girl says: nothing happens when i turn it on!

[Joan6009]

Hey forum, i'm a single girl, living alone, and woke up freezing this morning! since i'm sleepin alone i figured i'd have to turn on my furnace and get the heat going...

well, i turn the thermostat on and NOTHING happens.
I went down to the basement and nothing was happening down there either, no blue light coming from the (old) furnace.
now i'm scared the house will blow up! [xx(]

i opened the front panel and there are no instructions on how to light the pilot... i did find a lever and turned it to "OFF" though.
can somebody wise help me?

i'm new at this homeowning thing!

[Troy]

Welcome to the forum!

First of all, if your pilot light is not on, then make sure the gas isn't on either! Otherwise it could be very dangerous.

Do you know what brand it is? If you can give us some more information, I am sure someone can help. Maybe even find a manual for it online.

16x80, sounds right up your alley. Got any ideas?

[Joan6009]

hmmm, i just checked it out and all it says is FEDDERS. it's dark brown... and that's literally all i can tell you.

i know the unit is at least 12 years old is what i've been told. it's been "rigged" in several odd ways.

i just want it to work. guess i'm going to have to call someone.

[sahmednc]

Hi:

I am having similar problem. Heating system doesn't work at all. Fan works, A/C works. Heating worked few weeks ago. So, I am going to look in the crawl-space to see if I need to replace the filter. I have never gone in the crawl-space and don't know what to look for in the heating system.

Can anyone give me some basic ideas? Is the pilot light similar to the one on water heater? Also, if the pilot is off, you mentioned to make sure gas is off too. How do I make sure gas is off too if the pilot light is off?

Sorry for such novice type of questions. But I would really appreciate any help.

Regards,
Shahab

[16x80]

Joan6009

Welcome to the Home Repair Forums and Home Ownership

AS for your pilot! On your old unit it would have a thermal couple to keep the pilot light lit. The pilot burns at a low flame keeping the unit in stand by until you turn up the heat and sends voltage to the unit, then the pilot light steps up (burns alittle hotter) to heat up the thermal couple which then opens the gas valve! If you have a bad thermal couple the pilot will go out and wont sense the flame and will not allow the gas valve to open (safety device).

I bet you have a bad thermal couple! If you can replace it you should be able to buy one at your local Lowe's or Home Depot! If not call out a service man.

When looking for a service company call 2 or 3 get rates and call the BBB to see if they have any complaints!

16x80

sahmednc Got you on your other post!

[Joan6009]

Hey 16X80... thanks for your reply. you people are so friendly and helpful...
i called a repairman and he's coming out tomorrow. to tell you the truth i thought i was a "handy gal" but i don't even know where the pilot light is on this old thing.

so i guess here goes $40 on a service call! thanks anyway!![8)]

[Joan6009]

You know, after i just posted that message about giving up and calling a repairman, something told me to go downstairs and give it one last try...

HURRAY! it was just that the pilot light was out.

i learned so much from the few responses, because i could hear a "click" when i turned the furnace on but nothing else, that i knew it couldn't be a thermostat...

YAY!!!

i just saved myself some money. thanks moderators!!!