EEEKKK!!! Dead Furnace!!

[rykna]

BBBBrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....what I would give for my Mom and Dad's wood burning fire place right now. Our old furnance is on the blink..AGAIN. I finally got it lighted a few minutes ago.
I have never seen a furnance set up like this. From what we can tell it looks like the former owners "jury rigged" the furnance...
any ideas?
The main problem is pilot light is not drawn close enough to the gas...so the furnace thinks there's too much gas being emitted at the safety shut off engages.

 

[turningtim]

Is it that the pilot won't stay lit? Could be a thermo coupler? Easy to repair. you can get one from HD or Lowes......

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by TurningTim
Is it that the pilot won't stay lit? Could be a thermo coupler? Easy to repair. you can get one from HD or Lowes......
Thanks

Now....to find the thermo coupler on this rewired, messed up furnace.

 

[notsonoob]

Thermocouple will measure the temperature, Are you sure that the safety shut off doesn't engage, because it isn't sensing the flame from the pilot and times out? Maybe the pilot just needs to be adjusted a little bit higher to hit a sensor?
My guess is that it isn't sensing flame so it shuts everything off. But what it is isn't really a thermocouple but probably some kind of flame sensor.
If it was calling for too much gas then it would open wide open and you would smell it.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by NOTSONOOB
Thermocouple will measure the temperature, Are you sure that the safety shut off doesn't engage, because it isn't sensing the flame from the pilot and times out? Maybe the pilot just needs to be adjusted a little bit higher to hit a sensor?
My guess is that it isn't sensing flame so it shuts everything off. But what it is isn't really a thermocouple but probably some kind of flame sensor.
If it was calling for too much gas then it would open wide open and you would smell it.
Jackpot!!!! That's exactly what my Dad said...The strange thing about it is the funnel thing that hangs down over the pilot light. When you light it...the flame isn't quite close enough...so it doesn't sense the flame and shuts off

If I recall dad also said there wasn't much else to do but by a new furnance

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by NOTSONOOB
Thermocouple will measure the temperature, Are you sure that the safety shut off doesn't engage, because it isn't sensing the flame from the pilot and times out? Maybe the pilot just needs to be adjusted a little bit higher to hit a sensor?
My guess is that it isn't sensing flame so it shuts everything off. But what it is isn't really a thermocouple but probably some kind of flame sensor.
If it was calling for too much gas then it would open wide open and you would smell it.
Jackpot!!!! Now I remeber

That's exactly what my Dad said...The strange thing about it is the funnel thing that hangs down over the pilot light. When you light it...the flame isn't quite close enough...so it doesn't sense the flame and shuts off

If I recall dad also said there wasn't much else to do but by a new furnance

 

[tangman99]

I'm no expert, but that doesn't sound right that you have to replace the whole furnace. Something should be fixable. It's just a sensor that if your pilot light goes out, it turns off the gas.

 

[turningtim]

The thermo coupler is the metal rod that the pilot flame should hit/surround and senses that the pilot is on. Also when you light the pilot you must hold down the switch for at least a minute so the thermo coupler gets hot. Then turn the switch to on and the pilot should remain on.
The themo coupler should have a thin copper tube that gets connected to the gas valve on the furnace.
Boy this is hard to do over the net.... LOL

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by TurningTim
The thermo coupler is the metal rod that the pilot flame should hit/surround and senses that the pilot is on. Also when you light the pilot you must hold down the switch for at least a minute so the thermo coupler gets hot. Then turn the switch to on and the pilot should remain on.
The themo coupler should have a thin copper tube that gets connected to the gas valve on the furnace.
Boy this is hard to do over the net.... LOL
I bet, thanks so much for you help!...I know exactly what you're talking about. I think that's what my dad was referring to. The rod or thermo coupler is not positioned right, it's just a tich to far away from the flame. Getting the furnace to light isn't a problem at all, keeping the pilot light lite is. For what ever reason the pilot light goes out and the fan keeps running.
So next step is "typing" me through setting up a new furnace..right???

jk
We've had furnace repair men come through, and they can't figure it out either. Pilot lights...no problem...will remain on for hours...sometimes threw the night...then poof...out

 

[notsonoob]

Originally Posted by Rykna
I bet, thanks so much for you help!...I know exactly what you're talking about. I think that's what my dad was referring to. The rod or thermo coupler is not positioned right, it's just a tich to far away from the flame. Getting the furnace to light isn't a problem at all, keeping the pilot light lite is. For what ever reason the pilot light goes out and the fan keeps running.
So next step is "typing" me through setting up a new furnace..right???

jk
We've had furnace repair men come through, and they can't figure it out either. Pilot lights...no problem...will remain on for hours...sometimes threw the night...then poof...out

If it is blowing the pilot out you might just have to sit there and watch it, or cycle it up and down and actually see what it is doing. You can increase and decrease your thermostat to probably simulate it going up and down. It may not happen every time, but I bet that the main gas valve might be sticking and/or slamming shut. This can cause a cavitation of sorts of the surrounding air and blow out a pilot flame.
I've been working on various natural gas burners for 10 years. They all operate on the same principle and I've seen the same problems as such 10 million BTU burners.
PILOT INGITION -- FLAME SENSE -- MAIN GAS OPEN---HEAT TO TEMPERATURE

 

[maeistero]

i'd seriously recommend you get a pro in. i'm hvac and know what's wrong, but to know you could kill someone over the 'net with bad advice is unexcuseable. liability is the scariest thing about working on furnaces and families are killed with carbon monoxide over simple mistakes all the time.
if you can't afford much, i would call a local school. they do it cheap if you allow them to bring a few students and take their time.
good luck.