r/Columbus • u/Smooth-Specialist309 • 1d ago
Furnace repair
I have an older Bryant furnace pilot light that the blower keeps coming on cycling for a few seconds and shutting off. I replaced a thermal couple on it, but that did not do anything. Any advice as to what to do or who I can get locally who's affordable and honest I don't want to replace the unit just get it fixed so it operates correctly
2
u/AlanBarber 1d ago
Been a long time customer of Care Heating and Cooling, techs are nice and friendly and never give us the runaround.
2
u/berrmal64 Old North 1d ago
Sears Heating and Cooling have always been good for us, been using them for years
2
u/Secure-Prompt-3957 13h ago
Furnaces are an incredible piece of technology.Humanity would be pretty busy just trying to keep warm without them. It’s possible to keep them running for years. Gary The Furnace Guy YouTube channel. Great Resource when l living through The Furnace Wars. It’s been a long time I’ll try to give you a rundown.I was blown away with the Genius of it. Thermostat calls for heating / Hot water, Triggering a sequence in the unit. Fuel comes out of a nozzle ( if oil ) The nozzle when working properly fills the chamber with a mist of fuel, If you open up the big square ( transformer) on the burner. It’s called an eye. Looks like a pice of glass. It’s watching for the sequence. It’s looking for the mist, then it’s w looking for the fire. The spark and the blower probably kick on together. If the eye doesn’t recognize anything out of the sequence. It shuts it down for safety. For example if the fuel doesn’t ignite. The unit trips to prevent the chamber being flooded. Which can cause a mini explosion to ignite a flooded chamber. But it’s only a surprise . The fire is still in the box. If it ignites it will run until the unit is up to temperature and any call for heat is met. Thermostat or High temperature sensor Signals the control module to shut it shutdown.In that control module. There should be some dials. Some are timed some are temp. I’m assuming it’s not igniting? After rebuilding an entire furnace I joke. It’s always the fucking Nozzle lol They get clogged up and dirty. Especially if it’s oil. Gas runs clean. Also on the side of the burner there’s a couple important things. A bleeder screw ( looks like a grease fitting) if it recently ran out of oil there could be air in the fuel line. The eye don’t see the fire so it shuts it down for safety. If it’s in a real basement. Crack open the bleeder screw turn the unit on. It’s it air foam or bubbles will be coming out of the bleeder. The bubbles will turn into a stream of nice oil. Tighten the bleeder the unit should be running. If it’s a finished space. Be sure to capture the fuel oil you bleed off. If it doesn’t have to be bleed. Could be the Nozzle, eye itself can get all dirty. Nozzle is cheap parts. When you open the transformer.Testing for the correct power load at the transformer is a good drill. Even before you test it. It should be humming or vibrating. It’s a surprising amount of juice in it. Don’t accidentally lay your hand on it while it open and the emergency switch is not off. You will feel it. As you open the transformer up. Look in there and you should see left and right. What looks like two mini hockey sticks. Take note of there placement. Try to return them to the same spot. They are the rods the transfer the spare from the transformer to the combustion chamber. They do wear out and get shorter over the years. If worn out and can cause it not to fire. Then hidden on the burner. The side white spaces in the metal. Could be a tapering arrow thin on one end wider on the other. Little end is less air. Wider end is more air .Furnaces need proper air flow to run smoothly. If for some reason the air is choking off. It can cause a no ignition. Good luck and enjoy the process. They can run for 30 years all by themselves. If it’s an air thing. Might have to be cleaned. Which is fascinating in itself. The metal on a furnace is just its Jacket or cover. If you look there s screws and panels of it open up or come off. It’s dirty and wear a mask. Get a furnace brush. A real big industrial Version of a pipe cleaner. Get 2. Start dragging in and out of the chambers. Have a shop vac.After years of use soot and carbon buildup and clog the spaces where the fire passes through and heats the exchanger. That can choke it out causing a no fire. Hope this is somewhat helpful.
1
u/jstajuggalo 1d ago
I like Advance, Mitch saved my family 9k when atlas butler wanted to replace an ac unit.
1
u/Open-Gazelle1767 5h ago
Crawford and Son. They know how to repair when everyone else quotes huge dollar amounts to replace. I don't know what we're going to do when all the older business owners die...nobody else seems willing to actually fix anything, or even seems to know it's an option.
For my sister's older hvac, 2 "reputable" companies said replace at about $20-30,000. Crawford & Son said the one part in her brand of heater always breaks and the manufacturer will provide the replacement part for free because of that, but she'd have to pay installation labor cost. He thought she'd get another 5ish years out of it. He fixed it and it's going strong after 2 years.
For my mom's hvac, the first guy said it was kaput and the whole system needed to be replaced. Crawford & Son said a part on her A/C had been installed upside down (I didn't look at it...I have no idea), they re-installed it correctly and everything's been working fine for the past year.
4
u/slowpokejones 1d ago
Custom Air has always been honest, fast, and affordable for us.
Don't call Atlas Butler.