And the Heat Goes On

For the past two years, I’ve had a problem with my Janitrol furnace cycling on and off. Previously, SDG&E provided a temporary fix, but I needed to address the underlying problem – a potentially expensive repair. I live on a street with homogeneous homes, so I asked two of my neighbors if they had furnace problems. They each had found different solutions to related problems.

Next, I got on the Internet and Googled a few key phrases. I watched a couple of videos and read a few comments. Of the various probable solutions, I decided the first step would be to clean off the flame sensor. I have the original furnace manual, but couldn’t locate the part. On a whim, I went to a third neighbor and asked if he had a similar problem. He didn’t, but we looked at his furnace and this time I located the flame sensor.

I went home, unplugged the furnace, shut off the gas and attempted to reach the flame sensor. I couldn’t get at it very well and though I couldn’t see what I was doing, I was able to get a little piece of steel wool around the probe to clean it off. I checked out the system and it worked great! I also saw the blue flames, a sign of clean ignition. Tonight we had heat because I asked and I exercised initiative. I saved money and I got what I needed. Yeah!

Author/speaker Janet F. Williams is a high-end sales professional, sales trainer and coach for personal and professional development. She speaks on topics contained in her award-winning book “You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get” to businesses, networking groups, non-profits, book clubs and more. For more information or to buy the book, please visit: www.JanetFWilliams.com and www.GoodDayMedia.com.