Replyoh, one more observation:
4) i've never previously looked at the burners while the unit was working, but i'm assuming that if it's working properly i'd be able to see blue flames. I don't see anything, and i don't feel any heat near the burner box.
Regular Guest
Hi, before describing the problem, here's my furnace specs:
Model: GUI075A012BIN (everything says Inner-City Products... also says RPJ II)
Serial: L951611014 (1995 date makes sense... same year this TH was built)
Input BTU: 75K
Capacity Output BTU: 60K
In the middle of the night last night, we felt cold air blowing from the vents, and at around 3am, the thermostat said the air temp was 64 (we set it to 70), so we just shut it off. By the time we woke up a few hours ago, the temp was at 61 (still there now). I've tried shutting off the power and gas to the furnace, then turning them back on, and running the system. Each time, it turns on, takes close to 10 minutes before blowing any air out, and then the air being blown is cold... then just continues blowing cold air until i shut it off at the thermostat. I've read that it's supposed to automatically shut off if not working properly, so I let it run for at least a half-hour... didn't do it automatically, so i did it manually.
A couple quick observations:
1) can't see any light flashing through the viewport
2) one website said to look for rollout switch and press button on it to reset. i see the switch on top of the burner box, but there's no button.
3) out water heater is gas as well, and we have very hot water this morning, so I'm pretty sure it's not a gas issue.
Any ideas of what might be wrong or what things I can look at to help determine what's wrong before deciding to call an expert?
Thanks in advance.
Regular Guest
oh, one more observation:
4) i've never previously looked at the burners while the unit was working, but i'm assuming that if it's working properly i'd be able to see blue flames. I don't see anything, and i don't feel any heat near the burner box.
Professional Member*
you need to call a pro to diagnose why the unit is "locking out" There could be any number of things that would cause your situation. Good luck
Professional Member
Check out our Contractor Locator Map in my signature.
Professional Member*
This website would never tell anyone to be resetting limits. The roll out limit tripped means there is a danger at the firebox area. If you reset it and the flame was burning beyond the firebox, it could catch some other components on fire, leading to a possible bigger fire. That is a manual reset and not an auto reset for a reason, so a service tech can troubleshoot your furnace to see why the roll out opened. Please call a pro out, gas furnaces can be very, very dangerous, the risk is not worth what a simple service call might cost.Originally Posted by Actuarial
__________________________________________________ _______________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards" ~ Vernon Law
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." ~ John Wooden
"When the teachers become unteachable we're all in trouble" ~ Mr. Bill
"Remember "Pro" is only a name, it's not always a mindset determined to do everything correctly" ~ Mr. Bill
Regular Guest
Found out that my wife's uncle does HVAC for a living, so i gave him a call. From what I told him on the phone, he said it sounds like it's probably the igniter, but he'll be here later this afternoon to take a look. thanks for your help.
Regular Guest
just to follow up, he tested the voltage on a white wire (i assume it was for the ignitor) and got a reading of 123V... which assured him that the ignitor was the problem. when he got the part out, he pointed out a white spot showing it was burnt... looked like it was cracked too. got the new ignitor in (while noting that Comfort Makers make it more difficult than other brands) and fired it up without a problem. he also shared a few other bit of info, like how to use the dampers that i didn't even know were there, and that the life span of the furnace should be no less than 20 yrs (i thought it was 15+), but that for AC it's more like 10-15 (both of mine are original to the house, 16 yrs). now i'm just waiting for the AC to die this coming year lol.
anyway, he only charged me for the part ($X), and i gave him $X to at least cover gas as well. for future reference in working with other contractors, i'm wondering whether the info on the invoice is pretty standard. he lives about 30-45 minutes from here, and wrote down start time 3:45/4:30, stop time 5:30, for 1.75 hrs of labor... then wrote $X on one line & $X on the next for a total of $X labor.
thanks again for your suggestions.
Last edited by jpsmith1cm; 12-18-2011 at 06:57 PM.
Regular Guest
also, the part used was the Uni-Line 41-405 (also replaces Norton's 201D & 271D). A quick online search shows that most places sell it for around $X, and "top sellers" on ebay sell it for as low as $X including shipping. Let me clarify that I'm not questioning the $X he charged... i know that a markup of X% or so is standard, so I'm perfectly fine with the great overall deal I got.
What I'm wondering is if this is a universal model or an exact match to this furnace. The reason I ask is because he did some splicing as part of the replacement, and on this website (removed link) it says the following: "In an emergency you can always use a universal model and splice the wires." Now that i've seen someone do the replacement, I think I could do it myself in an emergency, so I'm considering spending $X to have a spare on hand. Would this be the model I should buy, or would there be a more "perfect" model that I should look for?
Thanks again.
Last edited by jpsmith1cm; 12-18-2011 at 07:00 PM. Reason: removed pricing and link
Professional Member*
I am glad you got it fixed, I like happy and "safe" endings, enjoy your heat.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards" ~ Vernon Law
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." ~ John Wooden
"When the teachers become unteachable we're all in trouble" ~ Mr. Bill
"Remember "Pro" is only a name, it's not always a mindset determined to do everything correctly" ~ Mr. Bill
Professional Member
Actuarial,
Posting pricing is not permitted by the rules of this site.
I edited your posts.
Professional Member*
No pricing allowed on this site.
Nice to see that your taking an interests in your heating system. Taking care of it can extend its life span.
If you think our goverment is screwed up. You haven't lived in another country.
Regular Guest
sorry, my bad. i guess i mostly retained the "non-DIY" part of the rules because when i read them a few hours ago, that's the mindset i was in (ie, "how can i figure out what's wrong here?")... completely forgot about the pricing rules. thanks for editing for me. anyway, asking about part compatibility is fine, correct?
Professional Member*
that is the correct part for your unit
the plug connector may have been a little differant and he had to remove it and use wire nuts instead. Not a big deal
whatever he charged you is what it is and he may to justify the part to his boss. iether way you have heat and the unit was checked out also so enjoy it
Professional Member*
Suggest to your service tech to get him a good Molex pin extractor, and he won't be having to do any splicing in the future, he can use the original Molex plug.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards" ~ Vernon Law
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." ~ John Wooden
"When the teachers become unteachable we're all in trouble" ~ Mr. Bill
"Remember "Pro" is only a name, it's not always a mindset determined to do everything correctly" ~ Mr. Bill
Regular Guest
nah, he owns the company, and only other employee is his son who helps out a bit, so he doesn't have to justify anything to anyone. like i said, i have no doubts that the parts cost was standard... and i certainly have no beef about the great deal i got for the service. just wanted to know whether that's the best part to buy for a spare if I decide to get one, which you answered. thanks for that.
Professional Member*
that is an old furnace. hope he checked the heat exchanger on that puppy. did he pull any limits out and inspect the heat exchanger or look up the burners? or a combustion test?
Regular Guest
i'm not really sure whether he did any of that. I was going back and forth between looking through the owner's manual & parts list, watching & talking to him, & watching football... so i wasn't watching everything he did.
he did tell me that furnaces should last 20-30 years, and that i shouldn't really need to replace mine until something really big breaks, like the heat exchanger. anything smaller like ignitor, sensors, thermocouple, etc, then it's worth it to do the repair.
anyway, speaking of furnace replacements, i'd like to know some info about this model for when i might have to shop for a new one. anyone know where i could find the efficiency info for this model? or know what the AFUE rating is for this model? based on the 1992 efficiency law, and what i've read to be average efficiencies during the mid-90's, i'm assuming it's somewhere in the low- to mid-80's for AFUE. thanks.
Professional Member*
The only place I would keep a "gas" furnace in my home for 30 years would be if I lived on the sun.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards" ~ Vernon Law
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." ~ John Wooden
"When the teachers become unteachable we're all in trouble" ~ Mr. Bill
"Remember "Pro" is only a name, it's not always a mindset determined to do everything correctly" ~ Mr. Bill
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