Gas Furnace Pilot Light Out

[DBMaster]

I wouldn't exactly call myself a pro, but I know my way around this stuff. Your burner assembly may be much cheaper. You might even be able to remove it and clean it with solvent and a brush. The quality of a gas flame can be compromised pretty easily with very small amounts of carbon near or behind the orifice.

I'm with you on not having the money for new stuff. My furnace is 17 years old, but it is pilotless. I actually had to replace the ignitor about a year ago. New furnaces are significantly more efficient, but where you live it would take a very long time to pay for itself!

 

[Rtstrider]

DBMaster you aren't kidding either. My house holds heat so well that when it was down in the high 30's this morning the house was about 62 degrees this morning, I opened up the blinds and about an hour later it was around 70 and the ac was running

 

[Rtstrider]

I'm almost wondering if I should just eat the $100 service call and see if the warranty will cover it...

 

[DBMaster]

That may not be a bad idea. If they are familiar with your model of furnace they probably already know what's wrong with it. I lucked out on mine. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was about 64 degrees - felt a bit chilly. My 1996 vintage furnace had a blinking LED telling me what I already suspected, faulty ignitor circuit. The ignitor is a "hot surface" type that glows red hot like an electric burner. It had a broken spot and therefore an open circuit. $20 later I was back in business. Yours is a little more challenging, but even the cost of a service call is far cheaper than a new unit. Goodman is a good brand (even though I work for the competition). It could last you another ten years.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
I'll take a pic of the gas valve and the screw I was adjusting. I assume it was the pilot screw because it said pilot on it. Yeah the flame is enormous! Was not that size prior to me cleaning out the orifice with a safety pin.


The orifice is probably brass. Though, cleaning with a pin sounds like a good idea, steel is harder than brass. So, there is a small possibility that the size of the hole is now the slightest bit larger. You see where I'm going?

 

[Rtstrider]

Yep and that's what I was afraid of

 

[DBMaster]

The parts are pretty cheap if it's not the gas valve. Funny thing is that I buy this stuff all day and have no idea what the selling price is. My employer operates on very low margins, though. There's no shame in deferring to the experts sometimes. Watch what they do and chat them up. These guys are usually more than happy to discuss their work with people who are actually interested.

 

[HTSS_TR]

The pilot light on my 1970-1971 furnace went out last year. I didn't know at that time what was wrong, did some search and found that the thermocouple is the main culprit. Bought 1 from a local hardware store, took me less than 5-10 minutes to replace. The pilot light is working good so far.

My furnace lasted more than 40 years and still working as of now, probably because I turn it off and unplug the power at end of Feb and only turn on pilot light late Nov early Dec.

 

[Rtstrider]

Yeah I'm thinking of just changing the pilot assembly and a new thermocouple for now to see how that does. Btw I took a few pics of the gas valve and the adjustment screw (or what I thought was the pilot adjustment screw). Any tips on posting this in the forums?

 

[Rtstrider]

Meant to say how do I post pics?

 

[DBMaster]

If you use the "reply" link at the bottom of the post instead of the quick reply box you will see an icon at the top of the text box that allows you to insert images (or, links to images). I'm not that experienced doing it on this site. In the past I would post a pic to my personal web space and then insert a link to it. BITOG may allow you to post the actual pic, but I don't know for sure.

 

[Rtstrider]

{removed image per OPs request}

The pilot screw I was messing with is the flat head screw right next to Pilot Adj printed on the valve.

 

[DBMaster]

Well, nice try on the image post. It may not have shown as an actual image here due to the hosting site. I am interested to know whether or not replacing the burner resolves the issue. Please keep this thread updated. As I said, I am not an expert, but I am getting better all the time. One of these days, instead of sitting in front of a screen all day in a cubicle I would actually like to do some field work. I have done plenty of it during periods of unemployment, but it's a tough way to make a living. I have no desire to work in Texas attics in the summer.

 

[Rtstrider]

I hear that DB, get paid next friday and I found the pilot assembly I need for $12 shipped

so I'll give it a shot well that with a new thermocouple.

 

[doitmyself]

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[Rtstrider]

Good news! My parents compressor went out so they upgraded both the furnace/air handler and their condensor unit

. Due to this they have given me their old furnace/air handler at no cost! Plus side is it does not have a pilot light. It uses the glow plug ignitor system and is 10 years newer than my unit to boot! I will be upgrading my outside unit in the next 2-3 years to a size or two up also so at least this helps cut costs.