Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

[jsfinn]

Hello,<br /><br />I've got a 9 year old natural gas furnace. For the past few years, the pilot light will go out once or twice a year. It's no big deal - it relights easy enough, it's just this morning, when I woke up, it was 58 degrees inside the house. <br /><br />Is this normal for a gas furnace or do I need to check something?<br /><br />By the way, the water heater is natural gas too and the pilot has never gone out.<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[gspig]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Make sure the pilot light gas tube and oriface are clean. My fireplace logs would do that, I finally checked the pilot light tube and there was a chunk of dirt in it.

 

[JB]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Take a look at your chimney/vent pipe, JS. Sounds like winds are getting down it. The top may be screwed up in some way.

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Clean your thermocouple connection or just replace it.I keep a spare at hand as most of the time they just go.<br /><br />>>>>>>>HAPPY BOATING DREAMS<<<<<<<

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

can you convert to an ignitor? You might call your gas company and ask. A conversion might fall under a conservation program.

 

[thejeepster02]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

As bart Sr said.<br />If your thermocouple is good. the MOST likly problem is the connection that screws in to the valve.<br />there are only micro volts going through it and if its dirty the valve will shut the pilot off. Even if its tarnished this will happen.<br />un-screw the thermocouple and clean with a pencil eraser BOTH inside the valve and the end of the thermocouple.

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

All good ideas. I'll post back and let you know what I find.<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[cajun555]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Make your daughter and sil move out. I was having the same problem last year. Seems every couple of days pilot would go out on heater. When they moved out never have had that problem again.

 

[dolluper]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Thermalcouple 30 millavolts good anything else replace

 

[radar750]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Js, Dont bother trying to clean or shine the thermocouple. If you go so far as to do that just replace it. Try to get a thermocouple called a Husky they are the best or a honeywell. Also clean you pilot tube and orriface so you have a strong pilot, nice and blue. Another thing to consider is a cracked heat exchanger. Not very common on a furnace of that age unless it was oversized and is cycling off the high limit or it was a really cheap furnace. When your furnace comes on watch your flame pattern, when the blower kicks on watch for any change in the flame pattern such as color or for flame rolling out.If you have the means you should check for ppm CO <br />levels from your vents. I hope you already have a good CO detector if not you WILL get one today. Good luck

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

Thanks again for the tips, everyone. I'm kind of learning as I go along here, and this is going to be a hard one to troubleshoot because it really only happens once or twice a year...<br /><br />Because this is so random, JB's response seems to be the most logical, except the last time it went out, it wasn't particularly windy and it certainly has stayed lit on days where the wind was really kicking up.<br /><br />The thermocouple seems to be the most popular problem.<br /><br />And Radar, there is a CO detector probably 10 or 15 feet away from the furnace. <br /><br />From what I'm guessing, the thermocouple is there as a safety to turn off the gas to the pilot light if there is no flame, is that correct?<br /><br />The pilot light seems to be very strong and blue.

 

[thejeepster02]

Re: Pilot Light on natural gas furnace

The thermocouple sets in the pilot flame. when its hot it sends a very small vlotage to the gas valve saying its okay to turn the main gas on.<br />If the pilot gos out, the lack of voltage from the thermocouple tells the gas valve NOT to turn on. This is a safity device so the house wont fill up with gas.<br />Replace the thermocouple, there less than 10 bucks and fairly easy to replace. just clean the small area on the valve where the thermocouple screws in to. <br />Good luck