Re: Carrier Furnace Ignition Lockout - why?

> Hi all,
> Got a furnace problem that has me running in circles. Perhaps some
> quick advice can point me in the right direction at least. We have a
> Carrier furnace, older that 5 years old, and this year is has been
> failing to ignite, flashing error code 14 (ignition lockout) causing
> it to wait 3 hours before the next attempt. FYI here is the code
> legend:
> #14 default= ignition lockout, control will reset after 3 hours. Refer
> to #34.
> #34 default= ignition proving fault. Check for gas valve turned off,
> oxide build up on flame sensor, main shut valve turned off, Green wire
> must be connected to furnace sheet metal, proper flame sense microamps
> (.5 micro amps DC minimum), inadequit flame carry over or rough
> ignition, low inlet gas pressure.
> Now, a little history:
> 1) Four years ago we had a crawlspace dug out and the project and the
> project went poorly, causing the basement to be exposed to excessive
> dust and moisture for much of that winter.
> 2) This winter we began having trouble with the thermostat. The
> backlight would not light, it would display gibberish, and sometimes
> not display anything. Shortly thereafter we noticed that this
> behavior happened at the same time the furnace had the ignition
> lockout.
> 3) We called an independent contractor and described the problems.
> The tech wasn't aware or (or wasn't concerned with) the codes and was
> only concerned with the thermostat. He indeed found and straightened
> some bent pins and we could notice a tighter fit when we closed the
> cover of the stat. He figured that solved the problem, and he never
> even looked at the furnace itself.
> 4) A month later the lockout recurred, and the contractor sent another
> guy on the callback. The furnace had restarted by then so he didn't
> see the codes, and I don't think we mentioned them when we made the
> emergency call. Anyway, he was certain it was an overheating issue
> and when he went in he found the coil was *very* dirty (from the
> crawlspace project) and had to scrape it with cleaning solution.
> 5) Now, another month later, the problem has returned.
> I don't know which direction to take this. I don't want to keep bring
> techs out who don't fix the root cause (whatever it is). Before I
> invest in another call, perhaps someone could tell me:
> - Could this problem really be caused by a defective stat or dirty
> coil? The stat HAS been loose and the coil HAS been dirty, but the
> error codes don't mention these, and don't seem to allude to them.
> For that matter, if the ignition is locked out, will it cause the stat
> to act funky when I use it? I don't want to pay for another scraping,
> or a new coil, if I don't have to.
> - If I call the techs back, after I make sure they are aware of the
> codes, what directions should I give them?
> - Is there anything I can check on my own fairly easily before
> resorting to another callback?
> Thanks for any advice,
> -Larry

> On Mar 22, 12:33 pm, ltravi...@gmail.com wrote:

>> Hi all,
>> Got a furnace problem that has me running in circles. Perhaps some
>> quick advice can point me in the right direction at least. We have a
>> Carrier furnace, older that 5 years old, and this year is has been
>> failing to ignite, flashing error code 14 (ignition lockout) causing
>> it to wait 3 hours before the next attempt. FYI here is the code
>> legend:
>> #14 default= ignition lockout, control will reset after 3 hours.
>> Refer to #34.
>> #34 default= ignition proving fault. Check for gas valve turned off,
>> oxide build up on flame sensor, main shut valve turned off, Green
>> wire must be connected to furnace sheet metal, proper flame sense
>> microamps (.5 micro amps DC minimum), inadequit flame carry over or
>> rough ignition, low inlet gas pressure.
>> Now, a little history:
>> 1) Four years ago we had a crawlspace dug out and the project and the
>> project went poorly, causing the basement to be exposed to excessive
>> dust and moisture for much of that winter.
>> 2) This winter we began having trouble with the thermostat. The
>> backlight would not light, it would display gibberish, and sometimes
>> not display anything. Shortly thereafter we noticed that this
>> behavior happened at the same time the furnace had the ignition
>> lockout.
>> 3) We called an independent contractor and described the problems.
>> The tech wasn't aware or (or wasn't concerned with) the codes and was
>> only concerned with the thermostat. He indeed found and straightened
>> some bent pins and we could notice a tighter fit when we closed the
>> cover of the stat. He figured that solved the problem, and he never
>> even looked at the furnace itself.
>> 4) A month later the lockout recurred, and the contractor sent
>> another guy on the callback. The furnace had restarted by then so
>> he didn't see the codes, and I don't think we mentioned them when we
>> made the emergency call. Anyway, he was certain it was an
>> overheating issue and when he went in he found the coil was *very*
>> dirty (from the crawlspace project) and had to scrape it with
>> cleaning solution. 5) Now, another month later, the problem has
>> returned.
>> I don't know which direction to take this. I don't want to keep
>> bring techs out who don't fix the root cause (whatever it is).
>> Before I invest in another call, perhaps someone could tell me:
>> - Could this problem really be caused by a defective stat or dirty
>> coil? The stat HAS been loose and the coil HAS been dirty, but the
>> error codes don't mention these, and don't seem to allude to them.
>> For that matter, if the ignition is locked out, will it cause the
>> stat to act funky when I use it? I don't want to pay for another
>> scraping, or a new coil, if I don't have to.
>> - If I call the techs back, after I make sure they are aware of the
>> codes, what directions should I give them?
>> - Is there anything I can check on my own fairly easily before
>> resorting to another callback?
>> Thanks for any advice,
>> -Larry

> These could have contributed to the problem or been the only problems
> at the time. Certainly they needed to be addressed. As far as your
> lock out goes it could be any number of problems related to gas
> pressure, dirty sensor(flame), ignition control failure these will
> only be able to be found by a properly trained tech. Unless you have
> some knowledge of HVAC controls you don't want to mess with gas. The
> next tech that comes out should be made aware of all your failures and
> the order in which and circumstance's of each event. When you call for
> the next appointment tell the service company you need an experienced
> tech because of "intermittent problems" this catch phase will usually
> get their intention and they would be more likely to send their top
> tech.
> As an experienced HVAC professional of 25 years there are some thing a
> home owner should not do and mess with a gas appliance is one of
> them.

> csstouf...@gmail.com wrote:

> > On Mar 22, 12:33 pm, ltravi...@gmail.com wrote:

> >> Hi all,
> >> Got a furnace problem that has me running in circles. Perhaps some
> >> quick advice can point me in the right direction at least. We have a
> >> Carrier furnace, older that 5 years old, and this year is has been
> >> failing to ignite, flashing error code 14 (ignition lockout) causing
> >> it to wait 3 hours before the next attempt. FYI here is the code
> >> legend:
> >> #14 default= ignition lockout, control will reset after 3 hours.
> >> Refer to #34.
> >> #34 default= ignition proving fault. Check for gas valve turned off,
> >> oxide build up on flame sensor, main shut valve turned off, Green
> >> wire must be connected to furnace sheet metal, proper flame sense
> >> microamps (.5 micro amps DC minimum), inadequit flame carry over or
> >> rough ignition, low inlet gas pressure.
> >> Now, a little history:
> >> 1) Four years ago we had a crawlspace dug out and the project and the
> >> project went poorly, causing the basement to be exposed to excessive
> >> dust and moisture for much of that winter.
> >> 2) This winter we began having trouble with the thermostat. The
> >> backlight would not light, it would display gibberish, and sometimes
> >> not display anything. Shortly thereafter we noticed that this
> >> behavior happened at the same time the furnace had the ignition
> >> lockout.
> >> 3) We called an independent contractor and described the problems.
> >> The tech wasn't aware or (or wasn't concerned with) the codes and was
> >> only concerned with the thermostat. He indeed found and straightened
> >> some bent pins and we could notice a tighter fit when we closed the
> >> cover of the stat. He figured that solved the problem, and he never
> >> even looked at the furnace itself.
> >> 4) A month later the lockout recurred, and the contractor sent
> >> another guy on the callback. The furnace had restarted by then so
> >> he didn't see the codes, and I don't think we mentioned them when we
> >> made the emergency call. Anyway, he was certain it was an
> >> overheating issue and when he went in he found the coil was *very*
> >> dirty (from the crawlspace project) and had to scrape it with
> >> cleaning solution. 5) Now, another month later, the problem has
> >> returned.
> >> I don't know which direction to take this. I don't want to keep
> >> bring techs out who don't fix the root cause (whatever it is).
> >> Before I invest in another call, perhaps someone could tell me:
> >> - Could this problem really be caused by a defective stat or dirty
> >> coil? The stat HAS been loose and the coil HAS been dirty, but the
> >> error codes don't mention these, and don't seem to allude to them.
> >> For that matter, if the ignition is locked out, will it cause the
> >> stat to act funky when I use it? I don't want to pay for another
> >> scraping, or a new coil, if I don't have to.
> >> - If I call the techs back, after I make sure they are aware of the
> >> codes, what directions should I give them?
> >> - Is there anything I can check on my own fairly easily before
> >> resorting to another callback?
> >> Thanks for any advice,
> >> -Larry

> > These could have contributed to the problem or been the only problems
> > at the time. Certainly they needed to be addressed. As far as your
> > lock out goes it could be any number of problems related to gas
> > pressure, dirty sensor(flame), ignition control failure these will
> > only be able to be found by a properly trained tech. Unless you have
> > some knowledge of HVAC controls you don't want to mess with gas. The
> > next tech that comes out should be made aware of all your failures and
> > the order in which and circumstance's of each event. When you call for
> > the next appointment tell the service company you need an experienced
> > tech because of "intermittent problems" this catch phase will usually
> > get their intention and they would be more likely to send their top
> > tech.
> > As an experienced HVAC professional of 25 years there are some thing a
> > home owner should not do and mess with a gas appliance is one of
> > them.

> You're right CSSTouffer.....
> The little girl who answers the phone will make every effort to relay the
> O.P. long story.... and she'll make sure the service dispatch routes the
> most experience repair guy out that way. LOL
> Unless the O.P. is dealing with a smaller M/P company which then all that
> *would* happen. - Maybe - :)
> --
> Zyp