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goofasap's avatar
goofasap
Explorer
Apr 22, 2015

suburban furnace won't start

we have a suburban furnace that will not start up.
When we run the temp up for it to kick on...there is a click at the furnace....and nothing.....
The battery tested good...replaced the thermostat and ...no change..
I removed the furnace and had it bench tested at camp world and it worked fine. Re-installed it and it worked for a couple days, then reverted back to the original problem.
Now what to look for ?? converter ? how would I determine if the converter is the issue?
  • im going with fan control relay. either on the board or off the board, with a remote possibility of motor. the board mounted relays are problematic. intermittent on the motor would be more rare IMO. assuming the click and no fan.
  • Old-Biscuit wrote:

    If it has a bad stand alone timed delay relay it can 'click'
    If bad relay is on circuit board it can 'click'
    If sail switch is stuck closed...you can hear just a 'click' and nothing will run
    If motor is bad you can hear a 'click'
    Click could be just at t-stat when contacts close.


    If you can hear a bi-metal relay click, a sail switch click when it is stuck in only one position, or a computer board which doesn't have any magnetic relays click (that I know of) then you got some super hearing ability. Me I can only hear the igniter clicking when the furnace is not on the bench.

    To the OP take a look at the following Youtube.. You need two things to have ignition spark and gas. If you hear the sparker, then it leaves only gas. Now if you do have ignition and it goes out after a few seconds, then it will be your electric safeties coming into play. If you have no ignition but do have spark....

    On Edit:

    Bugs love the smell of propane and will do all sorts of damage to that area. You might pay to install some screens on the furnace if your area is prone for this happening.

    Second Edit:

    OP You may also have a slow leak in your propane line allowing air. Prior to running the furnace try to light the stove with a match. It should ignite right away, and not blow the match out. If air is in your line after sitting for awhile then your furnace need to cycle a few times before the line is purged of the air. If you want to get fancy you can build a manometer pretty cheaply.
  • The fan must be running before the ignitor or gas valve operates.
    OP: does the fan run?
  • John&Joey wrote:
    Old-Biscuit wrote:

    If it has a bad stand alone timed delay relay it can 'click'
    If bad relay is on circuit board it can 'click'
    If sail switch is stuck closed...you can hear just a 'click' and nothing will run
    If motor is bad you can hear a 'click'
    Click could be just at t-stat when contacts close.


    If you can hear a bi-metal relay click, a sail switch click when it is stuck in only one position, or a computer board which doesn't have any magnetic relays click (that I know of) then you got some super hearing ability. Me I can only hear the igniter clicking when the furnace is not on the bench.

    To the OP take a look at the following Youtube.. You need two things to have ignition spark and gas. If you hear the sparker, then it leaves only gas. Now if you do have ignition and it goes out after a few seconds, then it will be your electric safeties coming into play. If you have no ignition but do have spark....

    On Edit:

    Bugs love the smell of propane and will do all sorts of damage to that area. You might pay to install some screens on the furnace if your area is prone for this happening.

    Second Edit:

    OP You may also have a slow leak in your propane line allowing air. Prior to running the furnace try to light the stove with a match. It should ignite right away, and not blow the match out. If air is in your line after sitting for awhile then your furnace need to cycle a few times before the line is purged of the air. If you want to get fancy you can build a manometer pretty cheaply.


    Well if OP responds back with info on 'when' he hears click and whether or not fan runs then we'll have better info as to the 'click'
    Surprisingly clicks from furnace can be other things than JUST spark electrode.

    And one does not have to purge AIR out of propane lines unless lines have been opened/fittings removed etc.
    What one needs to do after a prolonged period of not using the propane system is establish flow and place a demand on LP Regulator.
    That is why it helps turning on stove top burners......establish flow and place demand on LP Reg.
  • I would check the voltage at the furnace before I did anything else. Your OP said it worked when you first reinstalled it, then quit. Maybe the battery recovered enough to run it for a short time before the voltage dropped.

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