Weird furnace issue

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password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Oct 8, 2012 11:42 PM
sherm03;1290848 wrote:There is a guy in my neighborhood that worked for an HVAC company for years. My wife also cuts the hair of a guy who owns his own HVAC repair company. We haven't had to pay for a service call on our furnace or AC yet. My suggestion is to move.
Maybe Justin can offer the HVAC company some free advertising on the OC, if they fix his furnace for free.
Oct 8, 2012 11:42pm
believer's avatar

believer

Senior Member

8,153 posts
Oct 9, 2012 5:18 AM
mcburg93;1290687 wrote:You can easily pull it out and clean it off and try that if that does not work you need a new one.
You were already warned once about posting sexual content on OC. If it happens again the adsense Gestapo will be knocking on your door. :cool:
Oct 9, 2012 5:18am
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

12th Son of the Lama

24,984 posts
Oct 9, 2012 5:45 AM
My brother in law pens am HVAC business. My suggestion would be to start an HVAC business.
Oct 9, 2012 5:45am
ZWICK 4 PREZ's avatar

ZWICK 4 PREZ

Senior Member

7,733 posts
Oct 9, 2012 5:46 AM
My flame sensor went last year. Same issue. I took sandpaper to it and it worked fine.
Oct 9, 2012 5:46am
DeadliestWarrior34's avatar

DeadliestWarrior34

gooby pls

3,101 posts
Oct 9, 2012 6:45 AM
Unplug it and plug it back in.
Oct 9, 2012 6:45am
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

12th Son of the Lama

24,984 posts
Oct 9, 2012 7:03 AM
DeadliestWarrior34;1290888 wrote:Unplug it and plug it back in.

Gooby pls
Oct 9, 2012 7:03am
FatHobbit's avatar

FatHobbit

Senior Member

8,651 posts
Oct 9, 2012 10:29 AM
Not sure if this will help, but my furnace has a light that blinks in a pattern. On the inside of the panel is a list of codes that you can match to the pattern to see what error code it's giving. Right now it blinks 3 fast and 4 slow which according to the panel is error 34 ignition proving failure. Whatever the hell that means.
Oct 9, 2012 10:29am
ZWICK 4 PREZ's avatar

ZWICK 4 PREZ

Senior Member

7,733 posts
Oct 9, 2012 10:59 AM
FatHobbit;1291032 wrote:Not sure if this will help, but my furnace has a light that blinks in a pattern. On the inside of the panel is a list of codes that you can match to the pattern to see what error code it's giving. Right now it blinks 3 fast and 4 slow which according to the panel is error 34 ignition proving failure. Whatever the hell that means.
Flame sensor.
Oct 9, 2012 10:59am
T

Tiernan

Senior Member

13,021 posts
Oct 9, 2012 12:54 PM
justincredible;1291054 wrote:That's not my welcome.
Ungrateful byatch.
Oct 9, 2012 12:54pm
B

BlueJayRay

Senior Member

106 posts
Oct 10, 2012 2:53 PM
Sounds like your thermocouple may be shot.
Oct 10, 2012 2:53pm
Commander of Awesome's avatar

Commander of Awesome

Senior Pwner

23,151 posts
Oct 10, 2012 3:06 PM
I think its time to call a furnaflamesensorceress.
Oct 10, 2012 3:06pm
Heretic's avatar

Heretic

Son of the Sun

18,820 posts
Oct 10, 2012 4:33 PM
xKoToVxSyNdRoMe;1290706 wrote:Sounds like you have a poltergeist. Moving out is probably the only reasonable solution.
Indeed. I've seen enough of the Paranormal Activity movies to know that if he lives there ONE MORE DAMN NIGHT, there will be a demonic possession followed by everyone dying.
Oct 10, 2012 4:33pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Oct 10, 2012 10:09 PM
He must have fixed the problem, we haven't heard anymore about the furnace. It is amazing that when you pay your bill, the furnace starts working again.
Oct 10, 2012 10:09pm
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Oct 10, 2012 10:24 PM
There was a bunch of water in the little fan enclosure. Not sure what the exact name of that part is but somehow the drain hose got plugged and it filled up with water. We got all the water out of there and it's working fine now.
Oct 10, 2012 10:24pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Oct 10, 2012 10:45 PM
The little fan is called a furnace exhaust fan. Glad to hear you have heat, I am sure your wife doesn't want you trying to snuggle up against her every night because you are cold.
Oct 10, 2012 10:45pm
Ironman92's avatar

Ironman92

Administrator

49,363 posts
Oct 10, 2012 11:54 PM
justincredible;1292307 wrote:There was a bunch of water in the little fan enclosure. Not sure what the exact name of that part is but somehow the drain hose got plugged and it filled up with water. We got all the water out of there and it's working fine now.

Victory in Jesus
Oct 10, 2012 11:54pm
J

jmog

Senior Member

6,567 posts
Oct 12, 2012 9:41 AM
Being an industrial furnace guy (think furnaces bigger than your house), I agree with the assessment above.

Look inside, if when it is going "on and off" you actually have flame, then it is almost certain to be your flame rod (flame detector). They are cheap and easy to replace, just get the exact same model number as different models have different lengths of rod (the end of the rod has to be directly in the normal flame or it doesn't work.

When you pull it out it might just be "dirty" with some carbon buildup or a white corrosion. If that is the case then it can be cleaned with steel wool or something pretty abrasive (sometimes I would use contact/electrical cleaner, a solvent after the steal wool) and reinstalled. The buildup can sometimes make contact between the two "sides" of the flame rod and case it to short out shutting off the gas valve.

The only other option off the top of my head is that you could have a clog in your pressure switch line. Its a small rubber tube connecting your fan to a little device (called a pressure switch). The switch is just proving that your fan is on before the ignition sequence is allowed to go.

If the tube is clogged, the switch could get varying readings which would trip and untrip the switch. If the switch thinks the blower is off then it will shut off the gas valve.
Oct 12, 2012 9:41am
J

jmog

Senior Member

6,567 posts
Oct 12, 2012 9:43 AM
justincredible;1292307 wrote:There was a bunch of water in the little fan enclosure. Not sure what the exact name of that part is but somehow the drain hose got plugged and it filled up with water. We got all the water out of there and it's working fine now.
Do you have a "drip leg" or "sediment trap" in the gas piping going to the furnace? Basically just what would look like an extra piece of pipe going down by itself and then capped off?

That is typically used to let any water condensation or dirt in the gas line to "fall out" by gravity before it gets to your gas valve.

You might want to open that up and clean it out if you have one before you have a similar problem in your gas valve.
Oct 12, 2012 9:43am
M

MontyBrunswick

Apr 22, 2014 1:08 PM
Bump
Apr 22, 2014 1:08pm
W

WebFire

Go Bucks!

14,779 posts
Apr 22, 2014 1:14 PM
Damn it dlazz. I just spent 2 minutes reading most of this thread.
Apr 22, 2014 1:14pm
M

MontyBrunswick

Apr 22, 2014 1:20 PM
WebFire;1607944 wrote:Damn it dlazz. I just spent 2 minutes reading most of this thread.
My job is done here.
Apr 22, 2014 1:20pm
W

WebFire

Go Bucks!

14,779 posts
Apr 22, 2014 1:22 PM
But it did remind me that my AC condenser/fan isn't kicking on.
Apr 22, 2014 1:22pm
T

thavoice

Senior Member

14,376 posts
Apr 22, 2014 1:29 PM
sherm03;1290848 wrote:There is a guy in my neighborhood that worked for an HVAC company for years. My wife also blows a guy who owns his own HVAC repair company. We haven't had to pay for a service call on our furnace or AC yet.

My suggestion is to move.
Now if you she can also hook up with the car repair guy you wont have many worries at all.
Apr 22, 2014 1:29pm