Furnace issues

[Cubfan]

I thought I'd throw this out there to you guys before I called a pro.

I'm having an issue with my furnace. It happened last week for a day, now it's doing it again.

The furnace will click on as it should, the pilot fires up, then comes the burners, but they only burn for about 10 seconds then shut off. It seems the burners shut off just as the blower is starting, but I'm not sure about this.

Everything probably needs a good cleaning, I haven't done any maintenance on it at all. But in the meantime, does anyone have any idea why the burners might be shutting down after just a few seconds?

[sao95]

there is usually a high temp shut off, and a furnance guy told me if the filter is too dirty it can cause it to trip, so I'd check the filter, if it doesn't solve it I think you'll have to call a pro....

[Will'sdad]

I'm not a furnace guy but when I was working we had automatic burners that we used to heat asphalt for blacktop. The burners had an electric eye that would "see" the flame. If the flame wasn't lit or only partially lit after a couple of seconds the burner would shut down. You also don't mention if you have oil or gas. If you have oil, your pump might not be building enough pressure. The nozzle could be dirty as well. I'd call a pro...don't want to mess with the cold.

[Cubfan]

Yeah I pulled the filter out last night. It's the dirtiest filter I've ever seen. It's not been that long since I changed it, I think I've just been doing a lot of dirty work around the house to clog it up.

Will - It's a gas furnace. Your typical forced air system.

I'll keep an eye on it after pulling the filter. Um, yeah, it was dirty.

[stretch]

Oh yeah man, gotta change those filters regular! Everybody knows that.

So, um, what did this filter, um, look like and where on the furnace, um, would I go looking for it?

:oops:

[Cubfan]

If I had a nickel for everytime I went to the hardware store and said "oops, forgot what size, I'll get it next time".

[sao95]

Oh yeah man, gotta change those filters regular! Everybody knows that.

So, um, what did this filter, um, look like and where on the furnace, um, would I go looking for it?

:oops:

they are in different places depending on the furnace, sometimes they are in the wall by the intake, sometimes there is a pullout by the top before it goes into the ductwork, if you look around and can't find it take a pic of your furnance and we'll be able to point ya to where it is...

[CTDon]

Nah, just start tugging stuff until something pops loose. It'll be a big square doohickey with a honeycomb pattern on it.

If that doesn't work, just pretend you did it and the next time you hear the furnace making noises crank up the stereo! :mrgreen:



they are in different places depending on the furnace, sometimes they are in the wall by the intake, sometimes there is a pullout by the top before it goes into the ductwork, if you look around and can't find it take a pic of your furnance and we'll be able to point ya to where it is...

[MIDAD]

My furnace did the same thing a couple years back...but on the back of my furnace it has a flashing light that will flash out a code when there is a problem. With a little internet help, I found it to be the flame sensor (turns off the gas flow if it does not detect a flame)....found it, took it out and cleaned it with steel wool, been working great ever since. The furnace at my wife's jobe just had the same problem...they charged him almost $300 to replace the part that more than likely needed to cleaned...

[sao95]

that's good advice midad, I forgot about the newer furnace's having the codes...

[Don-Dad]

Hahaha, that was a funny post Stretch. I try to get in the habit of buying 3 or 4 filters at a time, usually the middle priced ones. Those darn cheap blue brill pad looking ones suck :) that's why they are so cheap.

Stretch if you do not see the filter just outside the furnace like SAO stated earlier (that's how mine is) then many time you pop the front door off and then you may have to remove a cover that is usually just a few screws holding up a piece of sheet metal.

[Jackson's Dad]

If I had a nickel for everytime I went to the hardware store and said "oops, forgot what size, I'll get it next time".

Yup, that's the truth. I'm looking for a good online vendor for them.. it'd make it so much easier. I have online vendors for my humidifier filters and water filters, and whenever I change one, I just go online and order the replacement.

[Indy]

Yup, that's the truth. I'm looking for a good online vendor for them.. it'd make it so much easier. I have online vendors for my humidifier filters and water filters, and whenever I change one, I just go online and order the replacement.

McMaster.com--the hardware store for the man's man.

[Indy]

We've got one of those crappy furnaces where the filter just rests on top of the air intake, underneath the blower. Of course it's nearly EXACTLY the size of the intake, so I have to mess with it to get it to lay in there properly. If only they'd spent the extra $5 on U-channel and made a track for it to rest in.

[sao95]

oh ya stretch, the above was for forced air units, if you have a heat pump (and I'm not 100% sure on this as I've never messed with them) but I think the filters get washed? Maybe someone else on here can confirm that.....

[Cubfan]

So any news? or have your fingers frozen.

Me? I took the kid to the doc and left this page open!

It seems to be running fine. Not sure if the filter is the issue since I took it out last night and it did the shutting off once this morning. So it's seem to be an intermittent thing, not a permanent (yet).

So I dont know... it's hard to fix something that works some of the time and not other times!

[Mark B.]

So I dont know... it's hard to fix something that works some of the time and not other times!


And usually more expensive! I would call in a pro for tune up. The Chicago winter is cranking up.

[Cubfan]

Update to my last post....

Must not be the filter since it's been out since last night and it's acting up again right now. Darn that would have been a cheap fix if it were the filter!

Let's just hope it gets back up and running thru the night until I can at least entertain the suggestions in the other posts come tomorrow.

You are right, Mark, Chicago winter has officially arrived.

[Will'sdad]

Good luck man. Fingers crossed for a warm night.

[jeffus]

First: TURN THE POWER OFF!

Find the flame sensor - it'll probably look like a thin wire that protrudes into the area where the flame usually is.

If it looks black, clean it off using the 'scratchy side" of a sponge or emery cloth. The carbon build-up will prevent the sensor from detecting a flame and tell the furnace to shut-off.

Next, check the ignitor points. If you've ever watched the unit 'fire-up', you've got a pretty good idea where the spark that ignites the flame comes from. Check the 'spark-plug' and surrounding area for carbon build-up. Clean it, if possible.

There's also a pressure switch that detects back-pressure. They're a tad twitchy. If you can identify it and swap it, then great! If not, you're gonna need help.

[Mark B.]

First: TURN THE POWER OFF!

Find the flame sensor - it'll probably look like a thin wire that protrudes into the area where the flame usually is.

If it looks black, clean it off using the 'scratchy side" of a sponge or emery cloth. The carbon build-up will prevent the sensor from detecting a flame and tell the furnace to shut-off.

Next, check the ignitor points. If you've ever watched the unit 'fire-up', you've got a pretty good idea where the spark that ignites the flame comes from. Check the 'spark-plug' and surrounding area for carbon build-up. Clean it, if possible.

There's also a pressure switch that detects back-pressure. They're a tad twitchy. If you can identify it and swap it, then great! If not, you're gonna need help.

If you don't rate yourself between a 9 and a 10 on a scale of 10 as a handy man, I would suggest calling a pro for jobs like these. Cubfan said it was an older unit that had not been maintained in a while. Show it some love Cubfan.

[Cubfan]

I'm all for saving a few bucks where I can, but I admit, tinkering with huge fire breathing metalic devices the size of a small car is not my forte.

I do have a nifty DIY book by Lowe's, it's very easy to follow. I'll take a look at it. It ran fine thru the night, so again, it seems to have a mind of it's own. So far we haven't gone any long stretches w/o heat, but I have a feeling it's on the fritz. It's probably as old as the house (12 years I think), and knowing the owner before us, he didn't maintain it either.

[Mark B.]

12 years is not too old but that does not mean there could not be a tough problem with it. It should have been maintained at least very other year being a gas unit. I would get it fixed before you have to make an expensive call at 1AM in Febuary in Chicago. Not working at all would be the best situation compared to a puff back or a fire. You m,ight want to consider a service contract on it as well. Most come with a yearly tune up.

[Jackson's Dad]

I'm all for saving a few bucks where I can, but I admit, tinkering with huge fire breathing metalic devices the size of a small car is not my forte.

Amen. Especially when if you screw up, your house gets COLD FAST. We have a furnace service plan, where if we need them, they put us on the top of their priority list. Our furnace when out the coldest night a couple winters back, and it was not a pleasant experience.

[jeffus]

OK, I'll admit it: The advice I posted came from the furnace repairman last winter. (I bought the annual service contract - just in case).

But that's exactly what he did and told me how to do it, if needed.

If you're not comfortable doing it, then don't. Call somebody in. A couple $100 is better than freezing anytime.

[Cubfan]

Just got home from a Bears game party and the furnace is kaput. I can't get the burners to keep up and running after the ignite. We're going to get thru the night on a few space heaters and see if we can get someone out in the morning.

I'm not going to attempt to take anything apart on this thing. I've been drinking too much....

[Will'sdad]

Ouch...good luck!

[Mark B.]

I would get it fixed before you have to make an expensive call at 1AM in Febuary in Chicago. Not working at all would be the best situation compared to a puff back or a fire.

So I was off by 9 days. Get it fixed and put it to bed Cubfan. Good luck.

[Cubfan]

Dude was here for about 20 minutes and charged me $150. Said it was the flame sensor, just needed a good cleaning. He said it's something they would do if you get on their maintenance schedule, $100 a year....

Other than charging the equivalent of $450/hr, it could have been worse than $150.

[Mark B.]

I hope you signed the maintenance contract on the dotted line Cubfan. Also, I hope you did not take my previous post as an "I told you so". It's just that at 44 years old I believe I am on the older side than most of the guys here. I have made the same mistakes myself, sometimes twice, be fore I learned. Just trying to help. Imagine if it happened with all of your buddies over to watch the Bears in the Super bowl on the new HD TV?

[woodchuck]

So now you can clean it next year, although the service deal sounds more thorough.

[Cubfan]

I hope you signed the maintenance contract on the dotted line Cubfan. Also, I hope you did not take my previous post as an "I told you so". It's just that at 44 years old I believe I am on the older side than most of the guys here. I have made the same mistakes myself, sometimes twice, be fore I learned. Just trying to help. Imagine if it happened with all of your buddies over to watch the Bears in the Super bowl on the new HD TV?

Well it really wasn't a big deal, yeah I should have nipped it in the bud before it failed, but it didn't ever really fail! So it was kind of hard to diagnose and fix.

I was just hoping for a cheap fix before having to call out a pro, and in the end, $150 aint that bad. I'm always just really leery of these types of things. It seems every time you bring in a car for maintenance or call someone to your house, they have you bent over with your checkbook out. So "making the call" is always the last resort. I mean, this guy could have charged me $500 for a *johnson rod* and I would have had to pay for it. (*note the Seinfeld reference) :shock:

Oh and we never really w/o the heat last night. It again resolved itself, I think by about midnight.... Thanks to all for the help and suggestions.

[Jackson's Dad]

I'm always just really leery of these types of things. It seems every time you bring in a car for maintenance or call someone to your house, they have you bent over with your checkbook out.

The difference is that if a furnace is maintained yearly, there really isn't much that can go wrong. (As far as I understand it.)

[Cubfan]

ARGHHH!!

My furnace woes continue!! As soon as I opened my eyes this morning I knew there was something wrong with the heat. Checked the thermostat, yep, 58 degrees and falling.

Called the same company that came out a week or two ago. This time it was the ignitor. So it's $75 for the "trip visit" and another $150 for the part/labor. They said it was "totally unrelated" to the last problem, so there wont be any cost savings or a compromised resolution of any kind.

Then I pitched a small stink that I just paid the last guy $75 for diagnosing, he could have at least looked around in there. The lady in the office agreed that since these were quick and easy to diagnose, she wouldn't charge me for this time's diagnostic fee. So it's only another $150. Ok, not too bad, just getting frustrated. As in, WHAT'S NEXT?!?!

F*ck we're getting clobbered with unexpected bills right now. Just received a dental bill to the tune of $1000 too. Just had to cancel our annual fishing trip in March, good thing I did it before we bought the airfare. That's a no-brainer. Hhhmmm, this new 46" HDTV is looking like a sore thumb now...

Where is the tourniquette, we're bleeding money right now....

[Mark B.]

Where is the tourniquette, we're bleeding money right now....

Take the mortgage payment and put it on the Bears this Sunday! When it rains it pours for sure. Did you sign the maintenance contract yet?

[Cubfan]

No I haven't. The first time I called them to come out the gal said they would talk to me about it. He didn't, and neither did this guy. And I forgot to ask. But this guy was a lot more informative about how to do it myself. In the end, I might just call them once a year and have them do it.