pendennis

As a bit of background, we subscribe to our local utility's "Appliance Repair" program. All our appliances, including furnace/AC, range, refrigerator, etc., are covered.

A while back we had what we thought were fatal problems with our furnace. We called, the repair service came to our home, and proceeded to replace several parts, and announced our furnace was ready to go. We got through the winter without a problem. That summer, though, the utility decided to change all the gas lines and manifolds to allow for lower gas pressure to be used. The line pressure went from 25psi, to .25psi.

Never believe that any improvement will improve your life! That winter we had a problem with no gas feed at all. The furnace refused to come on, so out came the utility repair service. After replacing all the electronic components, feed lines, etc., the culprit turned out to be a bit of over-applied sealer, causing the newly-lowered gas pressure line to fail to feed the furnace. Our furnace had so many parts replaced, that the repair guy told us we had a new furnace, save the heat exchanger, which we have inspected annually, independent of our utility.

I usually "sidewalk" superintend the repairmen. Not that I distrust them, but I enjoy learning. While talking to the furnace repairman, he took out the flame sensor, cleaned it thoroughly with some Scotch-Brite, and re-installed it. I asked why, and he stated that the flame sensors pick up residue which eventually cause the furnace not to operate properly.

Well, you guessed it. At around 11PM last evening, I noticed that it was about six degrees too cold. Rather than stay up, we added an extra bed cover, and I checked out the furnace this AM. Sure enough, the flame sensor had a build-up of coating on it. A careful cleaning with Scotch-Brite, and it looked as good as new. Re-installed it and it fired up and ran perfectly.

Now, just to be safe, I searched for the problem on line, and found similar results. A couple of the blogs mentioned that sometimes cleaning doesn't do the job, and it needs replacing. I found the part on Amazon, and tomorrow I'll have two for spares.

One of the things I do, is to put the spare parts for the furnace, humidifier/dehumidifier, and A/C, keep them in tagged clear plastic bags, and affix them to the cold air return with duct tape.

napabob Loc: Napa CA

a very satisfying feeling when you do it yourself.........

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Been there with the flame sensor.

When it's cold and the furnace doesn't work, it's good to have something to try. I always watch the repair guys.

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

That’s why we have a gas fireplace on both levels, usually for ambiance but are life savers when the furnace isn’t working. Good to have spare heating sources.

PRETENDER Loc: Micanopy,Florida

Or you could just move to Florida and worry about keeping the ac working.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

People get used to the climate they live in. People who live in areas with wide temperature swings get comfortable over a wide range of temperatures. I worked with a guy who lived in Fiji for 10 years. The temperature in Fiji is strongly controlled by the ocean so the air temperature was normally between 68 and 85. After a few years, 85 was hot and 68 was very cold.

I had an annual conference in San Francisco in early December. The temperatures got into the 50-60 range. You could tell the conference attendees from the locals because the people at the conference were in shirtsleeves and the locals were in down jackets.

And people are different. I have a photo of myself and my wife on the farm. I'm in a t-shirt with visible sweat marks. She's in a sweat shirt and down vest. I also noted that on some of the farms that hired Jamaican workers for the summer, they always seemed to wear sweat shirts, even with temperatures up to 90F.

And I spent January in the Florida panhandle one time for work. We had frost regularly. Much of Florida DOES get cold. There's a town called "Frostproof", but it's pretty far down in Florida, below Orlando. (And, while the average January low temperature there is 49F, they DO get snow occasionally).

Since the average temperature in Florida is pretty moderate, houses down there are built with minimal insulation, so if when it gets cold, you're going to be cold.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

My wife would kill me if I tried to fix the furnace or the water heater, We have a contract on the furnace and justbto be safe a wood stove and a fireplace insert and 5 cords of wood in the back yard ( all the wood is gathered by me). They should give you a pick up and a chain saw when you buy a stove.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

If they give you a chain saw they should definitely give you the safety equipment to go with it.

I was using a chain saw on the farm. I was standing on a log and cutting another log. I had just taken my finger off the throttle when the log I was standing on shifted and the saw came down and hit my leg (not full speed, winding down). Having the chaps on enabled me to keep my leg. It hit just below the knee. Saw stopped instantly. The kevlar fibers jammed it up. Took me a half hour to take the saw apart to get it cleared so I could use it again. Just sewed up the chaps.

(Download)


(Download)

Day.Old.Pizza Loc: Maple Grove, MN

I think your Sensor may not be the problem; it’s worked properly twice. I would investigate the part of your furnace that combines the fuel and air. Sounds to me like you furnace is running “rich” which might indicate a fuel orifice is wearing out and allowing too much fuel into the combustion chamber. All the fuel isn’t able to burn completely and that is what is creating the soot. It’s also possible the orifice is fine, but the air flow in the combustion chamber may be restricted.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, I know what you mean.

alltoptom

For all you people that like to watch your repairman work on your stuff you might want to follow this guy on Youtube. I like to watch this guy. He records all his service calls. He sometimes uses language that might be inappropriate but sometimes I do too when trying to fix things. I am surprised how much you can learn from watching him. I have included a link to one of his service calls. You might get addicted to watching him. LOL https://youtu.be/5u7WeQOZLRw

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Those Stihl chaps are worth their weight in gold. I always wear mine when chainsawing. I’m glad to know they actually work - haven’t tested mine (yet), and hope I never do.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Also, a proper helmet makes it look like you know what you’re doing.

And saves your eyes from chips.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, I like the one from Stihl that provides a face screen as well as ear protection.

tgreenhaw

I love fixing my appliances too. My favorite was the washing machine that needed a replacement pump. When I realized that it would lake an hour to disassemble the front panel to get to the pump, I used my saw to cut an access panel.


That said, a furnace is something you may want to replace with a modern model. The new ones are vastly more efficient and you'll save a ton on utility bills in the long run.