Forum Discussion

carp65's avatar
carp65
Explorer
Jun 13, 2014

Front Furnace

The front furnace comes on but will not ignite. Appreciate any
information on where to look to solve this problem. Could a high
wind blowing against the outside vents have anything to do with
this? All info greatly appreciated

3 Replies

  • Carp, I've had strong winds blow the flame out in my water heater before!
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    The Furnace Cycle:
    T-stat feels chilly and calls for heat
    Control board starts blower
    Sail switch closes
    Control board starts ignightor and opens gas valve
    Control board switches to "Flame Sense" senses flame (Or Skip to not)
    Operation continues till T-Stat feels all warm and cuddled (Says STOP)
    Control board shuts down burner and starts timer
    Control board shuts down blower

    (NOT) control shuts off gas, waits and tries again and again and if still no flame goes into lock out and shuts down .

    Possible problems:
    Low batteries or bad electrical connections prevent blower from reaching speed
    Obstructions in/on heat vents prevent air flow from reaching speed
    Sail switch not sailing or not closing
    Bad control board
    Bad Solenoid
    Clogged burner orifice
    Ignition points too far apart (Very popular)
    NO PROPANE or obstruction in propane line or propane valve closed
    Bad flame sensor
    Bad flame sensing circuit on control board


    Happened to me twice 1st time due to spark gap (Points) and 2nd time bad control board.

    IF it is the board...... DINOSAUR BOARDS are lower in cost and much higher in quality in my not very humble opinion, also made in the USA.