[Note the cross post. Follow-ups set to alt.home.repair]

Ah, what luck. My furnace quit working last night. This is a long rant and
a "poor me" post, not a request for help. So if you're not to inclined to
point and laugh at the clueless, you might not want to read on.

I thought the trouble was the thermostat. The Lux 500 had given me trouble
many times before; it showed the low battery warning even with fresh
batteries literally if I touched it wrong when adjusting the temperature.

A few days ago I noticed that it sometimes the Lux thermostat let the
temperature fall five degrees below the set point before the furnace (Ruud
Silhouette II) ran. I'd have to turn it to off and then back on, then it
would run ok for a few days. I was concerned about the Lux crapping out
entirely, so I picked up a Honeywell RTH110B at Lowes. I didn't get around
to installing it.

Last night (New Years Day) at around 10 PM the temperature was in the
upper teens, the coldest night we'd seen this year in Louisville. My
furnace stopped running. I assumed it was the thermostat.

The symptoms we if I turned the thermostat to "off" then back to "heat"
the furnace would begin to start. I'd hear the whine of the power vent.
The the igniter (it's a pilot-less furnace) would glow, and then the
natural gas would start. The gas ignited fine, all burners looked perfect,
but it ran for about five seconds then chopped off abruptly. This cycle
repeated two or three times then nothing until I turned the thermostat off
and then on again.

It was getting cold in the house, so I decided that now was a great time
to replace the thermostat. :-) I turned off the breaker to the
furnace, and swapped the Honeywell for the Lux.

It was the first time I swapped a thermostat. I was disappointed at the
flimsiness of the connections of the Honeywell. The screws were too damn
tiny, and the plastic back flexed so bad I feared it would break as I
tightened the terminal screws. But nothing broke, and I completed the swap
with apparent success.

Hoping I hadn't bought a dud thermostat, I turned the power back on and
then turned the Honeywell to heat. The power vent started and I figured I
had a winner. Good thing, as it took an hour to swap the thermostat and
the house was even colder.

Guess what, the furnace did the same thing it did with the old Lux. Start,
light three times, each time quitting after five or ten seconds.

At this point I was really frustrated not to mention worried. I had no
means of alternate heat. No kerosene heater, no electric radiator. Stupid
of me, but I'd been in the house since May and it was just one more thing
I had meant to do. With visions of frozen pipes in my head, I wondered if
the 24 hour Wal-Mart was open at 11:30 PM on New Year's night.

And I had to be at work on Wednesday, so I was looking at missing work to
let in a repairman. And would I be lucky enough to get a repairman before
the pipes burst?

Before I left to find out if the Wal-Mart was open, I decided to try my
luck with a Google search of the furnace symptoms. Fifteen minutes later, I
knew that it probably the flame sensor. I even found photos of what it
looked like. Plus some model specific information that my furnace has
eyes, that like the flame sensor, need periodic cleaning.

Another hour and a half later, the sensor was lightly sanded with fine
paper, and the eyes were gently wiped with a paper towel. I also wiped the
sandpaper grit off the flame sensor. It is now three hours since the
furnace failed. My house is now in the mid 50's and if it weren't for the
stress and the exercise I'd be cold.

Power back on, thermostat on. The furnace starts, lights ... and stays lit
and produces most welcome warmth.

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on holidays
too. Is there anything it cannot do?

--
Tony Sivori

Meat Plow wrote:

On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:45:22 -0500, Tony Sivori wrote:

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on
holidays too. Is there anything it cannot do?

Did you invoice yourself for the emergency service call?

I will now. What is a midnight holiday service run? $250 minimum?

--
Tony Sivori

Tony Sivori wrote:
[Note the cross post. Follow-ups set to alt.home.repair]

Ah, what luck. My furnace quit working last night. This is a long
rant and a "poor me" post, not a request for help. So if you're not
to inclined to point and laugh at the clueless, you might not want to
read on.

I thought the trouble was the thermostat. The Lux 500 had given me
trouble many times before; it showed the low battery warning even
with fresh batteries literally if I touched it wrong when adjusting
the temperature.

A few days ago I noticed that it sometimes the Lux thermostat let the
temperature fall five degrees below the set point before the furnace
(Ruud Silhouette II) ran. I'd have to turn it to off and then back
on, then it would run ok for a few days. I was concerned about the
Lux crapping out entirely, so I picked up a Honeywell RTH110B at
Lowes. I didn't get around to installing it.

Last night (New Years Day) at around 10 PM the temperature was in the
upper teens, the coldest night we'd seen this year in Louisville. My
furnace stopped running. I assumed it was the thermostat.

The symptoms we if I turned the thermostat to "off" then back to
"heat" the furnace would begin to start. I'd hear the whine of the
power vent. The the igniter (it's a pilot-less furnace) would glow,
and then the natural gas would start. The gas ignited fine, all
burners looked perfect, but it ran for about five seconds then
chopped off abruptly. This cycle repeated two or three times then
nothing until I turned the thermostat off and then on again.

It was getting cold in the house, so I decided that now was a great
time to replace the thermostat. :-) I turned off the breaker to
the furnace, and swapped the Honeywell for the Lux.

It was the first time I swapped a thermostat. I was disappointed at
the flimsiness of the connections of the Honeywell. The screws were
too damn tiny, and the plastic back flexed so bad I feared it would
break as I tightened the terminal screws. But nothing broke, and I
completed the swap with apparent success.

Hoping I hadn't bought a dud thermostat, I turned the power back on
and then turned the Honeywell to heat. The power vent started and I
figured I had a winner. Good thing, as it took an hour to swap the
thermostat and the house was even colder.

Guess what, the furnace did the same thing it did with the old Lux.
Start, light three times, each time quitting after five or ten
seconds.

At this point I was really frustrated not to mention worried. I had no
means of alternate heat. No kerosene heater, no electric radiator.
Stupid of me, but I'd been in the house since May and it was just one
more thing I had meant to do. With visions of frozen pipes in my
head, I wondered if the 24 hour Wal-Mart was open at 11:30 PM on New
Year's night.

And I had to be at work on Wednesday, so I was looking at missing
work to let in a repairman. And would I be lucky enough to get a
repairman before the pipes burst?

Before I left to find out if the Wal-Mart was open, I decided to try
my luck with a Google search of the furnace symptoms. Fifteen minutes
later, I knew that it probably the flame sensor. I even found photos
of what it looked like. Plus some model specific information that my
furnace has eyes, that like the flame sensor, need periodic cleaning.

Another hour and a half later, the sensor was lightly sanded with fine
paper, and the eyes were gently wiped with a paper towel. I also
wiped the sandpaper grit off the flame sensor. It is now three hours
since the furnace failed. My house is now in the mid 50's and if it
weren't for the stress and the exercise I'd be cold.

Power back on, thermostat on. The furnace starts, lights ... and
stays lit and produces most welcome warmth.

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on
holidays too. Is there anything it cannot do?

--
Tony Sivori

So why are you telling us / or me this Tony? You just needed to bang out
some letters to the world?

--
Zyp

Zyp wrote:
Tony Sivori wrote:
[Note the cross post. Follow-ups set to alt.home.repair]

Ah, what luck. My furnace quit working last night. This is a long
rant and a "poor me" post, not a request for help. So if you're not
to inclined to point and laugh at the clueless, you might not want to
read on.


Before I left to find out if the Wal-Mart was open, I decided to try
my luck with a Google search of the furnace symptoms. Fifteen minutes
later, I knew that it probably the flame sensor. I even found photos
of what it looked like. Plus some model specific information that my
furnace has eyes, that like the flame sensor, need periodic cleaning.

Another hour and a half later, the sensor was lightly sanded with fine
paper, and the eyes were gently wiped with a paper towel. I also
wiped the sandpaper grit off the flame sensor. It is now three hours
since the furnace failed. My house is now in the mid 50's and if it
weren't for the stress and the exercise I'd be cold.

Power back on, thermostat on. The furnace starts, lights ... and
stays lit and produces most welcome warmth.

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on
holidays too. Is there anything it cannot do?

Not very much!


So why are you telling us / or me this Tony? You just needed to bang out
some letters to the world?


I'd call it educational, for others who might have that problem one day.
bj

On Jan 2, 12:27 pm, Tony Sivori wrote:
Meat Plow wrote:
On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:45:22 -0500, Tony Sivori wrote:

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on
holidays too. Is there anything it cannot do?

Did you invoice yourself for the emergency service call?

I will now. What is a midnight holiday service run? $250 minimum?

--
Tony Sivori

A friend of mine called me on x-mas because a furnace was out at one
of her rentals. I told her I had family obligations and couldn't look
at it. She called a "medium" size local heating contractor. The
issue? Badly clogged Spaceguard filter. Cost? $225, without
changing the filter, just removing it. Replacing it would have been
$50 more.

JK

On Jan 2, 2:45�pm, Big_Jake wrote:
On Jan 2, 12:27 pm, Tony Sivori wrote:

Meat Plow wrote:
On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:45:22 -0500, Tony Sivori wrote:

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on
holidays too. Is there anything it cannot do?

Did you invoice yourself for the emergency service call?

I will now. What is a midnight holiday service run? $250 minimum?

--
Tony Sivori

A friend of mine called me on x-mas because a furnace was out at one
of her rentals. �I told her I had family obligations and couldn't look
at it. �She called a "medium" size local heating contractor. �The
issue? �Badly clogged Spaceguard filter. �Cost? �$225, without
changing the filter, just removing it. �Replacing it would have been
$50 more.

JK

lessons to be learned, have a alternative heat source always on site
for emergencies, have furnace serviced yearly as a preventive
maintence check.

newer furnaces require much more service

on thermostats i have a second thermostat in parrell with the one
upstairs, its normally set on 50 so if my fancy thermostat breaks
things wouldnt freeze.

also convenient for days like today working in shop

Tony Sivori wrote:

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on holidays
too. Is there anything it cannot do?

I remember my furnace crapping out and tracking it down to an inline
electrical thermal protection device in the motor that thoughtfully
protected itself by not opening, but by burning itself up on both ends.

Figuring I could just buy one of these the next day, as I even had the
part number, but the part wasn't sold separately. I called the part
manufacturer, found they had sold the division to another company,
called them, and gave a good story. They fabricated five of them and
sent them to me free. It took three weeks for them to make the samples,
but this is in California, and I wasn't freezing.

It's still going about 20 years later. It's now a rental unit, and I
thought about a new furnace, but it still seems to work fine.

Most people are not aware of a device that's beejn installed in electrical &
electronic equipment for several years now. It's called the Critical Detector.
This device senses when the equipment is of the greatest importance to the user,
and sends a command to the device to self-destruct. Critical Detectors are the
reason certain company's stocks are so high now.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Retired Shop Rat: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
Speak softly and carry a loaded .45
Lifetime member; Vast Right Wing Conspiricy
Web Site: www.destarr.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tony Sivori wrote:
[Note the cross post. Follow-ups set to alt.home.repair]

Ah, what luck. My furnace quit working last night. This is a long rant and
a "poor me" post, not a request for help. So if you're not to inclined to
point and laugh at the clueless, you might not want to read on.

I thought the trouble was the thermostat. The Lux 500 had given me trouble
many times before; it showed the low battery warning even with fresh
batteries literally if I touched it wrong when adjusting the temperature.

A few days ago I noticed that it sometimes the Lux thermostat let the
temperature fall five degrees below the set point before the furnace (Ruud
Silhouette II) ran. I'd have to turn it to off and then back on, then it
would run ok for a few days. I was concerned about the Lux crapping out
entirely, so I picked up a Honeywell RTH110B at Lowes. I didn't get around
to installing it.

Last night (New Years Day) at around 10 PM the temperature was in the
upper teens, the coldest night we'd seen this year in Louisville. My
furnace stopped running. I assumed it was the thermostat.

The symptoms we if I turned the thermostat to "off" then back to "heat"
the furnace would begin to start. I'd hear the whine of the power vent.
The the igniter (it's a pilot-less furnace) would glow, and then the
natural gas would start. The gas ignited fine, all burners looked perfect,
but it ran for about five seconds then chopped off abruptly. This cycle
repeated two or three times then nothing until I turned the thermostat off
and then on again.

It was getting cold in the house, so I decided that now was a great time
to replace the thermostat. :-) I turned off the breaker to the
furnace, and swapped the Honeywell for the Lux.

It was the first time I swapped a thermostat. I was disappointed at the
flimsiness of the connections of the Honeywell. The screws were too damn
tiny, and the plastic back flexed so bad I feared it would break as I
tightened the terminal screws. But nothing broke, and I completed the swap
with apparent success.

Hoping I hadn't bought a dud thermostat, I turned the power back on and
then turned the Honeywell to heat. The power vent started and I figured I
had a winner. Good thing, as it took an hour to swap the thermostat and
the house was even colder.

Guess what, the furnace did the same thing it did with the old Lux. Start,
light three times, each time quitting after five or ten seconds.

At this point I was really frustrated not to mention worried. I had no
means of alternate heat. No kerosene heater, no electric radiator. Stupid
of me, but I'd been in the house since May and it was just one more thing
I had meant to do. With visions of frozen pipes in my head, I wondered if
the 24 hour Wal-Mart was open at 11:30 PM on New Year's night.

And I had to be at work on Wednesday, so I was looking at missing work to
let in a repairman. And would I be lucky enough to get a repairman before
the pipes burst?

Before I left to find out if the Wal-Mart was open, I decided to try my
luck with a Google search of the furnace symptoms. Fifteen minutes later, I
knew that it probably the flame sensor. I even found photos of what it
looked like. Plus some model specific information that my furnace has
eyes, that like the flame sensor, need periodic cleaning.

Another hour and a half later, the sensor was lightly sanded with fine
paper, and the eyes were gently wiped with a paper towel. I also wiped the
sandpaper grit off the flame sensor. It is now three hours since the
furnace failed. My house is now in the mid 50's and if it weren't for the
stress and the exercise I'd be cold.

Power back on, thermostat on. The furnace starts, lights ... and stays lit
and produces most welcome warmth.

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on holidays
too. Is there anything it cannot do?

Bless you for not dragging some poor service person away from the Bar on
News Years! ;-p

On Jan 2, 5:52 pm, Bubba wrote:
On Wed, 2 Jan 2008 11:45:58 -0800 (PST), Big_Jake



wrote:
On Jan 2, 12:27 pm, Tony Sivori wrote:
Meat Plow wrote:
On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:45:22 -0500, Tony Sivori wrote:

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on
holidays too. Is there anything it cannot do?

Did you invoice yourself for the emergency service call?

I will now. What is a midnight holiday service run? $250 minimum?

--
Tony Sivori

A friend of mine called me on x-mas because a furnace was out at one
of her rentals. I told her I had family obligations and couldn't look
at it. She called a "medium" size local heating contractor. The
issue? Badly clogged Spaceguard filter. Cost? $225, without
changing the filter, just removing it. Replacing it would have been
$50 more.

JK

So what you are telling us is that YOU are not much of a friend?
Send your "friend" a check for $225 and an apology.
That should get you back in good standings.
Bubba

Any other x-mas, I would have been able to look at it. The OP asked
what a service call on a holiday costs from a pro, and I gave him the
information.

We're not on alt.hvac, are we? :-)

JK

Bubba wrote:

So what exactly is your time worth?

About $20 per hour. More on weekends and holidays.

What will stop it from working next time? Do yourself a favor. Call a
reputable hvac company NOW and have the furnace serviced properly. It
will be inexpensive compared to what another non working furnace can
cause. Bubba

No doubt, a good idea.

--
Tony Sivori

SMS wrote:

Figuring I could just buy one of these the next day, as I even had the
part number, but the part wasn't sold separately. I called the part
manufacturer, found they had sold the division to another company, called
them, and gave a good story. They fabricated five of them and sent them to
me free. It took three weeks for them to make the samples, but this is in
California, and I wasn't freezing.

Samples? What did you do, tell them you were thinking of ordering a
jillion of them?

--
Tony Sivori

Big_Jake wrote:

A friend of mine called me on x-mas because a furnace was out at one of
her rentals. I told her I had family obligations and couldn't look at
it.
She called a "medium" size local heating contractor. The issue? Badly
clogged Spaceguard filter. Cost? $225, without changing the filter,
just removing it. Replacing it would have been $50 more.

On Christmas day, I think that is a reasonable charge. I just hope the
tech got to keep the bulk of it.

--
Tony Sivori

wrote:

lessons to be learned, have a alternative heat source always on site for
emergencies,

Yeah I'm off to Google to find a good kerosene heater.

on thermostats i have a second thermostat in parrell with the one
upstairs, its normally set on 50 so if my fancy thermostat breaks things
wouldnt freeze.

At least now I have a spare thermostat. Too bad the bases are not
standardized and interchangeable.

--
Tony Sivori

I wonder how many thermostats are purchased every year that did NOT need to
be purchased?

Why is is that everyone thinks "My furnace isn't working! My thermostat must
be broke!" That's
almost like having a light bulb burn out and then going out and buying a new
switch for the wall.

In looking at the subject line, a better question would be:

"Why is that so many customers wait until the coldest night to
request/demand service on their
furnace when they were told at the end of the LAST heating season that the
furnace was running
on borrowed time yet they expect us to 'COME OUT tHERE RIGHT NOW! I HAVE
BEEN
A CUSTOMER FOR 100 YEARS AND I AM GOING TO TAKE MY BUSINESS ELSEWHERE
IF I HAVE TO WAIT MORE THAN 10 MINUTES!!!!!' Which they WILL call every 10
or 15
minutes....."

Then again, I don't think that will fit on a subject line, but you get my
drift...

Dr. Hardcrab wrote:

I wonder how many thermostats are purchased every year that did NOT need
to be purchased?

Good question. At least a few I would imagine.

Why is is that everyone thinks "My furnace isn't working! My thermostat
must be broke!" That's
almost like having a light bulb burn out and then going out and buying a
new switch for the wall.

Not really. But if it pleases you to think so, go ahead. In my case the
thermostat had previously malfunctioned. Which I mentioned in the original
post. What I didn't mention was that I don't like programmable thermostats
so I wanted to replace it with a non programmable one.

In looking at the subject line, a better question would be:

"Why is that so many customers wait until the coldest night to
request/demand service on their
furnace when they were told at the end of the LAST heating season that
the furnace was running
on borrowed time yet they expect us to 'COME OUT tHERE RIGHT NOW! I HAVE
BEEN
A CUSTOMER FOR 100 YEARS AND I AM GOING TO TAKE MY BUSINESS ELSEWHERE IF
I HAVE TO WAIT MORE THAN 10 MINUTES!!!!!' Which they WILL call every 10
or 15
minutes....."

You probably just skimmed the post before replying. I don't blame you. :-)
I mentioned that I had only been in the house since May. The home
inspector that I used did test the furnace and he said that it could use a
cleaning. As far as hvac goes, I'm no one's long term customer.

Then again, I don't think that will fit on a subject line, but you get
my drift...

I think you're drifting alright, the question is where. Maybe, if you
would forgive the conjecture, into an over caffeinated state.

--
Tony Sivori

Just about everything is more likely to break down when it's used more
or put to more stress. Duh.

wrote:
Just about everything is more likely to break down when it's used more
or put to more stress. Duh.

Is that what it is? I woulda never guessed.

--
Zyp

Zyp posted for all of us...

wrote:
Just about everything is more likely to break down when it's used more
or put to more stress. Duh.

Is that what it is? I woulda never guessed.


That explains the calllous' on my hand?
--
Tekkie Don't bother to thank me, I do this as a public service.

On Jan 2, 12:45*pm, Tony Sivori wrote:
[Note the cross post. Follow-ups set to alt.home.repair]

Ah, what luck. My furnace quit working last night. This is a long rant and
a "poor me" post, not a request for help. So if you're not to inclined to
point and laugh at the clueless, you might not want to read on.

I thought the trouble was the thermostat. The Lux 500 had given me trouble
many times before; it showed the low battery warning even with fresh
batteries literally if I touched it wrong when adjusting the temperature.

A few days ago I noticed that it sometimes the Lux thermostat let the
temperature fall five degrees below the set point before the furnace (Ruud
Silhouette II) ran. I'd have to turn it to off and then back on, then it
would run ok for a few days. I was concerned about the Lux crapping out
entirely, so I picked up a Honeywell RTH110B at Lowes. I didn't get around
to installing it.

Last night (New Years Day) at around 10 PM the temperature was in the
upper teens, the coldest night we'd seen this year in Louisville. My
furnace stopped running. I assumed it was the thermostat.

The symptoms we if I turned the thermostat to "off" then back to "heat"
the furnace would begin to start. I'd hear the whine of the power vent.
The the igniter (it's a pilot-less furnace) would glow, and then the
natural gas would start. The gas ignited fine, all burners looked perfect,
but it ran for about five seconds then chopped off abruptly. This cycle
repeated two or three times then nothing until I turned the thermostat off
and then on again.

It was getting cold in the house, so I decided that now was a great time
to replace the thermostat. * :-) * * I turned off the breaker to the
furnace, and swapped the Honeywell for the Lux.

It was the first time I swapped a thermostat. I was disappointed at the
flimsiness of the connections of the Honeywell. The screws were too damn
tiny, and the plastic back flexed so bad I feared it would break as I
tightened the terminal screws. But nothing broke, and I completed the swap
with apparent success.

Hoping I hadn't bought a dud thermostat, I turned the power back on and
then turned the Honeywell to heat. The power vent started and I figured I
had a winner. Good thing, as it took an hour to swap the thermostat and
the house was even colder.

Guess what, the furnace did the same thing it did with the old Lux. Start,
light three times, each time quitting after five or ten seconds.

At this point I was really frustrated not to mention worried. I had no
means of alternate heat. No kerosene heater, no electric radiator. Stupid
of me, but I'd been in the house since May and it was just one more thing
I had meant to do. With visions of frozen pipes in my head, I wondered if
the 24 hour Wal-Mart was open at 11:30 PM on New Year's night.

And I had to be at work on Wednesday, so I was looking at missing work to
let in a repairman. And would I be lucky enough to get a repairman before
the pipes burst?

Before I left to find out if the Wal-Mart was open, I decided to try my
luck with a Google search of the furnace symptoms. Fifteen minutes later, I
knew that it probably the flame sensor. I even found photos of what it
looked like. Plus some model specific information that my furnace has
eyes, that like the flame sensor, need periodic cleaning.

Another hour and a half later, the sensor was lightly sanded with fine
paper, and the eyes were gently wiped with a paper towel. I also wiped the
sandpaper grit off the flame sensor. It is now three hours since the
furnace failed. My house is now in the mid 50's and if it weren't for the
stress and the exercise I'd be cold.

Power back on, thermostat on. The furnace starts, lights ... and stays lit
and produces most welcome warmth.

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on holidays
too. Is there anything it cannot do?

--
Tony Sivori


Lucky you that you were able to fix it.

Six years ago about 10 days before Thanksgiving our furnace caught
fire (btw, this is an extremely inefficient method of heating one's
house). We were able to put it out but not before the electrical
controls were melted and the furnace was kaput. Fortunately we were
home or the fire probably would've spread to the rest of the house.

So the next day we had a HVAC guy come out, he did some calculations
and we ordered a nifty new furnace to replace the 42 year old melted
one. The new furnace would be in on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
We were happy until we learned that the weekend before was the opening
of deer hunting season and there wasn't a single HVAC tech to do the
job until after Thanksgiving. I guess it must be a requirement to
have a current deer hunter license before you're allowed join the HVAC
ranks. So we made due with electrical heaters and thankfully the
weather stayed moderate.

Chris

"ChrisJ" wrote in message
...
On Jan 2, 12:45 pm, Tony Sivori wrote:
[Note the cross post. Follow-ups set to alt.home.repair]

Ah, what luck. My furnace quit working last night. This is a long rant and
a "poor me" post, not a request for help. So if you're not to inclined to
point and laugh at the clueless, you might not want to read on.

I thought the trouble was the thermostat. The Lux 500 had given me trouble
many times before; it showed the low battery warning even with fresh
batteries literally if I touched it wrong when adjusting the temperature.

A few days ago I noticed that it sometimes the Lux thermostat let the
temperature fall five degrees below the set point before the furnace (Ruud
Silhouette II) ran. I'd have to turn it to off and then back on, then it
would run ok for a few days. I was concerned about the Lux crapping out
entirely, so I picked up a Honeywell RTH110B at Lowes. I didn't get around
to installing it.

Last night (New Years Day) at around 10 PM the temperature was in the
upper teens, the coldest night we'd seen this year in Louisville. My
furnace stopped running. I assumed it was the thermostat.

The symptoms we if I turned the thermostat to "off" then back to "heat"
the furnace would begin to start. I'd hear the whine of the power vent.
The the igniter (it's a pilot-less furnace) would glow, and then the
natural gas would start. The gas ignited fine, all burners looked perfect,
but it ran for about five seconds then chopped off abruptly. This cycle
repeated two or three times then nothing until I turned the thermostat off
and then on again.

It was getting cold in the house, so I decided that now was a great time
to replace the thermostat. :-) I turned off the breaker to the
furnace, and swapped the Honeywell for the Lux.

It was the first time I swapped a thermostat. I was disappointed at the
flimsiness of the connections of the Honeywell. The screws were too damn
tiny, and the plastic back flexed so bad I feared it would break as I
tightened the terminal screws. But nothing broke, and I completed the swap
with apparent success.

Hoping I hadn't bought a dud thermostat, I turned the power back on and
then turned the Honeywell to heat. The power vent started and I figured I
had a winner. Good thing, as it took an hour to swap the thermostat and
the house was even colder.

Guess what, the furnace did the same thing it did with the old Lux. Start,
light three times, each time quitting after five or ten seconds.

At this point I was really frustrated not to mention worried. I had no
means of alternate heat. No kerosene heater, no electric radiator. Stupid
of me, but I'd been in the house since May and it was just one more thing
I had meant to do. With visions of frozen pipes in my head, I wondered if
the 24 hour Wal-Mart was open at 11:30 PM on New Year's night.

And I had to be at work on Wednesday, so I was looking at missing work to
let in a repairman. And would I be lucky enough to get a repairman before
the pipes burst?

Before I left to find out if the Wal-Mart was open, I decided to try my
luck with a Google search of the furnace symptoms. Fifteen minutes later,
I
knew that it probably the flame sensor. I even found photos of what it
looked like. Plus some model specific information that my furnace has
eyes, that like the flame sensor, need periodic cleaning.

Another hour and a half later, the sensor was lightly sanded with fine
paper, and the eyes were gently wiped with a paper towel. I also wiped the
sandpaper grit off the flame sensor. It is now three hours since the
furnace failed. My house is now in the mid 50's and if it weren't for the
stress and the exercise I'd be cold.

Power back on, thermostat on. The furnace starts, lights ... and stays lit
and produces most welcome warmth.

The Internet. Secret lover. Fixer of furnaces at all hours and on holidays
too. Is there anything it cannot do?

--
Tony Sivori


Lucky you that you were able to fix it.

Six years ago about 10 days before Thanksgiving our furnace caught
fire (btw, this is an extremely inefficient method of heating one's
house). We were able to put it out but not before the electrical
controls were melted and the furnace was kaput. Fortunately we were
home or the fire probably would've spread to the rest of the house.

So the next day we had a HVAC guy come out, he did some calculations
and we ordered a nifty new furnace to replace the 42 year old melted
one. The new furnace would be in on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
We were happy until we learned that the weekend before was the opening
of deer hunting season and there wasn't a single HVAC tech to do the
job until after Thanksgiving. I guess it must be a requirement to
have a current deer hunter license before you're allowed join the HVAC
ranks. So we made due with electrical heaters and thankfully the
weather stayed moderate.

Chris

I'm not a hunter (but I play one on TV) but with my company, it's the same
thing. Half are deer hunting and the other half are rabbit hunting on the
Eastern Shore.