[SEL] OT: furnace vs generator

[Andy Glines]

Thanks to SEL folks for the answers both on and off list.  I'm still cold but I have some good ideas to follow up on.  I will try to answer all the posts at one time.  This furnace does not have a pilot light.  It has a glowing hot coil that ignites the gas at the main burner.  The ignitor works and the gas comes on momentarily and lights.  The burner goes out after about 10 seconds.  Maybe a faulty thermocouple which I DID clean per recommendations.  Both the draft and main blowers run as they are supposed to.  I have considered the "dirty" power problem and it may be the cause.  I would think that if the "dirty" power was the problem that the burner would not light at all.  At this point, I will probably figure out how to jumper to the gas valve to keep it open and the flame burning.  
> > try cleaning the heat sensor that that hangs in front of the flame, sounds > > like it is not detecting the flame and shuts off, mine does that from time > > to time and I just take it out and clean it with some sand paper and it > > works fine then. They get a coating over time on the surface of the sensor. > > Hope this helps > It probably has an electronic board that controls burning, some of these don't like the "dirty" electrictiy produced by a generator. After Hurricane Gustav I ran my house on a generator for 10 days, my new washing machine wouldn't perform correctly. I used an old one with a mechanical timer, no problem. If you can find a large inverter it may run on this, some don't like that current either, if you ca't fine one large enough you could hook the blower direct and let the inverter run the electronics.
> > try cleaning the heat sensor that that hangs in front of the flame, > > sounds like it is not detecting the flame and shuts off, mine does > > that from time to time and I just take it out and clean it with some > > sand paper and it works fine then. They get a coating over time on the> surface of the sensor.> It probably has an electronic board that controls burning, some of these> don't like the "dirty" electrictiy produced by a generator. After Hurricane> Gustav I ran my house on a generator for 10 days, my new washing machine> wouldn't perform correctly. I used an old one with a mechanical timer, no> problem. If you can find a large inverter it may run on this, some don't> like that current either, if you ca't fine one large enough you could hook> the blower direct and let the inverter run the electronics.
> I run a genset back up power and have no problems running my propane> furnace. Are you supplying control power to your gas valve? Is your pilot> flame staying on? PK
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