We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim

--
Trolls and troll feeders go in my killfile

jim k wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim


Ianage but if it were oil I'd say photocell...


Nah. Uses a pair of electrodes for flame detection.

Tim

--
Trolls and troll feeders go in my killfile

Tim+ wrote:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim

Sounds like whatever flame detection method it uses has failed.
Older things possibly use a thermocouple to hold the gas valve open.
In the case of a boiler spares are fairly universal and i would expect a
tumble dryer to use similar parts.
If it uses an electronic flame detection like a condensing boiler, these
need to be clean and the metalwork earthed to get reliable operation.
Good luck

On 09/06/2016 20:44, Tim+ wrote:

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.
Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Thermocouple not working, hence not detecting the flame is lit so it
keeps sparking trying to light the flame, when the thermocouple still
doesn't report the flame lit the system cuts the gas?

Bob Minchin wrote:
Tim+ wrote:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim

Sounds like whatever flame detection method it uses has failed.
Older things possibly use a thermocouple to hold the gas valve open.
In the case of a boiler spares are fairly universal and i would expect a
tumble dryer to use similar parts.
If it uses an electronic flame detection like a condensing boiler, these
need to be clean and the metalwork earthed to get reliable operation.
Good luck


Well I cleaned and re-gapped the flame detector electrodes but that didn't
help.

I should say that I *did* find the fault eventually but it wasn't what I
was expecting. ;-)

Tim
--
Trolls and troll feeders go in my killfile

soup wrote:
On 09/06/2016 20:44, Tim+ wrote:

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.
Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Thermocouple not working, hence not detecting the flame is lit so it
keeps sparking trying to light the flame, when the thermocouple still
doesn't report the flame lit the system cuts the gas?


No thermocouple, it uses electronic flame detection.

Tim

--
Trolls and troll feeders go in my killfile

On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:

Well I cleaned and re-gapped the flame detector electrodes but that didn't
help.

I should say that I *did* find the fault eventually but it wasn't what I
was expecting. ;-)

Something nibbled?

Clive George wrote:
On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:

Well I cleaned and re-gapped the flame detector electrodes but that didn't
help.

I should say that I *did* find the fault eventually but it wasn't what I
was expecting. ;-)

Something nibbled?



Getting warmer. ;-)

Tim

--
Trolls and troll feeders go in my killfile

Tim+ Wrote in message:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim


Ianage but if it were oil I'd say photocell...

--
Jim K

Tim+ Wrote in message:
jim k wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim


Ianage but if it were oil I'd say photocell...


Nah. Uses a pair of electrodes for flame detection.

Tim


Them then? ;-)
--
Jim K

On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:
soup wrote:
On 09/06/2016 20:44, Tim+ wrote:

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.
Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)
Thermocouple not working, hence not detecting the flame is lit so it
keeps sparking trying to light the flame, when the thermocouple still
doesn't report the flame lit the system cuts the gas?
No thermocouple, it uses electronic flame detection.

Sorry, I was not clear, I tend to call any form of flame detection a
"thermocouple".

Reading some other replies, was the wiring from WFOFDYH(whatever form
of flame detection you have) in some way frayed (Guinea pig chewing the
wires: Just complete guessing now as I have no idea of your life
style) causing a 'no signal' situation?

soup wrote:
On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:
soup wrote:
On 09/06/2016 20:44, Tim+ wrote:

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.
Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)
Thermocouple not working, hence not detecting the flame is lit so it
keeps sparking trying to light the flame, when the thermocouple still
doesn't report the flame lit the system cuts the gas?
No thermocouple, it uses electronic flame detection.

Sorry, I was not clear, I tend to call any form of flame detection a
"thermocouple".

Reading some other replies, was the wiring from WFOFDYH(whatever form
of flame detection you have) in some way frayed (Guinea pig chewing the
wires: Just complete guessing now as I have no idea of your life
style) causing a 'no signal' situation?


I think this was the major problem. ;-)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymb5m53glh...2020.jpeg?dl=1

Looks like someone has tried to build a nest in the outlet vent cowl.

Tim
--
Trolls and troll feeders go in my killfile

On 09/06/2016 21:10, jim wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
jim k wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim


Ianage but if it were oil I'd say photocell...


Nah. Uses a pair of electrodes for flame detection.

Tim


Them then? ;-)

I'd guess that, but it is a guess.

On 09/06/16 20:44, Tim+ wrote:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

That's the sort of thing that happens when you have anything to do with
Europe.


Tim



--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone

On 09/06/16 22:41, Tim+ wrote:
soup wrote:
On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:
soup wrote:
On 09/06/2016 20:44, Tim+ wrote:

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.
Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)
Thermocouple not working, hence not detecting the flame is lit so it
keeps sparking trying to light the flame, when the thermocouple still
doesn't report the flame lit the system cuts the gas?
No thermocouple, it uses electronic flame detection.

Sorry, I was not clear, I tend to call any form of flame detection a
"thermocouple".

Reading some other replies, was the wiring from WFOFDYH(whatever form
of flame detection you have) in some way frayed (Guinea pig chewing the
wires: Just complete guessing now as I have no idea of your life
style) causing a 'no signal' situation?


I think this was the major problem. ;-)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymb5m53glh...2020.jpeg?dl=1

Looks like someone has tried to build a nest in the outlet vent cowl.

Tim

Yes one day I'll regale you with 'how a hibernating toad tripped my
entire house'



--
Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have
guns, why should we let them have ideas?

Josef Stalin

Well its safety circuit obviously thinks it is not lit so it has to be a
component in the flame detection circuit, or a problem with the
electrodes/connections to them then. Of course this assumes the flame is
burning as it should and where it should be, which is more to do with the
jets and the mixing of the air with the gas I suppose.

Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"jim" k wrote in message
o.uk...
Tim+ Wrote in message:
jim k wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a
huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to
see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks and
gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after
about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim


Ianage but if it were oil I'd say photocell...


Nah. Uses a pair of electrodes for flame detection.

Tim


Them then? ;-)
--
Jim K

If its been a while since its last use I guess corrosion could have
compromised the detection system. Why would it use electrodes? I'd have
thought a visual or heat sensor would have been more reliable.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Chris Bartram" wrote in message
...
On 09/06/2016 21:10, jim wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
jim k wrote:
Tim+ Wrote in message:
We got back from three weeks holiday touring Norway bringing home a
huge
pile of washing and our old faithful gas tumble drier decided it
wasn't
gonna play.

It's over 25 years old now and every year is a bonus but I'll hate to
see
it go.

Anyhow, symptoms we drum starts, gas valve opens, igniter sparks
and gas
lit as per normal. Unfortunately the igniter kept sparking and after
about
10 - 15 seconds the gas shut off.

Anyone fancy guessing the problem? ;-)

Tim


Ianage but if it were oil I'd say photocell...


Nah. Uses a pair of electrodes for flame detection.

Tim


Them then? ;-)

I'd guess that, but it is a guess.

On 09/06/2016 21:14, Tim+ wrote:
Clive George wrote:
On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:

Well I cleaned and re-gapped the flame detector electrodes but that didn't
help.

I should say that I *did* find the fault eventually but it wasn't what I
was expecting. ;-)

Something nibbled?



Getting warmer. ;-)

Something nibbled the earth connection in the supply?


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
On 09/06/2016 21:14, Tim+ wrote:
Clive George wrote:
On 09/06/2016 21:10, Tim+ wrote:

Well I cleaned and re-gapped the flame detector electrodes but that didn't
help.

I should say that I *did* find the fault eventually but it wasn't what I
was expecting. ;-)

Something nibbled?



Getting warmer. ;-)

Something nibbled the earth connection in the supply?



Well this was the "obvious" problem (once I looked for it!).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymb5m53glh...2020.jpeg?dl=1

Poor airflow through the burner stops the flame detector working but after
removing the blockage it would run, but still not properly. Eventually I
pulled out the motor and fan and found a huge concretion of dust & fluff in
the duct between the drum air exit and the sucking fan. So I can't
completely blame the mice/birds. Years of neglect also had a part to play.
;-)

Tim

--
Trolls AND TROLL FEEDERS all go in my kill file