HVAC problem this morning.

[gsganzer]

Ugh! My wife woke up this morning and she said the house was cold (57 degrees). We have a Nest thermostat so she went over to it to try to bump the temp, but it has an error saying the stage 2 has an issue. We have a gas Goodman forced hot air/cooling. I just had the daughter open the closet it's in and she had a faint odor of gas too.

Of course, I'm out of town, so she needs to deal with this one on her own and will have to call a repairman. I told her to first check the batteries (if it has any) and then she'll need to get someone out.

So, she can avoid getting taken as a babe in the woods, what are we likely looking at being the issue?

 

[Halftrack]

If it is a high efficiency furnace and vents through the wall and not up a chimney, check to see if those outside vents are not obstructed by frost, snow or debris.

 

[gsganzer]

Just had my daughter do some checking. The propane tank is empty. Neither the water heater or other furnace are working either.

I did have her pull the crawl space vents off to see if she smells gas in crawlspace (leak), but the gas company will also leak check when they come out.

They filled up our neighbor yesterday, but must have forgot us.

 

[ponytug]

Just had my daughter do some checking. The propane tank is empty. Neither the water heater or other furnace are working either.

I did have her pull the crawl space vents off to see if she smells gas in crawlspace (leak), but the gas company will also leak check when they come out.

They filled up our neighbor yesterday, but must have forgot us.

We just went through the same thing, though the odor was so pronounced that I thought we had a dead animal in the crawlspace below.

The propane tank had a leak at the fuel gauge (the tank had to be replaced as it is not an in service repair; the tank belongs to the propane company) and ended up needing a new regulator. (Perhaps due to the gunk that evaporated off the sludge in the bottom of tank??). We ended up having a cold weekend without heat because of some mistakes made by the second set of technicians.

The service technicians for the propane company all said that the propane company would pay for the lost propane, but I will believe that when I see it.

Generally, our propane company has been very good at the keep filled propane, and the two times they fluffed it up, have been leaks on their equipment; once on a regulator, and then the fuel gauge on the tank.

All the best,

Peter

 

[grsthegreat]

Ya, they will stink when run empty. I have a buried propane tank so I got a wifi level monitor that I set at 25% and tank will alert me. Its a 1000 gal tank so pretty much lasts a year between fillings.

make sure they bleed system and run a pressure test after running it dry.

 

[ultrarunner]

When the local supplier was bought out service dropped.

They even said our tank was theirs but I had the original bill of sale 40 years back proving otherwise.

They then offered a $200 credit to place their tank.

I stopped auto fill and our usage dropped drastically and my guess is propane we were paying for was being diverted.

Natural gas is now in the area but the cost to hook up last I checked was 2500 and that was a long time ago.

Hopefully you are not going to have to pay for safety check and inspection if the company dropped the ball?

 

[gsganzer]

They came out to fill it and found a leak at the tank guage. So they just put 50 gallons in and will be back Monday to replace the gauge.

 

[geteh]

We just went through the same thing, though the odor was so pronounced that I thought we had a dead animal in the crawlspace below.

The propane tank had a leak at the fuel gauge (the tank had to be replaced as it is not an in service repair; the tank belongs to the propane company) and ended up needing a new regulator. (Perhaps due to the gunk that evaporated off the sludge in the bottom of tank??). We ended up having a cold weekend without heat because of some mistakes made by the second set of technicians.

The service technicians for the propane company all said that the propane company would pay for the lost propane, but I will believe that when I see it.

Generally, our propane company has been very good at keeping filled propane, and the two times they fluffed it up, there have been leaks on their equipment; once on a regulator, and then the fuel gauge on the tank. If you're considering a reliable propane service, it's essential to buy from a company with a track record of meticulous equipment maintenance.

All the best,

Peter

Woke up this morning and the furnace was not working anymore. It turned on for a few minutes early in the morning ran for a few minutes (maybe 5) and then turned off. When I turn power off to the furnace and it turn it back on the fans all go and I get a red glow on the ignitor but it doesn't ignite and it turns off after a few minutes. I have taken the flame sensor out and cleaned it. I have also tried bypassing the pressure switch as recommended on another forum. For bypassing the pressure switch I turned off the power to the furnace, disconnected the two wires to the pressure switch. Turn it back on and then connect those two wires together. When I do that the fans are running but I no longer get a red glow on the ignitor.

 

[5030]

Never figured out what is the infatuation with a 'Nest' thermostat, To me it's just another offshore made whizz bang electronic gizmo to fail and very expensive to boot. Only nest here are the starlings in the gutter out back.

 

[5030]

I never screw with heat plants. I call my local furnace company that installed our HF condensing furnace last spring and have them deal with it. Been told by a few knowledgeable folks that Goodman furnaces are second rate furnaces. We have a Bryant plus 95. Could have got a Goodman for quite a bit less but didn't.

 

[ponytug]

I am sorry to hear about your issues.

Do you have other gas appliances? Are they working? Have you checked your fuel level?

The igniter has to light the flame, but the thermopile is a sensor that monitors the flame, and if the sensor is wearing out or worn out, it won't generate enough electricity to keep the gas on. In the designs that I am familiar with, you can't easily bypass it, for good reasons.

If your fuel level is OK, and the other appliances are working, you probably need a new thermopile. I keep an extra in stock, for this sort of problem. If you drop a new thermopile in and it doesn't fix the issue, then you know that the problem is in the valve. Valves fail less frequently than thermopiles, but they do fail.

Keep us posted!

All the best,

Peter

 

[dadster4]

Woke up this morning and the furnace was not working anymore. It turned on for a few minutes early in the morning ran for a few minutes (maybe 5) and then turned off. When I turn power off to the furnace and it turn it back on the fans all go and I get a red glow on the ignitor but it doesn't ignite and it turns off after a few minutes. I have taken the flame sensor out and cleaned it. I have also tried bypassing the pressure switch as recommended on another forum. For bypassing the pressure switch I turned off the power to the furnace, disconnected the two wires to the pressure switch. Turn it back on and then connect those two wires together. When I do that the fans are running but I no longer get a red glow on the ignitor.

The pressure switch and all other safeties in the circuit must be connected at initial call for heat...the control board senses that all safeties are closed before starting the ignition cycle.

 

[dadster4]

I am sorry to hear about your issues.

Do you have other gas appliances? Are they working? Have you checked your fuel level?

The igniter has to light the flame, but the thermopile is a sensor that monitors the flame, and if the sensor is wearing out or worn out, it won't generate enough electricity to keep the gas on. In the designs that I am familiar with, you can't easily bypass it, for good reasons.

If your fuel level is OK, and the other appliances are working, you probably need a new thermopile. I keep an extra in stock, for this sort of problem. If you drop a new thermopile in and it doesn't fix the issue, then you know that the problem is in the valve. Valves fail less frequently than thermopiles, but they do fail.

Keep us posted!

All the best,

Peter

FYI to avoid confusion...a thermopile creates a millivolt current which powers the gas valve and requires no 120v to provide heat, not used on modern equipment. A thermocouple (or glow plug type igniter) is what senses pilot flame in modern equipment.

 

[ultrarunner]

The pressure switch and all other safeties in the circuit must be connected at initial call for heat...the control board senses that all safeties are closed before starting the ignition cycle.

Just like tractors and safety switches...

I am spending more maintaining newer furnaces since circuit boards and their sensors came to be... simply more things to go wrong and troubleshoot.

 

[oldnslo]

Woke up this morning and the furnace was not working anymore. It turned on for a few minutes early in the morning ran for a few minutes (maybe 5) and then turned off. When I turn power off to the furnace and it turn it back on the fans all go and I get a red glow on the ignitor but it doesn't ignite and it turns off after a few minutes. I have taken the flame sensor out and cleaned it. I have also tried bypassing the pressure switch as recommended on another forum. For bypassing the pressure switch I turned off the power to the furnace, disconnected the two wires to the pressure switch. Turn it back on and then connect those two wires together. When I do that the fans are running but I no longer get a red glow on the ignitor.

Does your furnace have any LEDs on the circuit board that blink a fault code. Most newer units have this and usually an explanation of the codes is on a decal on the furnace somewhere. These can provide some guidance on potential failing component.

 

[ultrarunner]

In the last 30 days at rentals Ive had a draft motor go out at one place, draft sensor at another and at my home the ignitor went bad... hairline crack I couldn't see until removed... no glow.

I miss the days of pilot lights!!!

 

[TN8Man]

One of the first upgrades to my house was to have a wood burning stove installed. My home is warm in a power outage and I don't pay the high electric bills for heat.

 

[ultrarunner]

Not an option here… even with unlimited oak on property to keep dozens of stoves fueled.

 

[TN8Man]

Not an option here… even with unlimited oak on property to keep dozens of stoves fueled.

I had options when I lived in California ... the option to leave for greener pastures.

 

[ultrarunner]

I’m always amazed at the people who have spent time or have ties to California.

Just about all my Washington State neighbors have California ties even if it was years ago.

Many first came to Washington via military and decided to stay.

Very different than my grade school years when as much as half my classmates were new transplants…