Furnace pilot light acting up. Should I worry about carbon monoxide?

[GQNammer]

As the title suggests. My furnace pilot light isn't going off. My furnace makes wierd sounds when trying to light up the pilot light. Best way to describe the sound is really loud static electricty. Anyways the point is is that I looked up on the internet on carbon monoxide and it says that things in the home, like the furnace, may cause carbon monoxide if not working properly. So my question is, should I be worried about carbon monoxide being relesaed because my pilot light isn't working properly?

[yue]

http://www.daycarehotline.com/carbonmonoxide.htm

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/f.../carbmono.html

hope this helps. sleep with the window open if you are paranoid.

[frozenrice]

What type of furnace? If it's a Carrier some recent models (up to a few years ago) were having problems with the ignitor. You can probably call up any heating company that deals with Carrier and get a new one.

I doubt you'll have any problems with CO since it's a product of combustion. Since your pilot light isn't working anyways, you're not likely going to have combustion.

[YamahaV8]

Sounds like the ignitor unit is firing (the electric static noise). But I wouldn't worry about carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide comes a lack of oxygen for the burning of the natural gas. So a hard start (so to speak) won't cause carbon monoxide but a dirty filter or other things to hinder the actual combustion will.

[SJW]

If your pilot goes out, correct me if im wrong, your gas valve shuts preventing the house filling with gas. I think all furnaces are required to have a failsafe like this.

[ExtraSlow]

Go to home depot and buy yourself a carbon monoxide detector. Place it low down somewhere near your furnace. While I agree with the above posters that you aren't likely to have it being produced by this issues (no combustion), it's cheap insurance.

Then, Call the furnace repair people. Pete the plumber and Chesneys have good reputations.

[barmanjay]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Go to home depot and buy yourself a carbon monoxide detector. Place it low down somewhere near your furnace. While I agree with the above posters that you aren't likely to have it being produced by this issues (no combustion), it's cheap insurance.

Then, Call the furnace repair people. Pete the plumber and Chesneys have good reputations.

I bought 2

they are cheap

one for the furnace room - just a basic alarm
one for the top floor at eye level where all the bedrooms are with a digital meter

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by SJW
If your pilot goes out, correct me if im wrong, your gas valve shuts preventing the house filling with gas. I think all furnaces are required to have a failsafe like this.

It's true, but sounds like he has an igniter system, not an old fashioned pilot light.

[BlackArcher101]

CO comes from burning gas... so if it's not lighting, you don't have to worry about it. (Just repeating to get that across).

[barmanjay]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


It's true, but sounds like he has an igniter system, not an old fashioned pilot light.

newer high/mid efficiency furnace perhalps?

[Zero102]

Sounds like a furnace without a pilot light.
You shouldn't have to worry about CO in this situation. While it is trying to light a small amount of natural gas will escape but it is not enough to be of any concern, no CO should be produced.

[nusneak]

Some of you guys have no idea what you area talking about. E for effort for trying to help, but if you don't know what your talking about, don't say anything!

Chimneys are specific size for the BTU of your appliances, if one of your appliances is not running properly it is possibly that their won't be enough updraft to exhaust everything.
I'm not saying 100% for sure, but it is possible!

High efficient appliances do not have that problem.

Opening a window could further the problem by creating a negative pressure in the house, causing the chimney to not work at all.

Go buy some detectors and call out a company to service your furnace.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally posted by nusneak
Some of you guys have no idea what you area talking about. E for effort for trying to help, but if you don't know what your talking about, don't say anything!

And the OP was talking about chimney size where?

[nusneak]

Originally posted by BlackArcher101


And the OP was talking about chimney size where?

The OP was not talking about chimney size, he was asking about being worried about carbon monoxide.


On Wednesday I was at a house that had negative pressure from leaving their fireplace chimney open all the time, the house was filling with carbon monoxide. So I doubt I know what I'm talking about.

I guess your a journeyman sheetmetal mechanic?

[GQNammer]

so we just go the furnace guys out here, and we are having to replace some sort of motor for our lennox. They have tried to relight the pilot several times and it won't say lit.