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Offline franksolich

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primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« on: November 09, 2012, 06:18:36 PM »
http://www.democraticunderground.com/11581344

Oh my.

I had no idea furnaces clicked.

Quote
ProudToBeBlueInRhody (9,147 posts)    Thu Nov 1, 2012, 09:08 PM

Thermostat or furnace?

Lately I've been having an intermittent issue with my oil burning furnace and heating system. I'll turn up the thermostat, and hear a clicking sound from the furnace, but the heat won't come on. I also hear this occasionally as clearly the furnace is trying to come on in response to the thermostat automatically, but nothing happens. It will hum for awhile, then click off.

The furnace does still run by itself now and again, especially after I take a shower or do the dishes I'm assuming in response to using the hot water. It has turned on a couple times today by itself, maybe because it senses the basement getting colder as opposed to the bulk of the house?

As I said, it's intermittent. I had this issue a couple of weeks ago, then it went away.....it was happening on Monday before the storm knocked out power and then was fine Tuesday after the power came on and back to not really working tonight.

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jeff47 (5,096 posts)    Thu Nov 1, 2012, 09:37 PM

1. If the furnace responds somehow, then it's the furnace. If it doesn't, it could still be.

If the only demand is coming from the thermostat, then any activity on the part of the furnace means it got the signal from the thermostat. If you have a combined system where you get heat and hot water from the same unit, then the hot water demand could cause it to turn on.

Easiest test is to make sure the furnace isn't doing anything, and then crank the thermostat all the way up.

If the furnace keeps doing nothing, it is either the thermostat or the furnace. If the furnace does something, it's the furnace that has the problem.

Quote
Warpy (65,409 posts)    Thu Nov 1, 2012, 10:23 PM

2. Hard to say, but the clicking at the furnace suggests there is a faulty connection from the thermostat to the burner switch or something wrong within the stack control.

I'd call a professional for this one.

While you can clean the soot out of a stack control yourself, it's a nasty job and there is no guarantee that's the problem.

Quote
Thor_MN (4,204 posts)    Thu Nov 1, 2012, 10:59 PM

5. Been a long time since I've had an oil burner, but my guess would be air in the fuel line. I used to have to bleed the fuel line after the furnace had not been run for awhile. There was a bleeder valve on the oil filter housing and until clear oil was coming out (it was milky if air or water was mixed in) the burner wouldn't start running. Then again, that was 35 years ago...

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Kaleva (9,839 posts)    Fri Nov 2, 2012, 01:14 AM

6. Do you have a boiler and not a furnace?

Is the system maintaining the temp you set at the thermostat? You didn't mention if it's cold in your house.

If you have a boiler, it may already be up to high limit when you turn up the thermostat and the clicking you hear is the relay in the aquastat closing which powers the circulating pump but not the burner assembly as the temp is already at high limit.

If the temp in the house is what you have the thermostat set at (within a degree or two), there may be nothing at all wrong with your heating system.

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sinkingfeeling (26,323 posts)    Fri Nov 2, 2012, 08:54 AM

7. Sounds like the igniter is going bad.
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Offline 67 Rover

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2012, 06:31:38 PM »
Quote from: franksolich on November 09, 2012, 06:18:36 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/11581344

Oh my.

I had no idea furnaces clicked.


Piezoelectric device trying to ignite the burner.  Think of your gas grill and the way you ignite it by pushing the Red button.  After a period of time if there is no flame detected it will stop clicking and wait to try again.  Most furnaces use a thermopyle to detect when there is a flame and stop trying to light it.
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Offline miskie

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2012, 06:38:11 PM »
My first guess is the furnace ignitor is bad.
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Offline Chris_

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2012, 06:42:23 PM »
Quote from: miskie on November 09, 2012, 06:38:11 PM
My first guess is the furnace ignitor is bad.
That means the house is going to explode.
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Offline miskie

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2012, 06:57:46 PM »
Quote from: Chris_ on November 09, 2012, 06:42:23 PM
That means the house is going to explode.

....and that means its time for S'mores !   :cheersmate:
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Offline Toastedturningtidelegs

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2012, 08:46:40 PM »
dirty or bad igniter,gas valve could be bad too.Pilot assembly could be shot as well.
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Offline Chris_

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2012, 08:55:01 PM »
Quote from: Toastedturningtidelegs on November 09, 2012, 08:46:40 PM
dirty or bad igniter,gas valve could be bad too.Pilot assembly could be shot as well.
Yup.  House gonna go boom.
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Offline thundley4

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2012, 08:55:43 PM »
If the OP has any mechanical ability at all, it shouldn't be to hard to trouble shoot and repair.   I've worked on Oil fired and gas fired furnaces and the oil ones are much safer to work on. 

I've also worked on the big roof top AC units that business use.

Never have had any HVAC training, just electrical training.
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Offline RobJohnson

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2012, 12:30:52 AM »
Quote from: Chris_ on November 09, 2012, 06:42:23 PM
That means the house is going to explode.


 :rofl:
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Offline diesel driver

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2012, 03:11:43 AM »
Quote from: Chris_ on November 09, 2012, 06:42:23 PM
That means the house is going to explode.

We could only hope!   :-)

BTW, running the dish washer or taking a shower has nothing to do with your furnace, numbnuts.

F'N Obama voter!   :lol:
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2012, 04:16:52 AM »
uh.....putting some oil(diesel fuel) in the tank might help.....call Obama, tell him instead of filling your car gas tank how 'bout fill my heating oil tank.
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Offline catsmtrods

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2012, 04:19:56 AM »
As your local HVAC tech may I say your are all wrong but I am not going to post the fix here as to help the DUmbass.
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #12 on: November 10, 2012, 04:44:08 AM »
Quote from: catsmtrods on November 10, 2012, 04:19:56 AM
As your local HVAC tech may I say your are all wrong but I am not going to post the fix here as to help the DUmbass.

I bet I'm closer to right in this DUmmies case than anyone else..... :-)
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Offline Skul

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2012, 08:31:32 AM »
Quote from: JohnnyReb on November 10, 2012, 04:44:08 AM
I bet I'm closer to right in this DUmmies case than anyone else..... :-)
Some how, I think you are.  :rotf:
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Offline Randy

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2012, 10:41:33 AM »
If DUmmie has a forced hot water heater system then any water use would kick on the boiler. If the pump relay is clicking either the pump or relay is bad.
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Offline vesta111

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2012, 10:50:27 AM »
Quote from: Randy on November 10, 2012, 10:41:33 AM
If DUmmie has a forced hot water heater system then any water use would kick on the boiler. If the pump relay is clicking either the pump or relay is bad.

Forget all this, go out and buy a window pellet stove, I am told they work very well.
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Offline DumbAss Tanker

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #16 on: November 10, 2012, 11:15:12 AM »
Needs a new Pu-136 explosive space modulator.   But a new igniter would suffice.
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Offline GOBUCKS

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #17 on: November 10, 2012, 12:13:54 PM »
This is a very common problem with oil-fired furnaces. The DUmmy has some old heating oil that spent the summer either in his tank or in a retailer's storage facility, and suffered a lot of evaporation loss.

The result is the oil got too viscous to properly spray into his firebox.

Hopefully, the DUmmy's oil tank is less than half full. At any rate, the solution is to top the tank off with regular grade gasoline.

The DUmmy will find that gasoline sprays and ignites much more reliably than straight heatiing oil.

The blend should be at least 50% gasoline, up to 90%.

At current prices that will represent a nice savings over straight heating oil.
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Offline EagleKeeper

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #18 on: November 10, 2012, 12:23:40 PM »
Quote from: GOBUCKS on November 10, 2012, 12:13:54 PM
This is a very common problem with oil-fired furnaces. The DUmmy has some old heating oil that spent the summer either in his tank or in a retailer's storage facility, and suffered a lot of evaporation loss.

The result is the oil got too viscous to properly spray into his firebox.

Hopefully, the DUmmy's oil tank is less than half full. At any rate, the solution is to top the tank off with regular grade gasoline.

The DUmmy will find that gasoline sprays and ignites much more reliably than straight heatiing oil.

The blend should be at least 50% gasoline, up to 90%.

At current prices that will represent a nice savings over straight heating oil.


HA HA..I had the same problem with a boat that wasn't properly winterized.

That next spring I towed the thing down to Kentucky lake. I had to run out about a half a tank of gas before I could get to the gas dock.

The silver lining is that now I can disassemble\clean\reassemble a Rochester carburetor in about 5 minutes. 
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Offline catsmtrods

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #19 on: November 10, 2012, 01:32:24 PM »
Quote from: GOBUCKS on November 10, 2012, 12:13:54 PM
This is a very common problem with oil-fired furnaces. The DUmmy has some old heating oil that spent the summer either in his tank or in a retailer's storage facility, and suffered a lot of evaporation loss.

The result is the oil got too viscous to properly spray into his firebox.

Hopefully, the DUmmy's oil tank is less than half full. At any rate, the solution is to top the tank off with regular grade gasoline.

The DUmmy will find that gasoline sprays and ignites much more reliably than straight heatiing oil.

The blend should be at least 50% gasoline, up to 90%.

At current prices that will represent a nice savings over straight heating oil.

Bingo! You must have had some training in the field.
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~ Dr. William Pierce


 

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Offline Zeus

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #20 on: November 10, 2012, 01:42:39 PM »
Psst. Check the pilot light.
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Offline shoes off the couch

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #21 on: November 10, 2012, 01:50:27 PM »
Fuel oil is a nasty, smelly, dirty source of heat for ones home. Fitting that primitives in the deep blue New England area overwhelming utilize it. Civilized folk have progressed to natural gas which is far superior and tidier in all aspects. :tongue:
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Offline GOBUCKS

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #22 on: November 10, 2012, 02:00:44 PM »
Quote from: shoes off the couch on November 10, 2012, 01:50:27 PM
Fuel oil is a nasty, smelly, dirty source of heat for ones home. Fitting that primitives in the deep blue New England area overwhelming utilize it. Civilized folk have progressed to natural gas which is far superior and tidier in all aspects.
We used heating oil for many years. It was clean, odorless, and relatively (at the time) cheap.

The only drawback I ever saw was that it meant we had electric hot water, which was expensive.

Natural gas is cheap now; heating oil probably costs more.

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Offline shoes off the couch

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Re: primitive has problem with clicking furnace
« Reply #23 on: November 10, 2012, 02:07:10 PM »
Check the damper, DUmmie-

:lmao:

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« Last Edit: November 10, 2012, 02:40:59 PM by shoes off the couch »
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