Furnace Issue

[kway]

My husband only turns one propane bottle on at a time, so if one goes empty we have a backup. Yesterday he filled one bottle while the other was still attached. This has never been a problem and may not even be a problem now, i dont know.

Yesterday was cold most of the day, so we left the furnace on set at 68 both for the rig and the comfort of our dogs.

Last night we went to bed around 8:30. It was cool inside but comfortable. Around 10:30 I woke up freezing and told my husband. He checked the furnace and it was blowing cold air. The temperature inside was 64. DH checked the propane and the tank was still reading green. He disconnected and reconnected both propane bottles, switched from one bottle to the next and even turned them both on at the same time.

He came in frustrated because he said he can hear the furnace ignite then it would blow warm air for a moment then he would hear it go out and cool air was that was left blowing. At that point we turned on the fireplace and little ceramic heater downstairs- we also have a cool to touch ceramic heater in the basement that we keep on.

We covered up with blankets and went back to bed. Now we've got to head out to work. We will leave the small heater on top of the island so the dogs don't knock it over but we really need ideas on what may be going on with the furnace. It is too cold outside not to run it.

Ideas?

[spock123]

Try turning your stove on and lighting it, sometimes you can get a vapor lock.


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[5picker]

Not sure what you meant by..."DH checked the propane and the tank was still reading green." Was it the switch over valve indicator (at the regulator) that was reading green or some kind of gauge on your propane tank?

If the switch over indicator remained green, it is odd that that the tank went empty without it turning to red. You said the second tank was originally shut off, so the furnace would have quit when the tank ran out but the switch over indicator should have shown that. (red) The switch over valve would have tried to switch over but couldn't because the second tank valve was shut off.

In any case, if the tank did in fact run out, once your husband turned on the second tank, (as mentioned above) it sometimes takes multiple attempts of the furnace relighting to purge the air from the system.

If I run a tank empty, I always light a stove burner before trying to restart another gas appliance. It sometimes take a minute of purging before gas gets to the burner to light. By purging this way, this keeps other appliances from going into 'lockout mode' from failed attempts at trying to light before the lines are fully purged.

Please post back what you find to be the problem.
It helps other who might be in the same situation.

[kway]

He lit the stove a couple of times after he switched over the tank. The stove lit but the furnace didn't stay on. He took off regulators this morning and put them back on - he thinks the thing might have been frozen because he reconnected and the furnace is working fine he says.

[5picker]

Hopefully a frozen regulator was the culprit but be aware it might freeze again.
A bit odd if the regulator was frozen that the stove lit but if he only lit one burner there could have been enough gas coming through for that.

Whenever troubleshooting propane supply problems, I light all three burners (on hi) and then try to light the furnace or the water heater and watch to see what the stove burners do. If the regulator and supply system is working as it should, when the furnace lights, you should see minimal difference in the flame of the stove burners.

[brookstone345sa]

Had exact same thing happen Thanksgiving week. Switched tanks and no go/ Next morning I shut off master disconnect and then back on/ bingo I had heat again. Make sure you open propane valves slowly or it will lock up on you. I tried the lighting stove procedure, still did not work.