Furnace Problem ?

Kamper · 03-05-2011, 02:41 PM

I had a problem with my ignitor a few years back but forgot all about it until you said that was a likely culprit. I could not get my furnace to go on by hitting the 'reset' though. Since it was not freezing weather I had to wait a couple days for the technician which was not a major issue at that time.

The most frustrating part of the affair was the first thing the technician did was hit the reset button and the darned thing worked! Since he was there he said he'd check things out in more detail. He called me down about 15 minutes later and said watch this...

He had the ignitor coil module in his hand and there were two spring contact abut 3-4 inches apart. He laid a screw driver on one and brought it towards the other. When the blade was about 1/4-1/2 inch from the contact a spark jumped between the two. Apparently if the coil had been working correctly it would have spaked about and inch and a half out. The new part filled the hole but apeared to have spacing engineered into it because after 50 years they had been able to design the coil to be a lot smaller.

The next thing to go a couple years later was the blower on the ignition unit. Same thing, smaller part with a plate to fill the space. That's probably going to be your next thing to go so when you have service again ask the tech if he can inspect it closely and maybe check the resistance, or however they test blower motors.

Good luck with your furnace!

03-05-2011, 02:41 PM	#14
Kamper Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Thornton's Ferry Posts: 1,307 Thanks: 67 Thanked 172 Times in 128 Posts	I had a problem with my ignitor a few years back but forgot all about it until you said that was a likely culprit. I could not get my furnace to go on by hitting the 'reset' though. Since it was not freezing weather I had to wait a couple days for the technician which was not a major issue at that time. The most frustrating part of the affair was the first thing the technician did was hit the reset button and the darned thing worked! Since he was there he said he'd check things out in more detail. He called me down about 15 minutes later and said watch this... He had the ignitor coil module in his hand and there were two spring contact abut 3-4 inches apart. He laid a screw driver on one and brought it towards the other. When the blade was about 1/4-1/2 inch from the contact a spark jumped between the two. Apparently if the coil had been working correctly it would have spaked about and inch and a half out. The new part filled the hole but apeared to have spacing engineered into it because after 50 years they had been able to design the coil to be a lot smaller. The next thing to go a couple years later was the blower on the ignition unit. Same thing, smaller part with a plate to fill the space. That's probably going to be your next thing to go so when you have service again ask the tech if he can inspect it closely and maybe check the resistance, or however they test blower motors. Good luck with your furnace!