Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Furance doesn't go on automatically

Hello, my furance doesn't switch on by itself when the house is very cold. Before it did but recently it hasn't been doing that automatically. I usually have to go turn on the furnace myself by pushing the switch with the bottom panel of the furnace. So is my ignition button broken or something? It seems to work when I manually do it but recently it hasn't been igniting itself recently. Here are some picture that may give you an idea what I meant.

http://www.magma.ca/~jtuyen/images/furnace.jpg
http://www.magma.ca/~jtuyen/images/switch.jpg

It is a carrier model furnace but I don't know which model number.

Thanks in advance.

The white switch you have to push?

That switch is the power switch.. WHen you remove the cover, it turns off the power for the furnace itself. Make sure the blower door is on all the way to keep the switch closed "ON"...

Now, if the system don't work, and you know for a fact that door on is pressing the switch to on.. When you remove the door, the switch is killing the power, and when you do that it "resets" the system and starts over again.

I think something is locking out on you..

Put cover on and tell us what all happens in order....

Pilot lit all times or do you have spark?

Kinda confused myself. Are you saying you push in on the panel and it starts up? If so that white button is a door interlock. See if the panel is on correctly or if the switch is coming loose.

The white switch you have to push?

Now, if the system don't work, and you know for a fact that door on is pressing the switch to on.. When you remove the door, the switch is killing the power, and when you do that it "resets" the system and starts over again.

I think something is locking out on you..

Put cover on and tell us what all happens in order....

Pilot lit all times or do you have spark?

Yeah that long white switch is what I have to manually push with the panel to start the pilot. Before I didn't have to manually do that, it would automatically turn on when the home temperature drops below a certain temperature. When I remove the cover the pilot goes off immediately. But what i'm saying is when the pilot goes off by itself and the house goes cold, it should automatically come back on by itself but it doesn't. So that is why I have to push that long white button to start up the pilot again. I just want to know how to fix it so it would start itself automatically without me pushing that button. The pilot isn't lit at all times, it only goes on once and that is it, I will have to manually light it myself by pushing the button.

Kinda confused myself. Are you saying you push in on the panel and it starts up? If so that white button is a door interlock. See if the panel is on correctly or if the switch is coming loose.

Well the door and the button is pretty snug. But what im guessing is that the ignition button is maybe a bit broken since it won't start up by itself without me pushing it. I want to know how to make it light itself automatically when the home drops a certain room temperature.

Ok, try to put some tape on that switch..

That switch is the power switch for the furnace.. it has nothing to do with lighting your pilot.


I am guessin what is happing that you are removing the door, the switch turns off, resets the system.. and when you push it in, it turning the power back on.

If the pilot never lights up till you press the door switch, then the door is not pressing the switch in all the way. Make sure there is a metal tab or some type on the blower door itself that presses the switch in when the door is put back on.

Ok I just put some tape on it and its back on. I'll post tomarrow morning or so and see if it stays on overnight or if the house still feels cold. Thanks for everyones advice, I really appreciate it.

Ok this is weird. I did the tape trick before I went to bed but I woke up middle of the night and had to start it up again. I wiggled the switch for a bit because I was fed up and now the furnace turns itself on automatically when the home temperature drops. Very weird ain't it? Oh yeah and I took off the tape and it works perfectly fine.

I would try to take a close look at it to make sure the wire hasn't come undone.. Since you wiggled it around, you may of made a connection again?