Does furnace need propane to work?
So my neighbors are using our Motorhome for a family trip and called us last night and said they can't keep the pilot light for the propane, water heater lit. I was thinking at full hookups I was und...
Forum Discussion
Water heater is direct spark ignition, it does not have a pilot, only a main burner.
That behavior in the water heater, if Atwood, is the result of the ignition controller failing to recognize that the burner has lit, then shutting off the gas supply to the burner for safety. There are two common sources for this failure: the sparker/flash sensor has a discontinuity (cheap part to replace) or the control board is defective (more expensive to replace).
In a Georgetown, your furnace is also propane, direct spark ignition, working pretty much the same way: turn on the blower, turn on the gas, spark the gas, then shut off if it fails to detect a flame. The controller is a little more complex, it checks also for other problems like the blower not moving enough air through the combustion chamber and heat exchanger (sail switch) and thermostatic cutoff to prevent overheating. So there are a lot more things to keep the furnace from working, including not getting gas, not having enough 12V DC power, or failure of any of the components feeding information to the control board.
That behavior in the water heater, if Atwood, is the result of the ignition controller failing to recognize that the burner has lit, then shutting off the gas supply to the burner for safety. There are two common sources for this failure: the sparker/flash sensor has a discontinuity (cheap part to replace) or the control board is defective (more expensive to replace).
In a Georgetown, your furnace is also propane, direct spark ignition, working pretty much the same way: turn on the blower, turn on the gas, spark the gas, then shut off if it fails to detect a flame. The controller is a little more complex, it checks also for other problems like the blower not moving enough air through the combustion chamber and heat exchanger (sail switch) and thermostatic cutoff to prevent overheating. So there are a lot more things to keep the furnace from working, including not getting gas, not having enough 12V DC power, or failure of any of the components feeding information to the control board.
