furnace wont ignite

[rundrave]

woke up this morning to a chilly house. furnace is less than 4yrs old, had it installed when my house was built in 2005

went to examine the furnace, when I try to get it going the fan turns on but when I look in the peek hole I dont hear or see the ignitor trying to ignite

also on the panel below is a circuit board with a green light. when i turn it all on this light is solid for 10secs and then starts blinking.

if i leave everything going it all automatically shuts off after a couple minutes

the ignitor has 2 white wires to it, that goes to a plastic connector into a bunch of other wires.

could i just go out and by this ignitor piece with the white wires? maybe that is just all thats wrong?

[Snowking]

the furnace at work did this both wednesday and thursday. turned out to be a frozen tube that goes into the burner. removed the ice an she fired right up

[Dave S]

there should be an owner's manual that came with the furnace. In that manual will be diagnostic codes which explain the flashing light. Fast or slow blinking lights and which lights are blinking are indicators of what the problem is. It should at least give you an area to start. It could be something as simple as a bad Thermo-Couple.

My furnace has been a piece since I bought my house. I've stuck $900 in motors into it plus various switches as well.

Our most recent issue has been a burned out circuit board, a bad pressure switch and a mouse nest inside the CO exhaust line to the outside. The mice were somehow getting into the exhaust from the outside and coming into the furnace. Still waiting to see the bill for this one.

[Surface Tension]

There is a thread Here you should look at.

Get the manual out and go through the troubleshooting steps inside the manual. Just because the igniter isn't turning on doesn't necessarily mean the igniter is bad. In the start up the blower for the exhaust turns on, there is a switch that is activated telling the brain that that blower is on. If that fails then the next step for the igniter won't happen and the furnace will begin the start up again. Normally it'll do that 3 times then stop. You'll need to turn the power off to the furnace and then back on to get he furnace to reboot.

I would inspect the hoses for cracks and air leaks. Then look at the electrical connections at the switches. Check the intake and exhaust for obstructions.

[JohnMickish]

If you do not still have the manual go to the manufacturers HSOforum. Just about everybody has their manuals online nowdays.

[fastkaw]

On the back of the door there will be a list for what all the different flash codes

mean.

Check the combustion air (in pipe) out side at the side of the house, make sure

it is not frosted over or full of snow. That will shut the furnace off every time.

[Tom7227]

Guess we're not going to find out if he got if fixed or not. We'll have to check the obits in the Sioux Falls Journal to see if he froze to death or not.

[rundrave]

well i have tried all the suggestions with no luck

i have never worked on a furnace before so I am pretty much lost

im not freezing i got a gas fireplace that is keeping us nice and toasty for now

im gonna work from home tomorrow and call to get somebody out here

thanks for the ideas, i will be sure to post the fix

[Tom7227]

Glad to hear back. Checking the obits would be tough since we don't know your real name.

Be sure to watch the guy do the work and you may learn something.

I'm not sure you caught the suggestion and I don't mean to rub it in or anything, but try turning the power compeltely off to the furnace, let it sit for a couple minutes and try again. It worked for me a few years ago when mine wouldn't pop.

[rundrave]

yeah i tried that no luck

however i did notice now though that when I have the fan on and the thermostat is set below the actual temp the fan will stay on, as soon as I set it to a higher temp (to make it warmer) it all shuts off

[Tom7227]

Tried Holy Water?

Only works for Catholics so if you don't qualify don't bother.

I bet it's some circuitboard or something you had zero chance of fixing on your own.

[crazyjmk]

I had a similar issue twice last year... After I turned off the power and tried to reset the bugger it would try to lite three times and shut down. On one occasion this was a result of a bad limit switch, nothing I could fix with out diagnostic stuff. The other time though it appeared as though the condensate trap was full of water and was backing up shutting off the furnace. You could hear the gurgling in side the fan/pump. I took that apart and cleaned it up and away it went. Mine is a 2003 model lenox.

J

[BoxMN]

Two things I have seen - leaf particles just ever-so-slightly slowing down the intake air, and not enough oxygen to get the ignitor to work.

Also, check the exhaust to make sure it isn't as simple as icicle from condensation blooking the exhaust. That happened on cabin this weekend, thank goodness for infloor heat that kept the place warm enough during the cold spell...

[fastkaw]

rundrave

Who is the manufacturer? What is the efficiency of the furnace?

Modal #

Have you changed to a new thermostat? Red H and Red C at the thermostat must

have a jumper wire between the two. Did the wire fall out?

What did the code light tell you? Tell us.

[rundrave]

Manufacturer: Iceco (which is a Division of Rheem?, usually marketed as Weatherking. Mine says weather king on it

Model: RCBA-2457GG14XI

i cant find any thing on the web about it

i have the owners manual which says its either a 80PJ or 80LJ

It is supposed to be 80% efficient.

I have never changed thermostats, but I did put new batteries in it yesterday just to see if that would change anything.

I have no idea what the code means, I have look all over the manual and back of the cover of the furnace with no luck.

I basically have a trouble shooting flow chart. When I go through the list and answer yes or no to each step, I end up at "Replace Vent Pressure Switch" ???

[Surface Tension]

"Replace Vent Pressure Switch" thats where I was thinking it was getting hung on. Check the hose for rot and switch for a bad connection.

[rundrave]

yup, tech just left, it was a bad pressure regulator, we bypassed that with a wire and it fired right up.

not sure why it went bad, but guess thats how it goes

he didnt have the part on hand but said it would be about $50-$75 , will see what i get charged for labor later this afternoon when he comes back.

thanks for all the help, very much appreciated

[fastkaw]

Believe it or not, most of the time it's not the switch. It's the nipple were

the hose attaches to the venter motor housing. They get corroded and don't

suck on the switch with enough vacuum.

I recommend that the nipple be cleaned at the beginning of each heating season.

Did you look at the fine print on the wiring diagram? a lot of times the codes are printed there. It could be under the top or bottom door.

DISCLAIMER: i am in no way an expert, at anyting. anything i say is my own opinion and/or observation, and should never be regarded as fact, unless otherwise stated.

[rundrave]

well he was just back, installed the new part and I officially have a working furnace again.

the guy double checked the hose etc and there didnt appear to be anything wrong.

i didnt get a bill because he still thought the part was under warranty, so not sure how much it will cost yet, but if anything it was a simple fix and I have heat.

thanks again for all the help