Blower Bad?

[pt1949]

Picked up 92 and furnace fired right up - later that night could hear flapping sound under stove - blower - and it sounded like cards on bike wheel going up and down in speed. Later that night no heat. Thought we ran out of propane so filled up and still won't come on. Two questions. One does this sound like blower out and should there be a constant flame in furnace as there is not at this time. Is there a constant pilot in there or does it click and fire when thermostat goes on? Thanks

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by pt1949

Picked up 92 and furnace fired right up - later that night could hear flapping sound under stove - blower - and it sounded like cards on bike wheel going up and down in speed. Later that night no heat. Thought we ran out of propane so filled up and still won't come on. Two questions. One does this sound like blower out and should there be a constant flame in furnace as there is not at this time. Is there a constant pilot in there or does it click and fire when thermostat goes on? Thanks

I think by the early 90s they were using spark-ignition furnaces. A furnace that's properly set up won't even attempt to light until it detects airflow from the fan via a sail switch, so if your fan isn't blowing I wouldn't expect to see any flame.

[pt1949]

Came on this morning. My guess is that the gas ran out and the gauge for the gas is wrong - surprise. Came on and is giving heat so maybe it was just us.

[DKB_SATX]

A bit more reliable than the level gauges for the propane tanks is the auto-switchover. It should visually indicate when it's switched over to the 2nd tank, which means the 1st one (the one the selector is pointing to) is empty. You can then change the pointer over to the 2nd tank, remove the 1st tank and go refill it while the furnace, water heater and fridge can use propane from the tank that's still on the trailer. If you have the fancy tank cover, it may be a good idea to get the fancy remote indicator for the switchover valve so it doesn't rely on you checking inside the tank cover every day or two to look at the regulator.