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Heater not working - 46deg inside!

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Heater not working - 46deg inside! zometool 11-28-2006
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Posted by on November 28, 2006, 6:39 pm


Actually, I did learn something from you that I respect, Abe. I didn't
know one could request that a comment not be archived. This seems like
a conscientious decision one can make to keep on-topic information
readily accessible in a forum. In the future, I'll imitate you in this
for certain of my own comments, if you tell me how to do it. And now I
understand that you were using the forum in a more conversational,
relaxed sort of way b/c you didn't intend to archive all your comments.
I was just cold with you because I'm cold right now! ..And web
anonymity makes me a sardonic dick sometimes. (Now I want this comment
to be gone in six days!)

zomet...@hotmail.com wrote:
> No worries, Abe! Everybody has done it. I wasn't criticizing your
> character, of course - not my place & insufficient data! Peace, man.
>
>
> Abe wrote:
> > >Abe, I can't say that your hopes and imaginings justified your emphatic
> > >pronouncement that I have "BIG problems". My body temperature must
> > >have risen, or I'd not have broken into a sweat momentarily upon
> > >reading your words. But now the sweat is evaporating and I'm
> > >experiencing a chill worse than that which I normally experience
> > >indoors in a 46 degree F atmosphere. All in all, I wish I had not read
> > >any of your words on this matter. Nonetheless, I wish you greater
> > >success in your future postings.
> > I'm very sorry about the way I worded my first reply. It was a knee
> > jerk reaction.


Posted by Doug on November 29, 2006, 6:34 am



>>Abe wrote:
>>>> Get your flashlight, go in the crawl space and see if you can find this
>>>> panel. Pull it off and check for a pilot light. Inside that access
>>>> panel or inside the door to the panel there will be detailed
>>>> instructions telling you how to re-light the pilot and possibly other
>>>> procedures. Read these instructions. This will be your cheapest and
>>>> easiest fix. Sometimes you can light the furnace with a match. This
>>>> is a sure sign that it is the pilot or igniter.
>>> If the OP has a furnace pilot assembly in a crawl space under the
>>> house, then he/she has BIG problems!
>>
>>        I am not trying to contradict you, just trying to find the answer to
>>the following question: Do they not put standing pilot light furnaces
>>in Crawl spaces?? Until I recently replaced my units, I had both in the
>>attic and both had standing pilot lights.
>I can't imagine that it's safe to have an open flame and the valve
>closest to it in a hidden spot like a crawlspace or attic. I would
>think (or hope rather) that such things are required to be easily
>accessible, such as in a garage or laundry room.

Where'd you come up with the above info?

Until the last 15 years or so, most furnaces including horizontal ones
typically used in crawl spaces had pilot lights.
There nothing wrong or unsafe about that, unless you like to pour
gasoline down into your crawlspace, in which you're likely to have
greater problems than a pilot light...

I've got several places with horizontal furnaces installed in the
early 1980's that are horizontal flow and in crawl spaces.

As another poster pointed out, the only reason for elimination of a
pilot light was to achieve SLIGHTLY increased energy efficiency.

I installed a furnace in 1994 that still used a pilot light. It had an
AFUE of 78% versus the identical furnace with spark ignition which was
rated at 80%. I didn't sweat the 2% difference. I got the pilot
ignition furnace at a $200 discount...cheapsake that I am...

As for the original poster, I suspect that since his furnace is more
recent, it doesn't have a pilot light.

Also, the fact that his fan comes on is a clue. Many pilotless
furnaces have a blower control PCB that uses a simple time delay to
turn on the fan rather than a heat sensor. Thus, for example, if the
thermostat calls for heat, the main blower turns on 2 minutes later,
whether or not the main burner has achieved ignition.

Most later furnaces also have a draft inducer or small blower that
starts the air flow up the chmney. If that blower doesn't come on the
main burner will not ignite since there is a draft flow sensor switch
that must turn on to allow ignition.

To trouble shoot the above type of furnace, I'd turn the thermostat
all the way up, check to see if the draft inducer blower was
operating, check for a glow at the hot surface igniter or a snapping
spark at the spark ignitor, if it has one and also check to see if
there is a main control PCB with indicator lights. Many recent
furnaces have indicator lights that light in a sequence showing
certain fault conditions. If he knows how to use a volt/ohmmeter, more
tests can then be done...

Doug



Posted by Pop` on November 29, 2006, 12:49 pm


This same thing shows up every year; it's a troll!



Posted by on November 28, 2006, 2:17 pm


Abe, I'm afraid I find your answer to be useless and somewhat
disconcerting. I encourage you to expound upon it with information I
can act upon, or at least find applicable meaning in.
> If the OP has a furnace pilot assembly in a crawl space under
the
> house, then he/she has BIG problems!

Abe wrote:
> >Get your flashlight, go in the crawl space and see if you can find this
> >panel. Pull it off and check for a pilot light. Inside that access
> >panel or inside the door to the panel there will be detailed
> >instructions telling you how to re-light the pilot and possibly other
> >procedures. Read these instructions. This will be your cheapest and
> >easiest fix. Sometimes you can light the furnace with a match. This
> >is a sure sign that it is the pilot or igniter.
> If the OP has a furnace pilot assembly in a crawl space under the
> house, then he/she has BIG problems!


Posted by on November 28, 2006, 2:10 pm


Thank you, Lawrence. I really appreciate your taking the time to
answer at such length - very generous of you!

Lawrence wrote:
> zometool@hotmail.com wrote:
> > My home's air heater (installed in '96) runs on natural gas and is
> > located in a crawl space underneath the house. The blower is working,
> > but I'm only getting cold air from the heater vents in the floor. My
> > gas stove operates just fine, so I assume my gas has not been shut off.
> > My digital thermometer appears to be working, at least in part - it
> > tells me the inside temp. is 46 degrees, but I can't tell it to make
> > the temp 70 degrees. I'm a pretty new homeowner, so I haven't studied
> > this system and related problems yet, but now I'm feeling motivated.
> > I'm also feeling low on funds until next year, and I can't easily
> > afford a technician right now. Any advice as to how to proceed?
> > What's most likely to be wrong and how do I test to find out? Thank
> > you for offering your best advice.
>
> I am not an expert but have used gas appliances for years and these
> are the things I would check. We are assuming you have gas but no
> ignition. Most furnaces have some type of access panel or door .
>
> Get your flashlight, go in the crawl space and see if you can find this
> panel. Pull it off and check for a pilot light. Inside that access
> panel or inside the door to the panel there will be detailed
> instructions telling you how to re-light the pilot and possibly other
> procedures. Read these instructions. This will be your cheapest and
> easiest fix. Sometimes you can light the furnace with a match. This
> is a sure sign that it is the pilot or ignitor.
>
> If yours doesn't have a standing pilot then there will be some sort of
> electronic ignitor which makes a spark. You should be able to replace
> it.
>
> It's also possible that your thermostat has failed somehow. Replacing
> it is a cheap and easy job as well.


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