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Nervous homeowner shares concerning video of flickering furnace flame during bitter cold spell: 'Is this dangerous?'

"It's Friday, and it's cold out."

"It's Friday, and it's cold out."

Photo Credit: iStock

A Redditor recently sought help on r/hvacadvice because one of the burners on their gas furnace was producing a flickering flame.  

"I have sputtering flames, it's Friday, and it's cold out," said the original poster. "I have been getting a low flame error code and sure enough. It obviously shuts the furnace down. Is this dangerous to run in away? House was at 55 degrees when I woke up. Are replacement parts the only option here?"

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Many Redditors reacting to this video suggested a thorough cleaning of the furnace. 

"I would have to guess that there is some debris in the orifice that is moving around and partially blocking it," said one commenter with "Approved Technician" flair from the subreddit mods.

"I'd shut it down and actually un-thread the orifice carefully so as not to lose what may be in it and confirm the problem. A dirty burner is also possible. I'd try blowing that burner out with compressed air before I tried the orifice."

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"Agree, it's only that one burner," chimed in another user. "If you had a pressure issue it would be consistent with all the burners.. probably a spider web or possible metal shaving or debris.. just need to clean that one burner."

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