strong that you smell it. There are some ways and times that will make this detector go off. We will go over some of these and let you know what you can do to solve them.

1. Pilot Lights

Every gas unit will have a pilot light, a lit flame that burns all the time so that when the thermostat starts the furnace the pilot light lights the flame. If your pilot light goes out or is not burning enough due to clogged gas lines or a dirty head, it will give off fumes that will cause the detector to go off. You should check this first if your leak detector goes off.

2. Flame Patterns on Burners

From time to time, the burners will get clogged up and need to be cleaned. This will cause the pilot to either not light at all or only light partially, giving off gas leak smells. This will also cause your alarm to go off. If this happens you will need to clean the burners or get the furnace serviced.

3. Venting

If your vents get closed or otherwise clogged or the filters on the furnace are stopped up and need to be changed it can cause an issue. Then the air cannot get to the unit as it should causing the alarm to go off. Make sure you regularly check all your outside vents and change your filters on a regular basis.

4. Gas Piping

If there is even a pinprick size hole in a gas line, gas will leak out causing the detector to sound the alarm. You need to have your gas lines visually inspected or with a hand-held detector check them all out for any leakage. This could be a real danger.

5. Fans

Your furnace has a fan system which pushes the heated air from the heat exchanger through the system and vents out into your home. If the fan is not working, not only will you not get heat but a buildup of gas will cause fumes and the alarm to sound. If your fan is broken and only partially working or the belt is frayed that causes the fan to turn, any of these things could cause the gas to give off enough smell to cause the detector to sound off.