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February 21, 2008
auto pilot light steam heat
so today i woke up and my pilot on my steam heating system is out. it is an auto lighting pilot, so i followed all the directions and it stll does not ignite. it just clicks clicks clicks..i've done it 3 times so far and waited 20 minutes between attempts. Any thoughts on why this would not work? the area where you could manually light the pilot is blocked off (because it's supposed to be). Plumber time?
Comments
Sometimes moisture can interfere with the ignitor. Try drying it with a fan or blow dryer before calling a plumber.
Posted by: yaakovdoe at February 21, 2008 9:54 AM
Do you have an oil furnace for your steam heat system? If so, the same thing happened to me. It turned out that the oil duct got clogged, due to high usage during winter months, so the furnace wasn't getting fuel. So maybe your furnace needs cleaning too?
Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 10:03 AM
OP here, it is gas fed. but thatnks for the tip. it is definitely something to do with the pilot. i even tried cleaning the connections on the electrical. and it is definitely trying to ignite.. it's just not. and the piece that is put in to block the pilot so i wont light it manually is installed with a one way screw.. so i can't even get at it if i wanted to. time to call a pro...
Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 10:25 AM
You'll need and electrical test meter to figure out what's wrong.
While it's sparking, see if you've got 24 volts to the MV/PV and PV terminals on the ignition control module.
If not. Replace the module.
If so, it's probably the electronic gas valve malfunctioning.
Posted by: Master Plvmber at February 21, 2008 2:37 PM
I hope that we won't be reading about someones boiler exploding later today! Why don't you call a plumber or BUG? When they come out have them show you everything that they possibly can so that you will be more knowledgeable next time that you have a problem. I paid about $200 for a service plan from BUG and I make sure that I call them out at least twice a year.
Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 3:44 PM
Dont play with this, its dangerous. Call an expert boilerman. I use a person named Phil.
Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 4:22 PM
I awoke one morning to no heat. I have steam heat, gas-fed, after converting from oil to gas. Called a technician. Found out I was lucky the gas would not feed the burner. There was a blockage in the flue-the result of corrosion of the clay lining from the slower burning gas fuel. We would have died from carbon monoxide backing up into the house if the burning continued working. The problem was fixed with a new stainless steel lining, now mandatory where we live in Nassau as a result of this happening with many conversions. Good luck.
Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 7:52 PM
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