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Nov. 11th, 2006 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickToday I actually fixed a furnace. Frequently I go out to fix furnaces and completely fail to fix them, but this time I actually fixed the damn thing. Go me! The tenant called and said that she'd just gotten new fuel oil and that the furnace wouldn't run. This is not unusual. Furnaces frequently fail to fire following fuel filling. Usually it's either that they need to be bled (easy) or that they need a new nozzle (not terribly difficult). So, I went in to look at the damn thing and I troubleshot and I fix0r3d!
Most of the things I know to do with an oil furnace start with "Press the red reset button and see what happens." I actually asked the tenant if she'd pushed the red reset button (in this case, the tenant has access to the furnace) and she said, "Yeah, my dad told me how to do that and I did it and nothing happened." Right, but this is a tenant. Maybe she didn't do it correctly. I tried pushing the red reset button myself, in my official and landlordly capacity.
Nothing happened. Nothing at all.
That was weird because usually pressing the reset button (assuming that the thermostat is calling for heat, o'course) makes the fuel pump crank up and fires the electronic ignition thingie. You can hear all of that happen and it makes some noise. If all goes well, the furnace shortly makes a woof noise after the first noises as the transformer sparks and lights the fuel oil on fire. After that, the furnace heats the water/air and then (eventually) the circulator/fan kicks on and there is heat. However, if I've been called, things are clearly not getting to the "heat" part of the program. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find out where the hell the problem is.
So, after I pressed the button and nothing happened, I dove into my pathetic and sad trouble-shooting diagram. The "nothing happens when you press the reset button" was a new one for me so I wandered in the wilderness for a while, but here's the more streamlined process that eliminates all the dumb-ass things I tried:
1. Is the thermostat stuff working AND calling for heat? (Usually this is a no-brainer, but it was like 70 degrees today.) Bypass the thermostat issues by using a screwdriver to connect the two thermostat control wires to force a "calling for heat" situation. Usually they're labled T. See if furnace kicks on.
2. Is electric getting to the furnace control box? Locate the fuse for the furnace (15 amp). If you're very lucky, you can read this off the little map inside the fuse box cover. (If you're me, you will not be lucky and there may not even *be* a cover on the fuse box.) Flip the fuse a couple of times. Firm action ==> Good. Floppy action ==> Bad. Leave the fuse in the ON position when you're done with this step. Next, take the cover off of the control box on the furnace and use your electric testing thingie to test the White and Black wires (not red/orange) that come in to see if there is juice in them.
3. Assuming that there IS electric and that the thermostat (or screwdriver) is calling for heat and you still have no dice, the control box is probably not working. At this point, you should go to hardware store, explain the state of your troubleshooting thus far, float your theory of control box failure, and ask for suggestions. (Make sure you have a good hardware store. If your hardware store is not able to help you with stuff like this, you need a different hardware store.) If they agree with you, get a new control box of a sort compatible with your furnace. (Take the cover of the existing control box with you if you aren't sure what kind you need. The model numbers are on the covers.)
4. Replace control box. Turn off electrics to furnace. (I am chickenshit about electrics and do not like to be shocked.) Unmount old control box (two screws hold it in place) and stretch out the wires a bit so that you have some room to work. Remove one wire at a time from old control box and connect it to the correct location on the new control box. Don't change things up or stuff won't work. Once all wires are connected, mash wires into the junction box from which they came and mount the new control box.
5. Test your work by restoring electric power to the furnace. The furnace *may* fire on its own. If it's not cold enough, you may need to jump the thermostat (see 1A) to test things. If the furnace starts (as this one did), stay and chat with tenant while furnace runs a bit... at least until there is heat (hot water or hot forced air).
So, that went well and I feel all marginally competent today. Yay!
Most of the things I know to do with an oil furnace start with "Press the red reset button and see what happens." I actually asked the tenant if she'd pushed the red reset button (in this case, the tenant has access to the furnace) and she said, "Yeah, my dad told me how to do that and I did it and nothing happened." Right, but this is a tenant. Maybe she didn't do it correctly. I tried pushing the red reset button myself, in my official and landlordly capacity.
Nothing happened. Nothing at all.
That was weird because usually pressing the reset button (assuming that the thermostat is calling for heat, o'course) makes the fuel pump crank up and fires the electronic ignition thingie. You can hear all of that happen and it makes some noise. If all goes well, the furnace shortly makes a woof noise after the first noises as the transformer sparks and lights the fuel oil on fire. After that, the furnace heats the water/air and then (eventually) the circulator/fan kicks on and there is heat. However, if I've been called, things are clearly not getting to the "heat" part of the program. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find out where the hell the problem is.
So, after I pressed the button and nothing happened, I dove into my pathetic and sad trouble-shooting diagram. The "nothing happens when you press the reset button" was a new one for me so I wandered in the wilderness for a while, but here's the more streamlined process that eliminates all the dumb-ass things I tried:
1. Is the thermostat stuff working AND calling for heat? (Usually this is a no-brainer, but it was like 70 degrees today.) Bypass the thermostat issues by using a screwdriver to connect the two thermostat control wires to force a "calling for heat" situation. Usually they're labled T. See if furnace kicks on.
2. Is electric getting to the furnace control box? Locate the fuse for the furnace (15 amp). If you're very lucky, you can read this off the little map inside the fuse box cover. (If you're me, you will not be lucky and there may not even *be* a cover on the fuse box.) Flip the fuse a couple of times. Firm action ==> Good. Floppy action ==> Bad. Leave the fuse in the ON position when you're done with this step. Next, take the cover off of the control box on the furnace and use your electric testing thingie to test the White and Black wires (not red/orange) that come in to see if there is juice in them.
3. Assuming that there IS electric and that the thermostat (or screwdriver) is calling for heat and you still have no dice, the control box is probably not working. At this point, you should go to hardware store, explain the state of your troubleshooting thus far, float your theory of control box failure, and ask for suggestions. (Make sure you have a good hardware store. If your hardware store is not able to help you with stuff like this, you need a different hardware store.) If they agree with you, get a new control box of a sort compatible with your furnace. (Take the cover of the existing control box with you if you aren't sure what kind you need. The model numbers are on the covers.)
4. Replace control box. Turn off electrics to furnace. (I am chickenshit about electrics and do not like to be shocked.) Unmount old control box (two screws hold it in place) and stretch out the wires a bit so that you have some room to work. Remove one wire at a time from old control box and connect it to the correct location on the new control box. Don't change things up or stuff won't work. Once all wires are connected, mash wires into the junction box from which they came and mount the new control box.
5. Test your work by restoring electric power to the furnace. The furnace *may* fire on its own. If it's not cold enough, you may need to jump the thermostat (see 1A) to test things. If the furnace starts (as this one did), stay and chat with tenant while furnace runs a bit... at least until there is heat (hot water or hot forced air).
So, that went well and I feel all marginally competent today. Yay!
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 03:47 am (UTC)I am going to have to TWOP this Veronica Mars thing of which you speak to see what it is that has you captive.