Please help. Igniter glows, i hear click but no flames 80% of the time
#1
12-13-14, 04:05 PM
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Please help. Igniter glows, i hear click but no flames 80% of the time
This is a reoccurring issue which i did not resolve last winter and now that the season has come again to use my heat ....here i am again frustrated as all hell.
Ive tried my hardest to research the internet looking for a common fix to my prob. but have yet to find resolve. I am experiencing a successful chain of events until the final act of igniting the flames nothing happens most of the time. If i go in my basement and bang the hell out of the thing and restart it a bunch of times it usually will begin to work again for a few hours... maybe even a day. but then before i know it my house is cold again and my burners will not ignite untill i beat the **** out of it again or restart it a million times.
can anyone please help? does this sound familiar to anybody?? i will post my specific furnace info if needed THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE .. any advice is much appreciated .
Ive tried my hardest to research the internet looking for a common fix to my prob. but have yet to find resolve. I am experiencing a successful chain of events until the final act of igniting the flames nothing happens most of the time. If i go in my basement and bang the hell out of the thing and restart it a bunch of times it usually will begin to work again for a few hours... maybe even a day. but then before i know it my house is cold again and my burners will not ignite untill i beat the **** out of it again or restart it a million times.
can anyone please help? does this sound familiar to anybody?? i will post my specific furnace info if needed THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE .. any advice is much appreciated .
#2
12-13-14, 04:10 PM
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Welcome to the forums.
It will be much easier to offer comprehensive help with the make and model of the furnace.
Propane or natural gas ?
It will be much easier to offer comprehensive help with the make and model of the furnace.
Propane or natural gas ?
#3
12-13-14, 04:26 PM
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It is an American Standard furnace ... here a pic of the inside sticker. It also said Freedom 80 in big letters on the outside. It is natural gas as well ...
Last edited by Portis Julian; 12-13-14 at 04:48 PM.
#4
12-13-14, 05:41 PM
There should be an LED light which flashes a trouble code. The list of the codes is usually pasted in the blower compartment.
Since you do not seem to run the furnace too often, when did you last change the air filter?
Since you do not seem to run the furnace too often, when did you last change the air filter?
#5
12-13-14, 07:52 PM
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If you never see the ignitor try to light the gas or hear the click of a gas valve I would suspect the pressure switch (probably 3 blinks of the LED).
If the furnace is flashing a pressure switch fault, I would verify that the connections to the pressure switch are clean, verify that the rubber hose between the pressure switch and furnace is undamaged, remove the hose from the furnace side and clean out he barbed connector on the furnace with a straightened paper clip.
If the furnace is flashing a pressure switch fault, I would verify that the connections to the pressure switch are clean, verify that the rubber hose between the pressure switch and furnace is undamaged, remove the hose from the furnace side and clean out he barbed connector on the furnace with a straightened paper clip.
#6
12-13-14, 08:00 PM
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hey there. YES. i am in fact seeing the ignitor reach a bright orange-white temp ... and no i am not getting any fault codes from my box. only gives the steady blinking "normal calling for heat" indicitation
#7
12-13-14, 08:03 PM
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hello , thanks for your input here. yes i am aware of the fault box LED indicator but i do NOT get any fault codes w my issue. i only get the steady flashing "normal - calling for heat" indication ...
although i havent changed my air filter in about 3-4 months ... but could that really be the reason my burners wont ignite ??? even w my ignitor reaching the correct temp and im hearing the clicks??
although i havent changed my air filter in about 3-4 months ... but could that really be the reason my burners wont ignite ??? even w my ignitor reaching the correct temp and im hearing the clicks??
#9
12-13-14, 11:00 PM
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Just to add to Houstons reply..... it could be a gas valve or control board issue. The valve needs to stay connected to the control board and the voltage needs to be monitored. It can be hard to check at the valve so it can be checked at the board. I've seen the relay on the board click but not pass the 24vac thru.
#11
12-14-14, 10:12 AM
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A basic analog or digital meter would be fine. The meter in the link below is an analog model. They are sometimes easier to use for quick repairs like yours.
Commercial Electric Analogue Multimeter-M1015B - The Home Depot
Commercial Electric Analogue Multimeter-M1015B - The Home Depot
#12
12-14-14, 11:32 AM
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could you possibly explain how testing the valve using the analog meter can be done? this is my first time working w the furnace equipment. but id like to think i can figure this out without calling the repair men.. i can tell this will not be a major repair for the simple fact that as ive said before, there are long periods of time (maybe a 4-6 hours) that my furnace will run constant just fine. but i will say that it is increasingly becoming a more persistent issue by the day.
#13
12-14-14, 01:15 PM
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You set the meter for the next scale over 24 VAC. It could be 50v or 100v. The connectors on the gas line don't usually allow the meter leads to connect to them when they are on the valve. However at the board end, you should be able to put your probes in the connectors.
I can't see what your actual application is there. You may need to get creative. My point is that the voltage must be measures with the valve connected.
I have wire piercing probes that actually go right thru the insulation. A little costly for a single repair.
I am of the opinion that the relay contacts are corroded. After you put your meter leads on the valve circuit, you start the heating process, after the burner is lit you tap on the relay on the control board. If the relay is the problem.... the gas valve will close.
I can't see what your actual application is there. You may need to get creative. My point is that the voltage must be measures with the valve connected.
I have wire piercing probes that actually go right thru the insulation. A little costly for a single repair.
I am of the opinion that the relay contacts are corroded. After you put your meter leads on the valve circuit, you start the heating process, after the burner is lit you tap on the relay on the control board. If the relay is the problem.... the gas valve will close.
#15
12-28-14, 10:06 AM
Do you hear a bunch of "clicks"? That is what mine did and the tech said the igniter was bent and all he did was bend it back to where it was centered and it worked. He thought we would need an new one eventually but that was 5 years ago.
