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Furnace Ignitor

E

El Toro

Well-known Member
After 18 years I had to replace the ignitor on our Rudd NG furnace. I've had a spare for years that cost about $14.00 plus tax. They're probably higher in price now. Don't touch the probe end of the ignitor with your hands. A nut driver is needed to remove & reinstall the bracket. Shutoff the AC voltage while doing this. Hal
a146793.jpg
 
Mine has a circuit board and then a wire running up to something similar to a spark plug. This cold weather spell has me keeping my fingers crossed it keeps working !
 
Our Furnace dealer wanted $75 for one. I got my
spare from GRAINGERS, about 2 years ago, also
for around $14
 
First one I had on my furnace lasted about 8 years. Furnace people said that was unusual to go that long. Replacement only lasted about 3 years. They told me there is a different style you can get on the internet that lasts a lot longer.
 
In an emergency, I have lit mine with a propane torch when the igniter was "out" and it was getting cold "in".
 
That looks just like the old style ignitor on HiredHand barn heaters.I've replaced hundreds of them when I was in the chicken business. There is a new style that replaces them that has the flame probe and ignitor built together and a conversion kit. I haven't bought one in about 5 years but they were under $20 at that time. They are usually a lot cheaper from a supplier of farm furnaces than from a home furnace furnace supplier

http://www.qcsupply.com/20510-ceramic-ignitor.html
 
I just called QC and they said they only have ignitors for heaters. I'll get a replacement local. Hal
 
I just had to replace the ignitor in my Rheem natural gas furnace last week. I believe the original one lasted more than 17 years.

The replacement part looks like the one in your photo, but mine cost me $50. It was fairly easy to replace and since the old one quit getting red hot, the problem was pretty easy to diagnose. When I checked the old part with my meter, it showed open.

It looks like the element on the new part is about half as thick as the old one was. I wonder if I will get anywhere near 17 years of use out of the replacement part? I bought a second one for a spare to keep on hand.

For the last year or so, my furnace would sometimes not stay lit on the first try, and the ignitor system would cycle again, sometimes 3 times until it would stay lit. I read in the manual that came with the furnace that the flame sensor should be cleaned with steel wool if the ignitor system cycles like that. So I figured out what the flame sensor must be and carefully cleaned it with fine steel wool. Since that time, the furnace has lit properly every time I watched it. I wonder if the failure of the original ignitor might have been at least partly caused by the dirty flame sensor causing the ignitor element to cycle so often.

If I have any more trouble with the furnace not staying lit like that, I will replace the flame sensor.

Other than changing filters, I have never worked on that furnace before. It has always worked just fine for me. Real glad I could fix it myself!
 
(quoted from post at 17:35:01 02/24/14) I just had to replace the ignitor in my Rheem natural gas furnace last week. I believe the original one lasted more than 17 years.

The replacement part looks like the one in your photo, but mine cost me $50. It was fairly easy to replace and since the old one quit getting red hot, the problem was pretty easy to diagnose. When I checked the old part with my meter, it showed open.

It looks like the element on the new part is about half as thick as the old one was. I wonder if I will get anywhere near 17 years of use out of the replacement part? I bought a second one for a spare to keep on hand.

For the last year or so, my furnace would sometimes not stay lit on the first try, and the ignitor system would cycle again, sometimes 3 times until it would stay lit. I read in the manual that came with the furnace that the flame sensor should be cleaned with steel wool if the ignitor system cycles like that. So I figured out what the flame sensor must be and carefully cleaned it with fine steel wool. Since that time, the furnace has lit properly every time I watched it. I wonder if the failure of the original ignitor might have been at least partly caused by the dirty flame sensor causing the ignitor element to cycle so often.

If I have any more trouble with the furnace not staying lit like that, I will replace the flame sensor.

Other than changing filters, I have never worked on that furnace before. It has always worked just fine for me. Real glad I could fix it myself!
Click to expand...

You can often just clean the flame sensor with fine steel wool and keep it going.
 
(quoted from post at 14:37:30 02/24/14)
(quoted from post at 17:35:01 02/24/14)
For the last year or so, my furnace would sometimes not stay lit on the first try, and the ignitor system would cycle again, sometimes 3 times until it would stay lit. I wonder if the failure of the original ignitor might have been at least partly caused by the dirty flame sensor causing the ignitor element to cycle so often.

If I have any more trouble with the furnace not staying lit like that, I will replace the flame sensor.
Click to expand...

You can often just clean the flame sensor with fine steel wool and keep it going.
Click to expand...

What the flame sensor is performing is called "flame rectification". The boards circuit is completed to "ground" actually THROUGH the flame. If there is any corrosion or oxidation on the flame sensor, it will inhibit the sensors ability to "prove" the passage of the ground signal to the ignition (or control board) device resulting in flame failure. Typically after three flame failures, it will throw a code and lock out requiring repair or at least manual reset. Many times, only the spade clip connection (on those that have a spade clip connection) become unable to pass the signal. Slipping it on and off a few times makes it work, but cleaning with a touch of sandpaper is much better. At the same time clean the sensor in the same manner.

A faulty connection should not cause the ignitor to stay in the circuit longer because there is in most manufacturers a specific time through the circuit board they are energized. That time frame is typically 30 seconds BEFORE the gas valve is energized. Usually then and only then will the gas valve be energized for usually not longer than a three second period, followed by a "post-purge" cycle to vent the heat exchanger before attempting a retry for ignition if it experienced a "no sense" condidion.

The faulty connection WILL cause the ignitor to (in theory) have a shorter life because as with anything they only have so many cycles in them before failure.
 
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