Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Trouble with pilot staying lite
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cableman713
11-09-07, 02:44 PM
A couple of day ago i ask about having trouble with the thermocouple on a 20+ year old funance. I replaced the thermocuple and still having the pilot light go out on me. The pilot light will work for a day maybe a few hours. There is no pattern when it go out. Today it when out and I had a hard time getting it back lite. I tap on the gas vaule and I got the pilot light lite.
Is there a spring or something inside the gas vaule that could be sticking? It looks like i can take apart a cap where the thermocouple sets.
The furnace is a WeatherKing. I don"t know the modle #.
I'm told that it is the same as a Rudd.
Any ideas.............
Cold in Indiana
Is there a spring or something inside the gas vaule that could be sticking? It looks like i can take apart a cap where the thermocouple sets.
The furnace is a WeatherKing. I don"t know the modle #.
I'm told that it is the same as a Rudd.
Any ideas.............
Cold in Indiana
jim-connor
11-09-07, 04:53 PM
Sounds like a bad gas valve. The best thing to do is to replace it. Not a difficult job if you are comfortable working with gas.
ecman51`
11-09-07, 05:16 PM
Could be the gas valve, yes.
But be absolutely certain the pilot flame is hitting the thermocouple good. I have also seen cases where the thermocouple screws into the gas valve itself is not making good contact. But I presume that by you changing yours out and tightening it, you'd THINK you'd have made good contact in there, unless the old one was loose and caused some kind of corrosive action to take place in there where the mating surface just is not very good.
But be absolutely certain the pilot flame is hitting the thermocouple good. I have also seen cases where the thermocouple screws into the gas valve itself is not making good contact. But I presume that by you changing yours out and tightening it, you'd THINK you'd have made good contact in there, unless the old one was loose and caused some kind of corrosive action to take place in there where the mating surface just is not very good.
cableman713
11-09-07, 08:00 PM
If it a bad gas value, I would not know where to start looking for one. The first fourth of the thermocouple is in the flame.
I looked at the contacts and they looked clean. At first I thought I didn"t get the thermocouple tight in the value body. This time it looks like a small tap on the gas value with the end of the lighter made it start working.
I looked at the contacts and they looked clean. At first I thought I didn"t get the thermocouple tight in the value body. This time it looks like a small tap on the gas value with the end of the lighter made it start working.
daddyjohn
11-10-07, 11:14 AM
With a standing pilot thermocouple valve, you can put in a generic. So far, the best price I've found on the 'Net is at www.air-n-water.com for a Honeywell VR8200A which is a universal continuous pilot gas valve for up to 200,000 btuh.
Grace_thermo
11-11-07, 01:32 PM
Hello,
My name is Grace, and I'm having the same trouble with my thermocouple. My dad can fix anything, but he is serving in the military overseas, and is therefore unable to assess the situation entirely.
However, we were able to trouble shoot to the point that we thought there was a bad thermocouple. We replaced that, and it still will not stay lit. As soon as we switch from "pilot" to "on", it goes out. Could the thermocouple not be in tight enough? It is definitely in the flame, and remains there - getting red hot.
It is a screw in thermocouple, but I did not use the two pieces it gave me with the HOneywell kit from home depot. It did not work with those. I also did not clean anything, and I keep seeing something about cleaning some area. It is very hard to access the thermocouple where it screws in near the pilot. We were concerned it might not be tight enough??? But someone mentioned that is not the problem.
Is it a bad gas valve? Or did I mess something up with the insertion of the thermocouple?
Also, if it is a gas valve, what is a reasonable estimate for how much it costs to replace THAT? (PS - I have radiator heat).
PLease - help - any suggestions or tips GREATLY appreciated.
Wishing I were smarter and, in turn, warmer,
Grace
My name is Grace, and I'm having the same trouble with my thermocouple. My dad can fix anything, but he is serving in the military overseas, and is therefore unable to assess the situation entirely.
However, we were able to trouble shoot to the point that we thought there was a bad thermocouple. We replaced that, and it still will not stay lit. As soon as we switch from "pilot" to "on", it goes out. Could the thermocouple not be in tight enough? It is definitely in the flame, and remains there - getting red hot.
It is a screw in thermocouple, but I did not use the two pieces it gave me with the HOneywell kit from home depot. It did not work with those. I also did not clean anything, and I keep seeing something about cleaning some area. It is very hard to access the thermocouple where it screws in near the pilot. We were concerned it might not be tight enough??? But someone mentioned that is not the problem.
Is it a bad gas valve? Or did I mess something up with the insertion of the thermocouple?
Also, if it is a gas valve, what is a reasonable estimate for how much it costs to replace THAT? (PS - I have radiator heat).
PLease - help - any suggestions or tips GREATLY appreciated.
Wishing I were smarter and, in turn, warmer,
Grace