Generator-Heil furnance problems, no or all heat in house

[dean06919]

We lost power last night so I hooked up my 6500 watt generator to the house and shut off all of the breakers except for the OWB and Heil furnace. The blower on the furnace seemed to start slow, but did get up to speed. I turned the thermostat up to 75 degrees so that the furnace would not have to turn on an off and went to bed. I awoke 2 hours later and noticed that the blower on the furnace was not running. I also noticed that the neighbors had lights so I disconnected everything and reset all of the breakers and yet the furnace blower would not start. So I moved the black wire from the blower to a post that read "cont" and the blower started to work. However, the blower will not shut off, it runs constantly irregardless of what the thermostat is set at. Putting the black wire back on its original post does nothing, the blower will not start when the thermostat calls for heat.

Any ideas of what may have happened? Any idea on how to fix the problem? I guess we have heat, so I'm going back to bed.

 

[TomB]

hot and neutral are switched at the wiring in the furnace when connect to the generator? Home made extension cords with wires switched?

Check to see if you have any error codes flashing on the circuit board in the furnace. The electronics in the newer furnaces are fussy about having proper polarity and a ground. Check the flame sensor, clean it if the sensor rod is dirty. If the furnace fails to fire after 3 attempts, it will lock itself out and the blower will run. Turn the power off and on to the furnace a few times to reset the controller on the board. Check the Inter City Products website for the instruction manual for your furnace model and check the trouble shooting section. Start with what has changed, check the flue and the fresh air intake, make sure there isn't an obstruction.


I wired my propane furnace with a pig tail to make it easier to hook up a generator. I had a similar problem at first, checked the polarity and I had the hot and neutral switched.

I hope this helps or gives you an idea where to start.

Good Luck, be safe and stay warm.

Tom