Thursday, September 22, 2011

Are there any heating/furnace pros here?

I have a 5 yr. old mobile home with a Nordyne/Intertherm CH/CA system. The heater worked fine last winter %26amp; the AC was great this summer. When I lit the pilot last month, the heater did not work right. When it comes on it only runs for about 11/2 min. max. It blows air well, but it isn't very warm, almost like it's blowing the heat from the pilot only. I changed the thermostat %26amp; thermocouple but it made no difference. Also, the pilot flame isn't small like it should be, it's pretty big %26amp; doesn't change whether the furnace is running or not. Does anyone have any ideas on what the problem might be and how much to fix? I should add that although it worked fine last year, when it would shut off I could hear a noise like a brushing sound coming from the furnace %26amp; then a thud at the end. It doesn't make these noises now.Are there any heating/furnace pros here?
you need a heating %26amp; air Repairman. A problem like this is out of the scope of answers, that you will be able to get here.Are there any heating/furnace pros here?
Wrong place to ask honey. Try www.fixya.comAre there any heating/furnace pros here?
With all probability, it simply needs an annual cleaning. It could be that the jet is clogged. (That's the thing inside that shoots the flame)Are there any heating/furnace pros here?
The bigger pilot flame is from someone messing around with the gas valve. They didn't understand what screws they were turning and increased the pressure.



Is the gas valve sitting on Pilot or open/on/etc. You'd be shocked how often that's the problem.



When you changed the thermostat, did you set the anticipator correctly?



It sounds like you're getting the call for heat and the unit is running it's prepurge, finding a problem and turning itself off. It could be a vacuum hose is disconnected, a defect in the gas valve, cracked heat exchanger, obstruction in the exhaust vent, etc.



Take the covers off the furnace and tape down the door safety switch (Tape don't hold, because I've been shocked by faulty door switches in the past). Try turning the furnace on and watching what happens. See if the burners actually light. If they do light, describe what the flames do (Lift off the burners, flail about in an unstable manner, roll off the burners, burn back in to the burners, etc.).



The thud you would hear was the heat exchanger cooling down. A giant plate of metal is heated and air is moved past it. That's how the furnace works.



If it's a cracked heat exchanger, you're looking at a new furnace (you can replace the heat exchanger but the furnace is the heat exchanger. You can repair the heat exchanger, but it's a temp. fix and you're playing dice with your life)



If it's a gas valve problem, Maybe 250 to 300 total. It'll be 15 min to a half hour to change out, run the junk and what not.



It's hard to know what the problem is without watching it in action. You could run the cycle and find the owners manual. When you take the door covers off, there'll be a flashing green or red (or both) light(s). You can use that and the owners manual to find the error code (sometimes it's on the back of the door panel).

No comments:

Post a Comment