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QUESTION:This is something that happened a few times last winter, and is happening
quite frequently this winter. The problem seems to be when the furnace gets
the signal from the thermostat to ignite the burners (I may not be using the
correct parts and/or technical terms here) the burners are not starting, or
at least they are not staying lit. We usually don't notice that anything is
wrong until we're feeling cold and notice that the thermostat is set at 70,
and the temperature in the room reads 60. This is when I will go down to the
basement and play with the power switch on the side of the furnace and have
been able to (sometimes it takes a pretty long time) to get the "igniter?"
to click and eventually the burners fire up. Even then I've noticed several
times that they will go out right away and I'll have to flick the switch
again until I notice that they stay lit. This switch has a fuse that I have
checked, connects to every part that I can see in the furnace (the limit
control(?), the part that the gas line connects to and has the pilot light
on/off switch, and the fan) and I have looked to see if anything appeared
loose. The wiring seems fine. The pilot light never goes out. The furnace
also goes through stretches where everything seems to be working fine - it's
firing up when it should, and shutting off when it should.
So can anyone give me some help with what might be happening here? I seem to
have the magic touch with the switch, so I've already had to come home early
from work a few times to save my family from freezing. I'd rather not call a
professional or purchase new parts if all I need to do is clean something.
ANSWER: I originally was only going to post this on the home repair website,
but I figured if anyone might have any helpful advise, it would be the fine
people in the HVAC website. I apologize for the "rather not call a
professional" statement, the truth is I would love to call a professional.
However, current finances don't allow me this luxury unless I give up beer
and smokes for three months. So, even though I may eventually have to call
someone, does anyone have any ideas as to what the problem might be? At the
very least, it would be helpful in the event I happened to get one of the
very rare dishonest servicepeople out there who might want to replace the
whole furnace after finding a small obstruction disallowing the pilot light
to ignite the burner.
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