Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Janitrol Furnace Won't Stay Lit

I have a 12 year old Janitrol Furnace that won't stay lit. The glow plug will light and the flame will burn for 5-7secs. This process will happen 3 times and then the furnace will cut off. I replaced the thermocouple (flame sensor) with a new Goodman one with the same part #. The problem persists and I am perplexed (Which according to my wife is generally the case).

Seriously, any help would be appreciated. It's not cold here in WNC yet, but it will be soon.

Thanks,
:confused:

You must be one of only about a dozen people in the country who try their furnace before they need it.

Remove the flame sensor & clean it with Scotch Brite. Do not use sand paper or steel wool. Check all of the connections on the control board, especiallyl ground connections.

I replaced the flame senson with the exact same part #. I bought 2 (they were only 9$ each so I stocked up) and tried both. I am not an electrical person even though though I own and know how to use a meter. What would identify the ground wire?

Thanks for your help!

As you know, the sensor only has one wire. the ground return is thru the metal base, which is screwed to the metal frame.

After the third time out, you should get a blinking trouble light. Count the flashes and check the trouble code list. It should be posted inside the main blower cover.

Make certain that the sensor wire has continuity from the sensor to the circuit board.

I wonder how the flame is over where the sensor is? Fire has to be engulfing that sensor.

Does the ventor fan motor keep going when the flame quits or does that also quit?

Some routine things one can easily do is make sure something did not go wrong with the call for heat. (That you still have 24 volt power thru W on the low volt terminal block in the furnace). And you can jumper bypass the pressure switch to rule out something wrong with the switch or the venting. And you can easily remove the condensate drain hose and blow both ways to rule these things out, before finally saying that it must be the control board.

Goldstar,
thanks for your response. The light does not blink, it stays lit(red). The inside of the main blower says to reverse the "terminals"????

ecman51,
thanks for your response as well. Fire is indeed engulfing the sensor. The ventor fan keeps working the during all three cycles of trying to light, but the fan cuts off after three cycles. I am not very good with electricity, so the call for heat statement confuses me. All I know is that the furnace gets power (electricty) from the thermostat.

Thanks both for your quick responses! Any questions you may have will probally help. Remember, I'm a dumb a**.

Thanks again.

A call for heat is another way of saying that the thermostat is calling for heat and is energized.

From what you just said - if the ventor fan keeps running while the flame goes out (not counting when the whole thing shuts down, due to "lock out", as that don't count), that means your thermotat is still energizd when the flame goes out, and under most circumstances your problem would indeed be the flame sensor.

Be absolutely certain that your board or module is grounded to the metal of the furnace, either by design of the board or module having metal on it that ground to it, or some common ground wire that comes out of the board or module, and is inturn grounded to the furnace or to the ground wire directly.


Other than this, it is either going to be something to do with the combustion air not drafting properly or otherwise related to the presure switch, or, perhaps a problem with your condensate in your condensate line backed up. You have to eliminate these in diagnosing as I mentioned in my previous post. Checking these is free. Nothing to lose.

And if those check out, your problem is likely a faulty board(which is probably what your problem is, but I don't want to be responsible for you spending that money if you have not eliminated any of the other possibilities, no matter how slim. It is your money, not mine).

Thanks for the tips. I'll check those now.

thanks for your response. The light does not blink, it stays lit(red). The inside of the main blower says to reverse the "terminals"????

Have you done (or had done) any electrical work in the house that might have been connected to the main electrical supply or the electrical supply to the furnace? The "neutral" lead (white wire) of the electrical supply MUST be connected from the white wire connection in the furnace all the way back to the "neutral bus" (where all other white wires are connected) in the main electrical circuit breaker (or fuse) panel. If the black and white wires somehow were swapped in the course of some other work the furnace may very well light but not keep firing.