My furnace may be a lot older than yours, but mine has a thermocouple that sits in the small pilot flame that is always on. If that thermocouple goes bad, the furnace won't light. I've had to replace it a couple of times in the last 20 years. Inexpensive and easy to do.
HVAC Experts - I Have No Heat!
- Thread starter threeputtpar
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Check to see if your igniter is gone. They usually wear out. Honeywell has one called a "glow fly" which is a replacement for a lot of furnaces.
http://www.forwardthinking.honeywell.com/products/combustion/glowfly/glowfly_feature.html
Reset the furnace and then look through that piece of glass in the upper box when the furnace fires up, that igniter will glow red hot before the gas is sent into the chambers.
Look at this video for a demo. If there is no glow in the chamber that means the igniter is shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIovJ4S_cdA
You can remove that cover to get a better look. When my furnace igniter was gone I used a bbq lighter to start the furnace temporarily until I got the ingiter the next day.
Are there lights that flash when the system starts up to indicate problems? Check on the back of the furnace door.
Regards, JC.
http://www.forwardthinking.honeywell.com/products/combustion/glowfly/glowfly_feature.html
Reset the furnace and then look through that piece of glass in the upper box when the furnace fires up, that igniter will glow red hot before the gas is sent into the chambers.
Look at this video for a demo. If there is no glow in the chamber that means the igniter is shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIovJ4S_cdA
You can remove that cover to get a better look. When my furnace igniter was gone I used a bbq lighter to start the furnace temporarily until I got the ingiter the next day.
Are there lights that flash when the system starts up to indicate problems? Check on the back of the furnace door.
Regards, JC.
Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Do you have a glow plug ignitor near the burner that lights up? I thought these were more common than spark ignitors, but I could be wrong. They can burn out.
Called a "hot surface igniter" and is the most common type. Mine went out a couple of years ago and I replaced it myself for $20. The furnace pictured is what we at work call a 90% furnace, meaning 90% efficiency. One PVC tube is the air intake from which the inducer motor draws combustion air. The other is exhaust. With a secondary heat exchanger the exhaust ends up being just warm rather than hot. My 1996 vintage 80% Bryant furnace has a blinking LED that indicates which circuit is at issue. I'd almost best it's your igniter. When it goes you get the gas turned on, which you can hear. After a few seconds, if the flame sensor doesn't detect heat, the gas valve shuts off the gas supply and the control board goes into error mode. As JC mentioned, the Honeywell Glowfly is a "universal" igniter made of silicon nitride. My Honeywell rep claims they are the most durable.
Do you have a glow plug ignitor near the burner that lights up? I thought these were more common than spark ignitors, but I could be wrong. They can burn out.
Called a "hot surface igniter" and is the most common type. Mine went out a couple of years ago and I replaced it myself for $20. The furnace pictured is what we at work call a 90% furnace, meaning 90% efficiency. One PVC tube is the air intake from which the inducer motor draws combustion air. The other is exhaust. With a secondary heat exchanger the exhaust ends up being just warm rather than hot. My 1996 vintage 80% Bryant furnace has a blinking LED that indicates which circuit is at issue. I'd almost best it's your igniter. When it goes you get the gas turned on, which you can hear. After a few seconds, if the flame sensor doesn't detect heat, the gas valve shuts off the gas supply and the control board goes into error mode. As JC mentioned, the Honeywell Glowfly is a "universal" igniter made of silicon nitride. My Honeywell rep claims they are the most durable.
Well, I did get this problem figured out after all. While I was messing with it with just the inducer fan running, I heard what sounded like scratching in this area and above:
I thought, great there's a live mouse in the vent pipe. With wife armed with a broom, I pulled the pipe apart ready for the insuring pursuit. Instead, this is what came out:
Ahhh, the joys of having a 3 year old boy! Problem solved, and thank you everyone for all the great help.
I thought, great there's a live mouse in the vent pipe. With wife armed with a broom, I pulled the pipe apart ready for the insuring pursuit. Instead, this is what came out:
Ahhh, the joys of having a 3 year old boy! Problem solved, and thank you everyone for all the great help.
Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Instead, this is what came out:
Ahhh, the joys of having a 3 year old boy! Problem solved, and thank you everyone for all the great help.
Hhaahahah nice job, you called it!!
Instead, this is what came out:
Ahhh, the joys of having a 3 year old boy! Problem solved, and thank you everyone for all the great help.
Hhaahahah nice job, you called it!!
No code now lets you put condensing exhaust at ground level as long as it is a certain distance above ground and from windows/doors.
Heck even non-condensing is allowed as well but more precautions must be taken as the exhaust is hotter.
Heck even non-condensing is allowed as well but more precautions must be taken as the exhaust is hotter.
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Ya, now you can run them to the roof but it is just easier to vent directly outside. You just have to mind the distance.
I am kinda glad I still have an only 80% eff. furnace, the youngest loves to hide things. Those pipes would look perfect to her.
I am kinda glad I still have an only 80% eff. furnace, the youngest loves to hide things. Those pipes would look perfect to her.
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
No code now lets you put condensing exhaust at ground level as long as it is a certain distance above ground and from windows/doors.
Heck even non-condensing is allowed as well but more precautions must be taken as the exhaust is hotter.
Yes, that is exactly how our exhaust vents. It is right at eye level to a 3 year old, and has no screen over the end so anything and everything tries to get shoved in there.
He now understands that it's bad to put stuff in there, but come next spring he'll probably be right back at it again.
No code now lets you put condensing exhaust at ground level as long as it is a certain distance above ground and from windows/doors.
Heck even non-condensing is allowed as well but more precautions must be taken as the exhaust is hotter.
Yes, that is exactly how our exhaust vents. It is right at eye level to a 3 year old, and has no screen over the end so anything and everything tries to get shoved in there.
He now understands that it's bad to put stuff in there, but come next spring he'll probably be right back at it again.
Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Yes, that is exactly how our exhaust vents. It is right at eye level to a 3 year old, and has no screen over the end so anything and everything tries to get shoved in there.
He now understands that it's bad to put stuff in there, but come next spring he'll probably be right back at it again.
The funny thing is I think code even said you can't cover them with a screen. It collects the water vapor and gives it a surface to freeze to in the winter again resulting in no heat.
Yes, that is exactly how our exhaust vents. It is right at eye level to a 3 year old, and has no screen over the end so anything and everything tries to get shoved in there.
He now understands that it's bad to put stuff in there, but come next spring he'll probably be right back at it again.
The funny thing is I think code even said you can't cover them with a screen. It collects the water vapor and gives it a surface to freeze to in the winter again resulting in no heat.
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
The funny thing is I think code even said you can't cover them with a screen. It collects the water vapor and gives it a surface to freeze to in the winter again resulting in no heat.
I never thought about that kind of thing happening when you place a screen over something outdoors. Thanks for the info
The funny thing is I think code even said you can't cover them with a screen. It collects the water vapor and gives it a surface to freeze to in the winter again resulting in no heat.
I never thought about that kind of thing happening when you place a screen over something outdoors. Thanks for the info
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