heater won't stay on

14 years ago

Hello,

I got up this morning and noticed that it was a little chilly in the house and went to the thermostat and saw the house was about 62 and the therm was set for 66 but the heater was not on. I raised the temp and the heater dtill would not turn on so I cycled the on/off switch and heard the motor click on, I noticed when I walked by a vent that there was cool air coming out of the vent. I went down stairs to check to see if I could see the gas flames. None. I cycled the main on/off switch on the unit. I heard it click on and saw the ignitor heat up and then the gas came on and lit, the flames stayed on for and 5 sec and then clicked off, the ignitor heated up and relit but clicked off again. It didi this 3 times then would not try again. I thought maybe the filter was an issue so I turned the unit off and replaced the filter, turned the unit on. I stood there and watched the ignitor heat up and then light the flames, I stood there for about a minute, it stayed lit so I figured the filter was the issue. I went off and took my shower and the house had warmed up. So off to work I went feeling that I fixed the problem.

Well my wife just called and said that the heat isn't working. I had her set the temp up on the thermostat, the motor would come on but blow cool air and not hot. I had her go down and flip the main switch of for about 30 sec and then flip it back on and had her stand there to see if the flame stayed lit (yes it did).

My question is why won't it stay lit when it comes on by command of the thermostat? It seems to go thru 3 cycles and then the ignitor does not light up (seems like a safety feature) but it will work when the main switch is cycled on/off till the next thermostat command to come on? This system has been working well till now. Thanks in advance for any input on this.

Robert

Featured Answer

xsdbs
Original Author

14 years ago

Thanks Shifrbv,
Is there a general location for this sensor? I would guess that it would be close to the flame correct. I appreciate the help.
Robert

Comments (8)

shifrbv
14 years ago
Sounds like flame sensor.

You could try cleaning it with dollar bill, or just replace it for $8 - $20
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freedee
14 years ago
I had a similar problem and it's cause was never exacltly figured out, but it was causing an even bigger problem. I had carbom dioxide in my home. My kids were getting headaches at the same time my husband was. It might have been going on for years before I got a carbon monoxide detector.

I had all kinds of experts in to help figure it out. Here's what we figured out that triggered it. When the heat was on on one level and airconditioning on the other. Of course we didn't do that on purpose but there are times of the year when you go back and forth between them. Also if it was really cold and we had the heat on downstars and had it off upstairs. That would make the heater work to hard and it couldn't get enough oxigen. They also thought that if I left the flue for the firplace open, that could cause a problem.
xsdbs
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the help, I was able to just clean the thermo coupler with some emery cloth and it fired right up and I have had no more issues (yet).
dobbsrb
14 years ago
I have the same problem with my Amana unit. They think it is the air vent to the combustion chamber. They believe there is not enough fresh air to sustain combustion.

Where is the themocoupler that solved your problem?
xsdbs
Original Author
14 years ago
I am sorry, I just decided to drop in and look at a few things and saw this reply. The thermal coupler was on the left side and was easily seen. It is a metal stem that actually would make contact with the flame when it is on. I was able to reach in and rub the emery cloth on it. This is also a replaceable part but I thought i would try cleaning before I bought a new one.
Dj Jordan
6 years ago
My problem is the furnace, with new thermostat, runs 5 minutes and shuts off. It never reaches programmed temp. Just shuts down and seems to shut off around 57 to 60 degrees. Old thermostat did same. Flame sensor looked good. I don't get it.
mike_home
6 years ago
Furnaces have more than one safety limit switches that will cause the furnace to shut down if there is a problem. You need to hire a qualified HVAC tech to diagnose the problem and fix it properly.