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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Funace pilot light... let it burn????

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Eddie in MI

05-30-2006 04:18:33




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It has been in the 90s here in SE Michigan. My furnace (forced hot water boiler) has the pilot light still going... but it's not going to kick on for the next 5 months or so. Is there any reason to leave the pilot light lit??? If I extinguish it will I save (significantly) on my gas bill?




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Mike in MI

05-31-2006 16:36:22




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
Eddie,
I turned of my furnace one summer and I thought that would be a cost savings. Only to find out when it came fall time I relite the pilot and turn the tempurature up to see everything was working ok.
I noiticed the flame wasn"t burning proper, red in color with no blue what so ever. So I called a furnace man out and he said the burner had to be replaced had built up rust around the orfice holes. The pilot light was giving off enought heat to keep the dampness from building up in the surounding area. He also said once in a while turn the furnace on even if it 90 in the shade out he said this keeps the burners cleaned out also. Haven"t had any problem since. Mike in SE MI

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Roy Suomi

05-31-2006 16:04:06




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
I was going to be a whizz kid and shut my garage furnace pilot off....Now my furnace is full of little dirty birdies..... ..After I clean it out, there'll be no more shutting off the pilot..... signed ; Whizz Kid



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Bus Driver

05-30-2006 09:56:13




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
The opinions already posted cover the full range of options. Personally, I prefer to extinguish the pilot when not needed. If a gas furnace is combined with airconditioning, the cool surfaces may condense the flue gases and cause rusting. For natural gas, the flue gases are composed 2/3 of water vapor. Many furnaces now have have electric ignition and have no standing pilot flame. Perhaps these technical facts will help you decide.

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BobReeves

05-30-2006 09:25:39




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
Friend of mine has a heat and air repair business. I asked him this question and he said leave the on. He makes lots of money in the fall cleaning out spider webs and replacing rusty heat exchangers.



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Joe in MN

05-31-2006 05:46:12




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to BobReeves, 05-30-2006 09:25:39  
Your Friend says that, --- only because it good for his business, sure don't help the home owner. Dirty basements can be a problem, and keeping the pilot light on only waste money, if the heat exchanger is rusty, it's very old and needs to be up-dated. Tell your so called friend, he would do better to be honest with his customers....



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Farmer in the Dells (WI)

05-30-2006 08:46:26




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 does gas type make a difference? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
You didn't mention what type of gas you are talking about. Whether or not it makes a difference is unknown but mine is LP



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Bob M

05-30-2006 09:23:49




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 Re: does gas type make a difference? in reply to Farmer in the Dells (WI) , 05-30-2006 08:46:26  
My furnaces are on natural gas. I haven't priced LP in a while but expect the savings for killing the pilot on LP would be somewhat higher than for natural gas.



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Bob M

05-30-2006 05:59:31




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
I've been shutting off the pilots in summer months on both my furnaces (gas forced air) for 30+ years. Have yet to have any problems with either.

With regard fuel savings, several years ago a friend who works for the gas company told me he figured a typical residential furnace pilot burns $10 or so of gas per month. Gas prices have since doubled. To me it's a "no brainer" to turn off the pilots now!

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Farmer in the Dells (WI)

05-30-2006 05:58:31




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
I have done both, leaving it on and turning it off. The only time I ever had trouble was one year after I was turning it off. The furnace man had to clean the port that fall and told me that moisture and spiders can both help to clog the port and that little flame keeps both away. What I saved on gas that summer was chewed up by the service call so I went back to leaving it on. No problems since.

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Yellott Canby

05-30-2006 05:38:38




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
Hello, I usually turn the one in my furnace( forced air) off for the summer. I look at it more as a safety issue as one less flame is one less chance of a fire. I also turn the ones off on my infrared shop heaters for the same reason. Also carbon seems to build up on it if it is left on as our gas is slightly dirty, comes from a well on the farm. We are in SE Ohio.



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JohnDeereGreen

05-30-2006 17:59:05




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Yellott Canby, 05-30-2006 05:38:38  
Where in SE Ohio? Just curious.
JohnDeereGreen



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Yellott Canby

05-30-2006 19:45:04




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to JohnDeereGreen, 05-30-2006 17:59:05  
Near Junction City Ohio, about 12 miles east of Lancaster



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joe fabregas

05-30-2006 04:41:04




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
Normally for hot water heat you leave them on all year. The water stays hot even if you don't call for heat, added expense. But if you shut them off everything cools down and you could end up with leaks that can lead to bigger problems, rust and corrosion, that will need repair when you need the system to operate. My boiler is steel and cooling and leaking can rust it out. Good luck. Joe in ny



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Bill in TN

05-30-2006 04:23:46




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 Re: Funace pilot light... let it burn???? in reply to Eddie in MI, 05-30-2006 04:18:33  
Don't know if you'll save or not.....I turned mine off as I don't want any extra heat, no matter how little, in the house.

I use ventless wall mounted heaters....the 2 year grandson stuck a paper towel in the pilot flame last year..... maybe that's the real reason for turning them off?



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