no heat on thanksgiving

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peter s

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Hi,
I'm in a bit of a pinch, seems my carrier weather maker 8000 gas furnace will not kick on. The unit goes throught the process a few times and then stops trying . . . it appears the "glow plug type things" arn't glowing to ignite.

after looking inside, it appears the "thing" (I think that gets hot) on the right side has broken off and the "thing" on the left (a single wire looking thing) I think gets hot on the left isn't getting hot.

Any suggestions, it's about 55 degrees in the house now and I realy can't afford an emergency Thanks giving day repair bill . . . my wife and two kids will also appreciate any suggestions and/or expected repair options and costs.

At least the food will be warm! Happy Thanks giving!! Peter in Naperville, IL

Can I safely light this kind of furnace manually?
 
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Verdeboy

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I suggest doing a lot of cooking, and, when you're done cooking, keep the oven on with the door partly open.

This should get you through 'til tomorrow. :)
 

peter s

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not cooking today

thanks verdeboy but we're not cooking today, going to inlaws, just trying to get my home warmed up. Thanks for the suggestion though, not sure what to do or how much this may cost us.
 

Cass

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It sounds like a broken glow igniter.

If you can't afford a call today you will have to rough it tonight and if the oven and stove are electric you can use them as a heat source.

What is the outside temp?

Not sure if it can be ignited manualy...I am going to guess that it can...if it is the igniter. Be very careful if you do as it could blow back a flame in your face if you do it wrong.
 
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Dunbar Plumbing

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If you can't afford a call today you will have to rough it tonight and if the oven and stove are electric you can use them as a heat source.


Not to cause a stir Cass but I personally would never give that advice to anyone, no matter if it's worked for people for years.

Lots of fires have been created from that situation. I really wish product makers would put a sensor on those doors that would shut down the unit after it's been open. Following the same idea as a dryer.


I'd advise the people go stay with family or get a hotel room until the matter is resolved, all in the lines of safety. Stoves are not intended for heating homes, especially when most times they are near walls or refridgerators, areas where a child could unknowingly walk up and burn themselves greatly.

And if the non-tip clip wasn't installed....
 
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peter s

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its about 32 going down to 22 F tonight. At what point would be the safest to manually light the furnace during the starting process? Thanks for your feed back Cass!!
 

Verdeboy

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its about 32 going down to 22 F tonight. At what point would be the safest to manually light the furnace during the starting process? Thanks for your feed back Cass!!

No point. If it was a standing pilot, we could walk you through how to light the pilot. Being an electric spark unit, there could be many things wrong with your furnace and it is not advisable to stick a lit match anywhere.

I've been in that situation before, and kept warm from the heat of an oven, whether gas or electric. Just watch the kids. You can also borrow a couple of space heaters from your relatives/friends.

PS: For gas oven, crack the nearest window a bit and, put your CO detector in the kitchen , if you have one.
 
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Bob NH

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Socks and Wollen Stocking Caps

If it is only going down to 22 F it probably won't get cold enough inside to freeze the pipes. Dig out the hats and wool socks and crawl into bed. Multiple occupancy will keep you from freezing.
 

peter s

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Well it's the day after thanksgiving, the heat is back on and I've learned a few things . .
- the furnace can be safely lit by hand while a new ignition kit is on the way.
- the ignitian kit can be purchased for about $36.00 bucks and installed easily (w/care)in a couple of minutes.
- unfortunately all was learned after a $264.00 service call . . . Ouch!!!l
 

Verdeboy

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Are you saying that you got charged $264.00, and they haven't fixed your problem yet?
 

peter s

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The problem was fixed with a new ignition kit, so we're all warm again thankfully! The mechanic was great and explained/showed me the safe way to ignite the furnace by hand again if need be in the future. He also confirmed the part I found on-line earlier today for $36.00 was what he just installed.
Service call $89.00
Part and installation $175.00 total out the door $264.00
Length of service call was about ten minutes including paperwork.

To Learn and to Live is to Share and Give . . . thanks everyone for all your help!
Peter
 

peter s

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heating a 70's tri-level

Well as mentioned above, the heat is working now and thats cool;)

Any suggestions on improving or achieving a more consistant temp in this small tri-level (about 1500 sq. ft.) . . . we open and close certain floor vents depending on the time of the year but obviously, it always ends up being much warmer upstairs if we want to keep the lower levels (family room, kitchen and living room) more comfortable.

I figured with the incredible wealth of knowledge on this site perhaps someone might have a couple of tips besides a house with a different floor plan:eek:

Thanks again for your help. Peter
 
R

Rancher

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He also confirmed the part I found on-line earlier today for $36.00 was what he just installed.
Service call $89.00
Part and installation $175.00 total out the door $264.00
Length of service call was about ten minutes including paperwork.
Soooo.... He marked up the retail part cost by 500%, and charges $600+/hour for labor.

What the heck did I spend 5 years going to collage for to get a degree.

Rancher
 

Jadnashua

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Having adequate return ducts can make a huge difference in the evenness of the rooms in the house. Also, if you run the fan either longer (may have an adjustment on the furnace's thermostat if you are lucky) or continually (works much better with a variable speed fan though), constantly moving the air around cleans more dust out and evens the temperature out.

I've got a big return at the top of the stairwell leading upstairs - it actually goes up near a skylight, so it nearly a flight above the ceiling of the rest of the upstairs. This acts like a big chimney, and I return this air to the furnace. It helps in the summer too, running the a/c, as the hottest air is what is returned, rather than the cool air near the floor. Last, consider purchasing some radiant barrier paper film (sold by many people on the internet) and stapling it to the underside of the roof rafters. It really helps in both cooling and heating seasons - it's basically aluminum foil over reinforced kraft paper - usually comes in 4' wide rolls. It lowered my summer attic temperature over 20-degrees, and in the winter, reflects heat back down into the house.
 

peter s

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radiant barrier paper . . .

Thanks for the info on the barrier paper . . . I was planning on changing out the vent fan in the attick this spring, (last I checked they're about $90 bucks - it gave out late this summer:mad:) I'll put the barrier paper in ASAP though if that will help!

It appears my furnace doesn't have a variable speed fan . . . wouldn't runing the fan all the time wear it out and increase the electric bill?

How do you folks feel about the whole house vent cleaning companys out there, is it a must do or . . . not?

Thanks for the input.

Peter
 

Jadnashua

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Yes, running the fan continuously will cost more and decrease its life. The other side is more even temperatures. In the system I have, it has a 16-speed fan, and when on without call for heat or cooling, it only runs at the lowest level, so it isn't too bad on electricity, but does help with the temperature. It ramps up and down as requried to meet the system needs.
 
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