Hello!
I have a Rheem Classic 90 Plus in my condo, circa 1998. I moved in about a year ago, and have had no problems with the furnace until now. I was hoping I could get some insight on the issue I'm having.
It's been cold here (20-30 degrees). Yesterday, I noticed that the heating in the condo wasn't working, and the temperature had dropped to about 60, compared to the 71 degrees at which it had been set. I fiddle with the thermostat some, and no dice. The fan seems to be working fine. If I set the thermostat to "Off" (as in neither Heat or Cool), and set the fan to "On", the fan turns on just fine. But when set to Heat, the fan turns off. When it's trying to turn the heat on, I can hear the furnace start making noise, and it vibrates, but the pilot light never turns on.
I took off the upper access panel on the furnace, but I'm not well-versed enough to identify if there is a problem by sight. However, with the access panel off, I used the thermostat to ensure that it would try to start heating. This time, the pilot light ignites and the fan starts, properly beginning to heat the condo. I replaced the access panel, and after a couple minutes, noticed that the heat had stopped again. I repeated the process, and it began working. At this point, I can consistently get the heat started by removing the access panel, making the heat turn on, then replacing the access panel without fully screwing it in. However, after a while of the heat working consistently for a few hours, it will eventually stop igniting the pilot light again, and I have to repeat the process.
Does this mean that there is some kind of air flow problem preventing the pilot light from igniting? Again, I'm not very knowledgeable about furnaces, so I don't know if there are any risks involved with keeping the access door not fully secured.
Additionally, while the pilot light is on, I can see some infrequent orange flickers in the flame, rather than pure blue all the time. This has me worried that there may be a gas leak, although I can't smell anything and do not feel ill. I have a carbon monoxide detector in the condo, and it has not gone off.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. It's cold, so I'm eager to get the heat back on, but not at the cost of a gas leak!
Thanks!
Derek
I have a Rheem Classic 90 Plus in my condo, circa 1998. I moved in about a year ago, and have had no problems with the furnace until now. I was hoping I could get some insight on the issue I'm having.
It's been cold here (20-30 degrees). Yesterday, I noticed that the heating in the condo wasn't working, and the temperature had dropped to about 60, compared to the 71 degrees at which it had been set. I fiddle with the thermostat some, and no dice. The fan seems to be working fine. If I set the thermostat to "Off" (as in neither Heat or Cool), and set the fan to "On", the fan turns on just fine. But when set to Heat, the fan turns off. When it's trying to turn the heat on, I can hear the furnace start making noise, and it vibrates, but the pilot light never turns on.
I took off the upper access panel on the furnace, but I'm not well-versed enough to identify if there is a problem by sight. However, with the access panel off, I used the thermostat to ensure that it would try to start heating. This time, the pilot light ignites and the fan starts, properly beginning to heat the condo. I replaced the access panel, and after a couple minutes, noticed that the heat had stopped again. I repeated the process, and it began working. At this point, I can consistently get the heat started by removing the access panel, making the heat turn on, then replacing the access panel without fully screwing it in. However, after a while of the heat working consistently for a few hours, it will eventually stop igniting the pilot light again, and I have to repeat the process.
Does this mean that there is some kind of air flow problem preventing the pilot light from igniting? Again, I'm not very knowledgeable about furnaces, so I don't know if there are any risks involved with keeping the access door not fully secured.
Additionally, while the pilot light is on, I can see some infrequent orange flickers in the flame, rather than pure blue all the time. This has me worried that there may be a gas leak, although I can't smell anything and do not feel ill. I have a carbon monoxide detector in the condo, and it has not gone off.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. It's cold, so I'm eager to get the heat back on, but not at the cost of a gas leak!
Thanks!
Derek
