Why doesn't my furnace work anymore? I'M COLD! :) - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

asshopo · 10-05-2005, 04:03 PM

So, it started getting cold last week so we turned the furnace on. However, not a thing happened. I figured I would check out the thermostat as that was a problem before and I changed it out for a new one. I put newer batteries in it (it's a digitial thermostat) and I hear it click, so I know it's not the thermostat. I also directly connected the 2 wires going to the thermostat; still no response. I doubled checked the power switch and circuit breaker for the furnace; power switch is on and circuit breaker is not reset.

My father-in-law is supposed to come out and take a look, but I am wondering if I can fix it before he comes out (in case it gets cold again before he gets here).

It got warm again, gotta love Michigan, so I'm not in a rush to call a professional out or anything.. not yet anyway.

What would be my next steps to see what's wrong?

Grasshopper Green · 10-05-2005, 04:52 PM

Does the filter need to be changed? I once had a furnace that automatically shut off once the filter got too dirty. Changing it and resetting the circuit breaker fixed the problem. It's worth a try if you have a filter!

asshopo · 10-05-2005, 04:53 PM

I will try that, but I doubt that is the issue. The furnace doesn't click on or do anything when the thermostat tells it to turn on. I could see if it started up and stopped, but my furnace does nothing :-/.

mazak · 10-05-2005, 06:01 PM

hello,is it gas or electric? how old is it ?a brand and model number will help also. good luck.

cyrnel · 10-05-2005, 06:27 PM

I'm taking the "I could see it" part to mean it's gas or oil. Is it an older model with a constant pilot that's not lit? If so there should be rudimentary instructions behind the front cover on how to light it again.

Uncle Pony · 10-05-2005, 07:30 PM

To expand on cyrnel's point:

If the pilot light won't stay lit you need a new thermocouple. About $10 at Lowes and 10 minutes to replace.

cyrnel · 10-05-2005, 07:43 PM

...or you didn't hold the bypass button long enough. If it says hold for 30, hold for 40, etc.

BTW, it's smart to try the furnace in Sept or whatever is early for your region. If something's really wrong then it's much easier to get furnace guys _before_ the cold arrives. No fun living in front of your oven.

scout · 10-06-2005, 03:20 AM

just knowing if its gas, electric or fuel oil would help tremendously ...

a few basic things ....

if it's gas .....

and you have have a propane tank make sure it's not empty.

make sure the pilot is lit if there is a pilot light.

make sure the gas valve has been turned from pilot to on.

if you have changed the filter lately make sure you have all the doors on correctly, most furnaces have a door safety switch to insure the blower compartment door is on correctly.

many furnaces have a resettable upper limit switch. this will be a small ceramic or plastic disc with a red button on the top and two wires attached. push the red button and see if it clicks and stays "down".

for fuel oil do all the above with one exception ...

on the main control there is a red button, some say reset right on the button. it is safe to reset this one time and one time only. if it fails to light or stay lit call a professional. do yourself and the furnace person a favor and do not reset more than once. if you do reset more than one time please tell the repairman BEFORE he begins to work.

One Saturday my boss calls me and tells me he needs me to run over to a house one of our builders owns and check the furnace. Max the drunken carpenter was living there and couldn't get the furnace to fire. My boss chews on me a little bit because the builder had chewed on him. Ya see Max the drunken carpenter wouldn't fill the tank with fuel, he would just go up to the local station and get 5 or 10 gallons of diesel and pour into the tank and run it until it ran out and repeat the process. Everytime he ran it out of fuel he would suck a bunch of shit out of the bottum of the tank into the filter. Well he would remove the filter and run it until the nozzle stopped up. Then he would call his boss and bitch about the furnace being "down" again. His boss would call mine and since shit runs downhill mine would call me and off i would go. This particular Saturday I arrived at the farmhouse and talked to Max the drunken carpenter for a little bit as I installed yet another filter and nozzle and it went something like this .. "how many times have you hit the reset this time Max" "only once Bryan I swear only once" "your sure" "I'm positive only one time I promise" "you better be damn sure" "i'm damn sure, only once" "ok I just gotta make sure" I did notice some oil in the bottum of the furnace and that went something like this "where did this oil come from Max?" "oh I spilled it trying to bleed it out" "ok" I said as I reinstalled the nozzle. Taking his word for everything and having completed the partial rebuild I turned on the switch and as I went to hit the reset button on the main control I noticed Max the drunken carpenter who owed the IRS $600,000 heading for the stairs at quite a rapid pace and I remember thinking "damn he's in a hurry' as I stabbed the reset.. it started the firing sequence but failed to fire so after about 20 seconds or so i reached up and hit the power switch ... bad move, just as I turned it off it fired, damn to late to turn it back on, there was a tremendous explosion and everything went black as night. I thought I had died but my ears was ringing. I remember thinking "damn thats odd I'm dead but my ears are ringing". It was about this time I remember the light, it was so dim and far away but becoming brighter by the second {as the smoke and soot cleared} and I remember thinking well there's the light at the end of the tunnel and it ain't what other people described when they seen it the lyin' bastards. It was about this time everything came together in my mind. Max the drunken carpenter had hit the reset more than once, the bottum of the heat exchanger had to be full of oil hence the oil in the bottum of the furnace and that's why the cocksucker was headin' out at a rapid pace. I took off up the steps and out the door to find Max the drunken carpenter already in his truck but luckily for me he had become stuck in the snow trying to get around my service van. I was very soot covered and black and I was very pissed. We had words plus. To make a long story short, it blew the top 4 rows of bricks off the top of the chimney, blew the flue damper completely out of the flue into the block wall bending it so badly it couldn't be reused and cracked the heat exchanger. So if you ever hit it more than once please LET THE REPAIRMAN KNOW.

if there is only one breaker i doubt its electric but nevertheless ......

if its electric and fails to come on call a professional unless you are comfortable working with electricity because to trouble shoot the furnace it must be done with the electricity on.

thats about all the help i can give ya without more information.

good luck.

asshopo · 10-06-2005, 05:22 AM

Hahaha, I feel like a damn idiot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scout

if you have changed the filter lately make sure you have all the doors on correctly, most furnaces have a door safety switch to insure the blower compartment door is on correctly.

That was it. I adjusted the door, which was slightly pushed out from the furnace, and boom, it kicked on.

I'm a computer geek, I know computers, not furnaces

.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

thingstodo · 10-06-2005, 11:38 AM

That's pretty funny. So many times I have taken something apart and then it worked later, only to find out it was something ike this!!

scout · 10-06-2005, 05:38 PM

I'm glad to hear that's all it was!!!!

10-05-2005, 04:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
asshopo Insane Location: Michigan	Why doesn't my furnace work anymore? I'M COLD! :) So, it started getting cold last week so we turned the furnace on. However, not a thing happened. I figured I would check out the thermostat as that was a problem before and I changed it out for a new one. I put newer batteries in it (it's a digitial thermostat) and I hear it click, so I know it's not the thermostat. I also directly connected the 2 wires going to the thermostat; still no response. I doubled checked the power switch and circuit breaker for the furnace; power switch is on and circuit breaker is not reset. My father-in-law is supposed to come out and take a look, but I am wondering if I can fix it before he comes out (in case it gets cold again before he gets here). It got warm again, gotta love Michigan, so I'm not in a rush to call a professional out or anything.. not yet anyway. What would be my next steps to see what's wrong? __________________ Patterns have a habit of repeating themselves.

10-05-2005, 04:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
Grasshopper Green ...is a comical chap Location: Where morons reign supreme	Does the filter need to be changed? I once had a furnace that automatically shut off once the filter got too dirty. Changing it and resetting the circuit breaker fixed the problem. It's worth a try if you have a filter! __________________ "They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king" Formerly Medusa

10-05-2005, 04:53 PM	#3 (permalink)
asshopo Insane Location: Michigan	I will try that, but I doubt that is the issue. The furnace doesn't click on or do anything when the thermostat tells it to turn on. I could see if it started up and stopped, but my furnace does nothing :-/. __________________ Patterns have a habit of repeating themselves.

10-05-2005, 06:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	I'm taking the "I could see it" part to mean it's gas or oil. Is it an older model with a constant pilot that's not lit? If so there should be rudimentary instructions behind the front cover on how to light it again. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

10-05-2005, 07:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	...or you didn't hold the bypass button long enough. If it says hold for 30, hold for 40, etc. BTW, it's smart to try the furnace in Sept or whatever is early for your region. If something's really wrong then it's much easier to get furnace guys _before_ the cold arrives. No fun living in front of your oven. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

10-05-2005, 06:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
mazak Crazy Location: louisianna	hello,is it gas or electric? how old is it ?a brand and model number will help also. good luck.

10-05-2005, 07:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
Uncle Pony Crazy	To expand on cyrnel's point: If the pilot light won't stay lit you need a new thermocouple. About $10 at Lowes and 10 minutes to replace.

10-06-2005, 03:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
scout Psycho	just knowing if its gas, electric or fuel oil would help tremendously ... a few basic things .... if it's gas ..... and you have have a propane tank make sure it's not empty. make sure the pilot is lit if there is a pilot light. make sure the gas valve has been turned from pilot to on. if you have changed the filter lately make sure you have all the doors on correctly, most furnaces have a door safety switch to insure the blower compartment door is on correctly. many furnaces have a resettable upper limit switch. this will be a small ceramic or plastic disc with a red button on the top and two wires attached. push the red button and see if it clicks and stays "down". for fuel oil do all the above with one exception ... on the main control there is a red button, some say reset right on the button. it is safe to reset this one time and one time only. if it fails to light or stay lit call a professional. do yourself and the furnace person a favor and do not reset more than once. if you do reset more than one time please tell the repairman BEFORE he begins to work. One Saturday my boss calls me and tells me he needs me to run over to a house one of our builders owns and check the furnace. Max the drunken carpenter was living there and couldn't get the furnace to fire. My boss chews on me a little bit because the builder had chewed on him. Ya see Max the drunken carpenter wouldn't fill the tank with fuel, he would just go up to the local station and get 5 or 10 gallons of diesel and pour into the tank and run it until it ran out and repeat the process. Everytime he ran it out of fuel he would suck a bunch of shit out of the bottum of the tank into the filter. Well he would remove the filter and run it until the nozzle stopped up. Then he would call his boss and bitch about the furnace being "down" again. His boss would call mine and since shit runs downhill mine would call me and off i would go. This particular Saturday I arrived at the farmhouse and talked to Max the drunken carpenter for a little bit as I installed yet another filter and nozzle and it went something like this .. "how many times have you hit the reset this time Max" "only once Bryan I swear only once" "your sure" "I'm positive only one time I promise" "you better be damn sure" "i'm damn sure, only once" "ok I just gotta make sure" I did notice some oil in the bottum of the furnace and that went something like this "where did this oil come from Max?" "oh I spilled it trying to bleed it out" "ok" I said as I reinstalled the nozzle. Taking his word for everything and having completed the partial rebuild I turned on the switch and as I went to hit the reset button on the main control I noticed Max the drunken carpenter who owed the IRS $600,000 heading for the stairs at quite a rapid pace and I remember thinking "damn he's in a hurry' as I stabbed the reset.. it started the firing sequence but failed to fire so after about 20 seconds or so i reached up and hit the power switch ... bad move, just as I turned it off it fired, damn to late to turn it back on, there was a tremendous explosion and everything went black as night. I thought I had died but my ears was ringing. I remember thinking "damn thats odd I'm dead but my ears are ringing". It was about this time I remember the light, it was so dim and far away but becoming brighter by the second {as the smoke and soot cleared} and I remember thinking well there's the light at the end of the tunnel and it ain't what other people described when they seen it the lyin' bastards. It was about this time everything came together in my mind. Max the drunken carpenter had hit the reset more than once, the bottum of the heat exchanger had to be full of oil hence the oil in the bottum of the furnace and that's why the cocksucker was headin' out at a rapid pace. I took off up the steps and out the door to find Max the drunken carpenter already in his truck but luckily for me he had become stuck in the snow trying to get around my service van. I was very soot covered and black and I was very pissed. We had words plus. To make a long story short, it blew the top 4 rows of bricks off the top of the chimney, blew the flue damper completely out of the flue into the block wall bending it so badly it couldn't be reused and cracked the heat exchanger. So if you ever hit it more than once please LET THE REPAIRMAN KNOW. if there is only one breaker i doubt its electric but nevertheless ...... if its electric and fails to come on call a professional unless you are comfortable working with electricity because to trouble shoot the furnace it must be done with the electricity on. thats about all the help i can give ya without more information. good luck. Last edited by scout; 10-06-2005 at 03:22 AM..

10-06-2005, 11:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	That's pretty funny. So many times I have taken something apart and then it worked later, only to find out it was something ike this!! __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy.

10-06-2005, 05:38 PM	#11 (permalink)
scout Psycho	I'm glad to hear that's all it was!!!!