# does anyone have a real good problem?



## NickTech (Feb 13, 2005)

does anyone have a non gas pressure or dirty flame sensor problem? Does anyone have an oil burner question!? maybe a hydronic heating question?!.......sorry for that outburst....I'm ok now!


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## shk (Mar 21, 2005)

*if youre looking for a good problem help me please*

Well Hi....im originally from Parsippany nj. Anyways I need some help badly.
This is my first home and I dont know much about furnaces. I am willing to learn whatever i can so i can better help myself in the future or anyone else for that matter.
My problem is with a GAS ( yes Gas ) furnace. I have a Amana air command 80 sse that came with the house when i bought it. What its been doing i noticed is that i can hear it running all the time but no cold or heat is coming out. The house is pretty cold now. I have checked the heat sensor and cleaned it, checked led indicator below. It flashes three times indicating that i have a pressure switch problem according to the manual. I dont much about the terminology so please bear with me. someone suggested i check the venting pipe or something so i think its the venting pipe i checked the tube that goes into the firnace where the motor is thats attached to the pressure switch. I didnt see any thing blocking it i also looked at the hose that comes from the motor to the pressure switch and blew in it. I did have the electricity off by the way. It is still flashing 3 times. I dont know what to do. Any suggestions in something i could understand. I can take some pictures and email to yo or post it somewhere that you could suggest some things to me. I would greatly appreciate. Currrently i cant afford to get someone to look at it not for atleast another 3 weeks. What else can i do or should do? your help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
~shk


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## NickTech (Feb 13, 2005)

well the presuure switches job is to make sure the ventor motor is on and pulling the correct draft across the burners to feed O2 to the fire and to pull out the products or combustion. perhaps the ventor motor is not running right, or the vent pipe is restricted. is the diagnostic code telling you that the pressure switch is open (off), or closed(on). it should be in the open position when the unit is off, but when there is a call for heat the vent motor comes on first. the vent motor then draws a negative pressure sensed by the pressure switch which closes it and initiates the ignition sequence. if the ventor motor is running but the ignition is not check to see if the p-switch is open. use a meter at the p-switch term. if it is on then you will read zero volts. if it is off then you will read 24 volts. it should be on. if you read zero the problem is not in the p-switch, but in the wiring to the module. if the switch is open, then you need to see if there is a problem with the ventor motor, the air being pulled out, the vent pipe, or the p-switch and hose. it is possible the p-switch is bad. after the vent motor comes on try to temporarily jump the contacts at the p-switch. if it is the p-switch then the ignition will come on.


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## rvmarnie (Apr 3, 2005)

*what do you know about lennox furnaces?*



NickTech said:


> does anyone have a non gas pressure or dirty flame sensor problem? Does anyone have an oil burner question!? maybe a hydronic heating question?!.......sorry for that outburst....I'm ok now!


i have a g40uh lennox furnace it was installed in approx 1998. About a year and a half ago it burnt out the silicone nitrate ingiter,so i put in a new one.Everything was fine for one year, then it burnt out again.So i put in another(mostly because none of the local heating experts can tell me what to check). Two months later you guessed it gone again. I call yet another heating outfit and they don't know what can cause the problem so they sell me another ingiter,I put it in. Guess what 2 weeks later gone again. so i am loosing ground on this .last saturday i put in one more because i need to have heat, Friday gone again. I have checked supply voltage it is 118 v ac.i checked voltage to the igniter it is also 118v ac. The problem is i have no info on this unit so can you help?


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## NickTech (Feb 13, 2005)

maybe silicone nitrite is not for this system. silicone carbon sounds like what you might need. make sure the element you are using is in compliance to the specification that the manufactors recomendations. be sure as to not to touch to element with your fingers, the oils can and will damage the ignitor.
are you 100% sure it is the ignitor. most ignitors have an ohm value of about 500m ohms. can you see where the ignitor is damaged? an ignitor with 500m ohms with 110 v will yield 2000 degr. many checks are required to solve this problem.


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## k9kuma (Oct 20, 2004)

*OK i have a good problem...*

Just to let you know i am a carpenter, and know nothing about heating or furnaces, with this aside, here is my problem.

I woke last night to the fire alarm in my basement going off, upon further inspection the basement was filled with a dark smoke, the same smoke that come out when the furnace primes itself to start up. so i went and took a closer look, and the smoke was coming out of the circular slide piece, that has a hole to see through it into the burn chamber, note this is a oil furnace. the flame was coming through the small hole, and smoke was coming off the flames. i am unsure as to why this is happening, i just got a new delivery of oil and this just started to happen.... all i know is i need a shower and i have no hot water with out this furnace filling my basement up with smoke... thanks in advance for the help.

Todd


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## NickTech (Feb 13, 2005)

sounds like its your air to fuel mixure. there are 5 major parts to an oil burner. the motor, pump, blower wheel, ingnition transformer and primary control. shut off the power at the service switch and loosen the 2 screws holding down the ignition tranformer. pull up on the hinged transformer to expose the small blower wheel. check to see if the motor shaft and coupling assembly are still driving this blower wheel. this is where air is drawn in to mix with fuel for proper combustion, also check the barametric damper to see if it opens freely with ease. this is where the secondary air is drawn for drafting. let me know whatcha got.


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## MechAcc (Feb 27, 2005)

rvmarnie said:


> i have a g40uh lennox furnace it was installed in approx 1998. About a year and a half ago it burnt out the silicone nitrate ingiter,so i put in a new one.Everything was fine for one year, then it burnt out again.So i put in another(mostly because none of the local heating experts can tell me what to check). Two months later you guessed it gone again. I call yet another heating outfit and they don't know what can cause the problem so they sell me another ingiter,I put it in. Guess what 2 weeks later gone again. so i am loosing ground on this .last saturday i put in one more because i need to have heat, Friday gone again. I have checked supply voltage it is 118 v ac.i checked voltage to the igniter it is also 118v ac. The problem is i have no info on this unit so can you help?


You should not have 118vac at the igniter. The Shurlite board is designed to continually drop the applied voltage to the igniter until it finds the lowest applied voltage that will light the burner gases. Otherwise the igniter will fail prematurely. It sounds like the Shurlite Board has failed in its ability to reduce the applied voltage.


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## NickTech (Feb 13, 2005)

MechAcc said:


> You should not have 118vac at the igniter. The Shurlite board is designed to continually drop the applied voltage to the igniter until it finds the lowest applied voltage that will light the burner gases. Otherwise the igniter will fail prematurely. It sounds like the Shurlite Board has failed in its ability to reduce the applied voltage.


yup, your absolutly right, i was not thinking of the surelight board and its ignitor. thanks. nicktech


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## inferred77 (Oct 8, 2006)

hello;

my problem is i have a miller furnace model #m1mb070abw. ser #m1m990404002. i think its my pressure switch its in the open pos. it flashes twice. i cleaned the ventor tube freed the fan it was binding. i blew in the vacume tubes. how can i jump the switch to see if its the switch. i called all my local plumber no one has switch. can you help me. thank you. inferred77


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## coolmen (Mar 25, 2006)

I am currantly in parsippany NJ


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## MechAcc (Feb 27, 2005)

k9kuma said:


> Just to let you know i am a carpenter, and know nothing about heating or furnaces, with this aside, here is my problem.
> 
> I woke last night to the fire alarm in my basement going off, upon further inspection the basement was filled with a dark smoke, the same smoke that come out when the furnace primes itself to start up. so i went and took a closer look, and the smoke was coming out of the circular slide piece, that has a hole to see through it into the burn chamber, note this is a oil furnace. the flame was coming through the small hole, and smoke was coming off the flames. i am unsure as to why this is happening, i just got a new delivery of oil and this just started to happen.... all i know is i need a shower and i have no hot water with out this furnace filling my basement up with smoke... thanks in advance for the help.
> 
> Todd



Sounds like you may have sludge in your oil tank and when they delivered the oil the sludge was stirred up and now has partially clogged the oil filter, pump strainer and fuel nozzle. If you have a single pipe from the tank to the burner the tubing may also be restricted. Call a service company as it sounds like you the heating unit will need to be thoroughly cleaned with new nozzle and filter. The tank will also need to be cleaned out. If you see oil seepage on the outside of the tank get the tank replaced. When you call the service company tell them to bring a new filter with cannister and attach it to the outlet of the old fuel filter cannister and remove the filter element from the old one. This will now become known as what is called a sludge pot and will catch the majority of the debris before it the fuel goes to the new filter. This set up does not work well on a two pipe fuel system where the fuel is pumped back to the tank. In that case put two new filters in. One on the outlet of the old filter and one right at the inlet to the burner pump. Keep changing the filter back at the tank until something can be done with the tank. An additive can be used to reduce the amount of sludge, but if the tank is starting to leak it may most likely make it leak even more as the sludge is dissolved and uncovers the areas where the leaks are occurring.


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## MechAcc (Feb 27, 2005)

inferred77 said:


> hello;
> 
> my problem is i have a miller furnace model #m1mb070abw. ser #m1m990404002. i think its my pressure switch its in the open pos. it flashes twice. i cleaned the ventor tube freed the fan it was binding. i blew in the vacume tubes. how can i jump the switch to see if its the switch. i called all my local plumber no one has switch. can you help me. thank you. inferred77



The applied pressure to the switch needs to be checked with a manometer or magnehelic gage. If the pressure is in the correct range it is the switch. If the pressure is not in the correct range the combustion blower or venting may be the problem. If this is a mobile home furnace remove the vent cap and inspect for debris in the inner vent pipe and the outer combustion air pipe.


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## ZHG (Oct 28, 2006)

Would you help me to sell the insulation tapes or our services, I need a partner here


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## Frige (Mar 26, 2006)

*How about The old carrier furnaces*

I am a a\c tech in texas. Has anyone noiticed the carrier 58 rav furnace from about 10 years ago puts out co? In my opinion it is a very bad design, the flue pipe runs trough the r\a and where it exits you will pick up co until the blower starts. Hmm wonder where it goes then?  On one unit I showed 133 ppm right at the flue exit of the unit. Is there a fix for this?


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## nikko4 (Nov 18, 2006)

*Attn NickTech*

I recently completed school in the HVAC field and haven't had a ton of experience yet for the heating season, so I need to ask you a question I'm working for a company and got a no heat call. The unit I'm dealing with is a Rheem Electric forced air. When I got there I turned the thermostat to call for heat. The heat comes on for about 2 minutes and then the breaker trips. I ohmed out the fusible links, the heating elements, the limit switches and have replaced the sequencer, but still having the same problem. I was told by others it could either be that it's grounding out somewhere or one of the elements is touching something( although i checked these very well). Any suggestions??


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## gsevans (Nov 20, 2006)

*Carrier Model 58MAX Banging noise ???*

A banging noise occurs when a Carrier model 58MXA starts up.

As each banging noise ocures the Inducer Motor attempts to turn and a click is also audable. The system finally startes but it seems to be getting worse.

Can anyone diagnose ?


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## benblur4 (Jan 3, 2010)

MechAcc said:


> You should not have 118vac at the igniter. The Shurlite board is designed to continually drop the applied voltage to the igniter until it finds the lowest applied voltage that will light the burner gases. Otherwise the igniter will fail prematurely. It sounds like the Shurlite Board has failed in its ability to reduce the applied voltage.


I have this same model heating unit. Sometimes the unit will ignite, but sometimes it won't. It has progressively gotten worse. Now I have to turn it on, wait for the cycle to finish, turn it off and back on at the thermostat, in order to get it to ignite (several times). Also, it will ignite by flame from a liter (yes I know that this is not recommended, but I tried it to trouble shoot). After the heat kicks on though, it ignites easily on its own without an outside flame (like a liter). Do you think this is a Shurelite Board problem or a silicon nitride igniter problem?


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## MechAcc (Feb 27, 2005)

benblur4 said:


> I have this same model heating unit. Sometimes the unit will ignite, but sometimes it won't. It has progressively gotten worse. Now I have to turn it on, wait for the cycle to finish, turn it off and back on at the thermostat, in order to get it to ignite (several times). Also, it will ignite by flame from a liter (yes I know that this is not recommended, but I tried it to trouble shoot). After the heat kicks on though, it ignites easily on its own without an outside flame (like a liter). Do you think this is a Shurelite Board problem or a silicon nitride igniter problem?


What voltage measurements have you taken?

What is the ohm value of the igniter?


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## benblur4 (Jan 3, 2010)

*Ohm value is pending...*



MechAcc said:


> What voltage measurements have you taken?
> 
> What is the ohm value of the igniter?


I haven't taken any. I will take some readings tonight and get back to you.
Thanks so much for your help!
benblur4


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