Why does the surface ignitor keep going out on my furnace?

Question

My brother bought 3 furnaces at the same time and 1 went into his house, 1 went into my house and 1 went into a rental property.
My furnace keeps going out because the surface ignitor burns up and has to be replaced about 1 or 2 times every winter. They cost about $45 bucks and he puts them in for me and says he does not know why it keeps going out. I am getting really worried now because any day now its going to go out and my furnace is going to quit. Any idea's on why it keeps going out and what should I do besides buy a new furnace?

Answer 1

Check with the furnace wholesaler in your area that sells your brand of furnace and see if there is a recall on the mounting of the igniter. I mean some igniters were put in perpendicular to the flame and they got too hot and did not last very long and the manufacturer has issued mod kits to turn the igniter parallel with the flame. Also don't touch the ignitor by any area except the ceramic base.

Answer 2

Furnace Ignitor

Answer 3

A hot surface igniter should last between 3 and 5 years typically.. it uses the same principles as a light bulb, high resistance through a silicon carbide element.
Some of the "off-brand" or "cheap" HSI's do fail quickly, another possibility is flame rectification, a sensor that tells the control board that the burners have fired up. if it isnt picking up the signal fast enough the HSI may be running longer than necessary.
Try an OEM replacement ignitor and have a technician verify that gas pressure to the burners is correct and not overfiring. although possible, but unlikely the circuit board could be the culprit.

Answer 4

When the ignitor gets replaced the next time, make sure that whoever replaces it does not touch the dark ceramic portion of the ignitor. The oils on your/their skin will soak into the ceramic material and will create a hot spot which reduces the life of the ignitor.
Also, it wouldn't hurt to have the gas pressure on the manifold side checked. If natural gas it should be 3.5 in. WC (water column). If LP it should be 10 in. WC.
If the gas pressure is not set correctly your burners could be burning hotter than needed.

Answer 5

Yes, definitely make sure you don't touch the glow side of the igniter and make sure it is lined up properly. After that, if it is igniting fine, then I would suspect blockage somewhere between gas valve and burners. Make sure to clean the inside of burner tubes and orfice by taking the burner assembly out. Also, make sure you clean your flame sensor with sandpaper. This is a common problem for gas coming on but not staying on. Make sure all replacement parts are correct. If after that and gas valve is clicking but no gas, try adjusting gas valve clockwise 1/4 turn for increased gas pressure. Highly recommend not messing with the gas valve calibration without professional help. Loft1099 suggested a cracked heat exchanger and I thought that too. This and a flame sensor is a common problem for a unit coming on but not staying on. However it would have likely tripped a limit switch which means the unit should go into lock down preventing you from seeing the ingiter fire. If the igniter is still firing, then it's most likely a gas restriction issue. Regards

Answer 6

take his

he can give you the whole control box and ligniter and the other stuff from his and take yours. If the problem stays at your house you have to have a professional check everything going to the furnace like the wiring and ground

Answer 7

check voltage to the ignitor it cant exceed the recomended operating voltage you can buy a monitor so it only gets the desighned amount and no power surges