Six year old Suburban sf-30 furnace issue
Hi all, sorry this is long but I am trying to give as much info to see if someone has any input. I have had issues with my furnace for a while (a few years) but now I want to get it fixed so I ...
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Just got in from the trailer. I took the furnace completely apart again and this time I was super anal about every single connection and part. Right down to taking the burner out and repositioning the electrode again. I sanded the electrode down with some sandpaper even though it looked perfect. I took special care to look at the burner jet. I used a sewing needle (sorry Old Biscuit-didn't see your post about being super careful with it) and carefully poked it through the hole to make sure it wasn't blocked with anything. It seemed fine, I don't think it was blocked or plugged with anything. After this I put everything back together triple checking every electrical connection.
At this point yesterday I would have had to put it back into position in the trailer to test it. But, today I found a gas line to bench test it to see how things went. I hooked it up to a battery I had sitting around, grabbed the spare propane regulator I had already and hooked up the propane. I was pretty worried as I tied the two thermostat wires together but as I did that, the fan started and a short while later I could here the electrode sparking. It fired immediately. I mean instantly. I don't ever remember it firing so fast. Being on the bench I could see the electrode sparking quite well, and the flame looked perfect and blue through the viewing window. Success!!!
At this point I am guessing it was the electrode. Even though it looked perfect, sanding it down may have done wonders. Of course it could have been the burner jet but who knows? I don't think there was anything else that I made different by wiggling and pushing things around.
Now, to put it back into position to see if it works in place. If it doesn't then I know there is an issue with my trailer propane system. I was using the same propane tank from the trailer so it would come down to the regulator or something wrong with the line to the furnace. That will be another time. Ran out of time tonight. I am just happy that it is running again and that I learned a ton about this furnace during this whole event.
Thanks everyone who gave ideas and input. Every time something like this comes up I like to take the opportunity to try and tackle it myself. Even if things don't get fixed and working, you learn a lot about how they are put together and how they work. That's never a bad thing. I know so much more about my furnace than I did before and getting information from people like you all makes it much easier to take this on. Thanks again.
At this point yesterday I would have had to put it back into position in the trailer to test it. But, today I found a gas line to bench test it to see how things went. I hooked it up to a battery I had sitting around, grabbed the spare propane regulator I had already and hooked up the propane. I was pretty worried as I tied the two thermostat wires together but as I did that, the fan started and a short while later I could here the electrode sparking. It fired immediately. I mean instantly. I don't ever remember it firing so fast. Being on the bench I could see the electrode sparking quite well, and the flame looked perfect and blue through the viewing window. Success!!!
At this point I am guessing it was the electrode. Even though it looked perfect, sanding it down may have done wonders. Of course it could have been the burner jet but who knows? I don't think there was anything else that I made different by wiggling and pushing things around.
Now, to put it back into position to see if it works in place. If it doesn't then I know there is an issue with my trailer propane system. I was using the same propane tank from the trailer so it would come down to the regulator or something wrong with the line to the furnace. That will be another time. Ran out of time tonight. I am just happy that it is running again and that I learned a ton about this furnace during this whole event.
Thanks everyone who gave ideas and input. Every time something like this comes up I like to take the opportunity to try and tackle it myself. Even if things don't get fixed and working, you learn a lot about how they are put together and how they work. That's never a bad thing. I know so much more about my furnace than I did before and getting information from people like you all makes it much easier to take this on. Thanks again.
