Furnace Lighting Question

Question

Rained really hard all night and throughout the morning.  DW tried lighting the furnace to take the chill off.  The blower came on and the furnace started but shut down after about 10-15 seconds.  She tried again a couple of times with the same results.  About an hour later I tried it again.  It lit perfectly the first time and ran without any problems.  Later, in the afternoon, we tried it again.  It started once, shut off, and then lit the second try without a problem.  I mentioned in  the first sentence that it has been raining heavily, just in case their could be a moisture problem?  Both propane tanks are full.  Ideas?  Regulator?  Electrical?  Thanks. (when I said it lit after the second try, I mean it will try, I believe three times, before it shuts off) Note* The furnace is made by ATWOOD.  Also, I replaced the converter in July so I believe my batteries are fine.

artum_snowbird · Answer

There is so much self help info on google, but it really does help to know a model number.  Just put in the info, add the word troubleshooting, and you will likely be able to save yourself a bundle by figuring it out yourself.

john_joey · Answer

I'm guessing that you may have a crack in the ceramic of the sparker. After it sparks the probe is used to sense a flame. If it does not sense a flame the computer shuts it down. A crack in the ceramic during very wet conditions will wick away that minuet amount of flame generated current telling the computer that a flame is not present.

scottg · Answer

Often times the flame sensor is so covered in soot that it's insulated enough to not work. I have repaired four of them by using carburetor cleaner or a small brass brush. Just put a rag under it to catch the excess cleaner if you go that route.

salem · Answer

Thanks guys, this will give me something to look at.

filthy_beast · Answer

ScottG wrote:Often times the flame sensor is so covered in soot that it's insulated enough to not work. I have repaired four of them by using carburetor cleaner or a small brass brush. Just put a rag under it to catch the excess cleaner if you go that route.I would be concerned of my flame sensor was covered in soot. Furnace not  burning properly.

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