furnace issue

sledn

Active VIP Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
400
Reaction score
683
Location
Alberta
If there is not enough combustion air intake,it will deplete the trailers fresh air.This will make your eyes water.I have done it many times with construction heaters (propane).Check your combustion air intake for blockage.
 

Mike270412

Golden Boy
Joined
Apr 29, 2008
Messages
28,990
Reaction score
45,993
Location
GBCA
Yep,get her out of there till someone checks chit out!!!
Should have called me earlier Chris,don't know much about furnaces,but between me and rusty and a bottle,we could have run out there and had a look.
 

plio7

GBCA Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
9,512
Reaction score
9,291
Location
Calmer, formerly of the GBCA
who put the red tuck tape on the front? could there be some inside heating up and smelling?

that was just put on to seal it a little better.......she feels fine, dogs are fine, windows are open just incase, smell has been there for weeks with no signs or symtoms of anything......i'm pretty sure all is well, just hate the smell
 

jeffg463

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
199
Reaction score
23
Location
Edmonton
The flame should be blue indicating proper combustion air and clean fuel venturi's at the manifold. Orange can indicate dusty manifold and venturi's, insufficient combustion air, or low gas pressure which can cause improper flame "lift-off" at the burner tubes. If there isn't a small gap (somewhere between 1/8" and 1/4") between the burner tubes and the flame it could cause the orange flame and in turn cause the burner tubes to heat up and give off odor which would be more prevalent near the furnace as, of course, combustion gas and your hot circulating air should not be mixing.CO or carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and heavier than air gas and I believe your finger nails turn bright red when you have had CO exposure.
Have the propane company check the gas regulators.
In a propane installation such as yours there are generally 2. A first stage usually located at the tank and a 2nd stage, usually located on the side of the mobile home. With this up and down weather it could be a regulator. A low pressure gas condition can cause flame impingement (flame touching burner tubes) which is sortof like lack of combustion air (combustion air is needed for "lift-off) I'm a plumber/gas-fitter by trade, but am embarrassed to say it's been a while since I took all this stuff in school. Sounds like a regulator problem from what I've read, but as my wife frequently points out I've been wrong before.
 

Pinner

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2009
Messages
668
Reaction score
774
Location
B.C.
Jeff maybe you could figure this out. My 30 yr old nat gas furnace very rarely will light and then make a weird blowing sound for a few seconds.
 

BIGFOOT

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
5,528
Reaction score
1,079
Location
Hidden zone
The flame should be blue indicating proper combustion air and clean fuel venturi's at the manifold. Orange can indicate dusty manifold and venturi's, insufficient combustion air, or low gas pressure which can cause improper flame "lift-off" at the burner tubes. If there isn't a small gap (somewhere between 1/8" and 1/4") between the burner tubes and the flame it could cause the orange flame and in turn cause the burner tubes to heat up and give off odor which would be more prevalent near the furnace as, of course, combustion gas and your hot circulating air should not be mixing.CO or carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and heavier than air gas and I believe your finger nails turn bright red when you have had CO exposure.
Have the propane company check the gas regulators.
In a propane installation such as yours there are generally 2. A first stage usually located at the tank and a 2nd stage, usually located on the side of the mobile home. With this up and down weather it could be a regulator. A low pressure gas condition can cause flame impingement (flame touching burner tubes) which is sortof like lack of combustion air (combustion air is needed for "lift-off) I'm a plumber/gas-fitter by trade, but am embarrassed to say it's been a while since I took all this stuff in school. Sounds like a regulator problem from what I've read, but as my wife frequently points out I've been wrong before.

.... Good points. I just assumed the tank had adequate volume & flow rate was good to control valve.
 

plio7

GBCA Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
9,512
Reaction score
9,291
Location
Calmer, formerly of the GBCA
.... Good points. I just assumed the tank had adequate volume & flow rate was good to control valve.

volume is still acceptable, stoney propane will be out tomorrow, and furnace inspection for firday, detector says CO is within tolerance, but it is still reading some so there is some issue somewhere.

thanks all for all of the info, i will have the guy check my regulators, and they will be inspecting the chimney, gf doesnt want to wait for me to come home to look.....but with a furnace probably better someone else does it....not my stong suit
 

plio7

GBCA Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
9,512
Reaction score
9,291
Location
Calmer, formerly of the GBCA
just an update, so the apparent problem was my regulators were both not allowing enough pressure, this caused a ba burn and my chimney to plug almost solid, chimney has been cleaned, furnace cleaned, inspection guy coming back on monday to re-inspect everything but the CO is back to 0 and the smell is gone....:d
 

jeffg463

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
199
Reaction score
23
Location
Edmonton
Jeff maybe you could figure this out. My 30 yr old nat gas furnace very rarely will light and then make a weird blowing sound for a few seconds.

Hi Pinner, not a whole lot of info to go on. Does the furnace pilot stay lit?
 

Pinner

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2009
Messages
668
Reaction score
774
Location
B.C.
Pilot stays lit, it just makes a blowing sound, pretty loud really, it just seems to light weird. Unless it has an automatic pilot...I've never seen that, it's a 30 yr old furnace.
 

Bill Daley

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2011
Messages
1,394
Reaction score
0
Location
Burford Ontario
Most of those furnaces even back then had electronic ignition.This is the second trailer that I have had and both furnaces were the same.
 

imdoo'n

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
57,287
Reaction score
50,396
Location
alberta
i'm confused, why the hell are you putting ducks in the furnace and pipes?
why haven't they gone south, someone call the spca, ducks are being abused.:beer:



friggin ducks everywhere
 

jeffg463

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
199
Reaction score
23
Location
Edmonton
Pilot stays lit, it just makes a blowing sound, pretty loud really, it just seems to light weird. Unless it has an automatic pilot...I've never seen that, it's a 30 yr old furnace.

Still, I'm missing some info. But one guess off the top of my head would be really dirty burner tubes. at 30 years old it will have a standing pilot. meaning it's lit all the time with the help of a thermo-couple. Thermocouple, when heated, generates millivolts which in turn powers your gas valve allowing gas through it. and keeps the pilot lit. It (the thermocouple) actually powers your thermostat as well.When you turn up the thermostat it tells the gas valve to give even more fuel and the furnace runs until temperature is satisfied. I hope this isn't your main furnace:) If the furnace is running and providing heat it is probably just dirty.
Give the thing a good cleaning with a shop vac (filter in!)
try not to suck out the pilot or you will have to relight. Best done on a warm day:) Before starting look on the furnace panel for pilot lighting instructions and visually note where the pilot flame is --if you have to relight.
Nothing worse than it going out and can't figure how to get it going again.
If you get this Pinner PM me with a number and I can call you, I have free LD. Maybe over the phone I can help you a lot more by being able to ask a few questions.:beer::beer:
 
Top Bottom