SOS EMERGENCY FURNACE HELP NEEDED SOS

"Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns" (themarvelous1310) 01/28/2016 at 07:30 • Filed to: HELP ME

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My furnace won’t stay lit longer than ten seconds, i can’t find the serial number anywhere, nothing online matches my ancient model, my family is freezing and I have no money for repairs. Any help at all will be sorely appreciated.

walto2me > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 07:36

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Find thermocouple and try cleaning the tip with a soft brush. May not be sensing the flame correctly.

AndyG_UK > walto2me 01/28/2016 at 07:42

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^This^ it will be the bimetallic thermocouple for sure!

Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns > walto2me 01/28/2016 at 07:45

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Is this it, or do I look further in?

DoYouEvenShift > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 07:46

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As said already, thermocouple.

I had the same issue a couple years ago. Cleaned it and it worked for a few weeks, but eventually I had to replace it. Still cheap anyways, less than $20 I think.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 08:03

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If you’ve got an air filter, check that too. If there’s no airflow, the furnace won’t stay lit. Some furnaces also have a heat sensor that trips if the internal temperature goes over X and shuts it down, but that doesn't sound like your issue

If your pilot light is on, your thermocouple is likely okay, but there are situations where the pilot stays lit and the thermocouple is the issue.

jariten1781 > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 08:06

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I don’t see one in that shot (could be wrong). Probably behind that top panel. It’ll normally have a single wire running to an insulator that has a metal rod sticking out the end. Turn off power to the furnace (and gas if you have a shutoff), pull it and clean off all the scoring. It should work better for a while, but you’ll need to get another eventually. They’re not too expensive, 20-60 bucks-ish.

I’ve had to do this at every house with an old furnace I’ve lived at (and some friends houses as well). It’s not uncommon.

Edit: I'm talking the panel just above the burners...not the top top panel.

450X_FTW > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 08:19

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These might help find the TC

Martin Edgington > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 09:00

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If the pilots on, the thermocouple should be working. If it's the actual flame that comes on for only 10 seconds, check for a separate flame sensor

red014 > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 09:26

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Ugh, that brings back bad memories. Hopefully for you everyone is right and it’s the thermocouple. I had that same furnace and the same symptoms about 7 years ago, but I had a series of specific and unfortunate events leading up to a $10K repair bill. Unfortunately for us the heat exchanger had rusted and rotted out, so the whole furnace had to go. Due to my ignorance on the subject, I had an air filter that hadn’t been replaced for a couple years and then the condensation drip tray/drain tube under the A/C evaporator coil was clogged and icing over, which caused it to drip down into the furnace, causing the rot. That doesn’t seem to be the case with yours, because I could clearly see chunks of rusted metal under the burners on mine that are absent on yours. Granted it was an expensive lesson, but the new central air unit and furnace are so much more efficient that it halved my electric bill in the summer and my gas bill in the winter.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > 450X_FTW 01/28/2016 at 09:28

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Be really careful that you don’t damage the igniter, as most old furnaces have a very delicate silicate filament. Ours broke last year and the crack wasn’t visible to the naked eye.

Is the furnace actually igniting the gas? Or are you just hearing the fans start up? If you aren’t getting a flame it is your igniter.

Birddog > Mister Win Blames People, Not Guns 01/28/2016 at 09:35

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That looks like you have electronic ignition. If you pull the pilot assembly you’ll see a little Metal rod next to the pilot burner. That’s your flame sensor. Try cleaning it with a wire brush or steel wool and re installing.

450X_FTW > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 01/28/2016 at 11:09

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I don’t have the furnace issues, that was Themarvelous1310 that does. I was just posting a few pictures to try and help him find the TC

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > 450X_FTW 01/28/2016 at 11:49

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whoops.