Help, I think my heater has quit working, is there someone out there who can help me? I have a few of my ex-boyfriend's tools still. Maybe something easy that I could fix myself?

What type furnace is it? Natural gas forced air, wall furnace, floor furnace, boiler(hot water),

What does it do. Nothing at all, anything at all. Please give a little more info and we will try our best to help. Make and model of furnace would help.

What type of system is it?

It's in the basement, it has an air filter so I think it is an air furnace. There is a pipe on the top that goes to the forked pipe with the hot water heater and goes up somewhere. Does that sound right?

It's in the basement, it has an air filter so I think it is an air furnace.

Yes. It's a forced air furnace.


There is a pipe on the top that goes to the forked pipe with the hot water heater and goes up somewhere.

That's probably just the vent. Because the furnace is burning gas (is it natural gas or are you on a propane tank?) it needs to vent the carbon monoxide.

Will the fan run?

Since when does a biology expert answer heating questions?

Nothing is working now, I pay for gas on my electric bill every month if that helps. It is set on 80 and nothing happens and it is chilly here.

Biology experts get to fix their heaters or be cold too.

Try to locate the brand and model# of the unit. You might have to pop the front panel off and look inside. Post if you can find it.

On one part it says Bryant Plus 80 and on another part it says Walters with a phone number, I doubt anyone is there now on a Saturday night. It's getting colder in here but I am afraid to call some company who might rip me off because I am a single woman.

The Walters thing is probably a dealer sticker. You have a Bryant furnace but the model is still undetermined.

Check breakers at main panel to make sure none are tripped. Make sure thermostat heat/cool switch is set to heat. We will try to help, but if you have no knowledge or experience working on such things, it may be time to call for onsight help. May be as simple as lighting the pilot(if standing pilot). Please do let us know how things work out. Good luck.

Maybe you could take the front covers off the furnace and take clear pictures of the inside of furnace, the more the better.

I found a sticker inside with a model number. It looks like 3B3KAV060100. Does anyone know when the experts are online?

Most companys will not rip you off because you are a single woman, in fact they may try to help you and give you somewhat of a break(if they have a soul). But most likely you will be charged the same as anyone else. Time, travel, and material. There is really no need for them to even know that you are a single woman. Just call, tell them that your furnace is not working, and see how soon they can come fix it. Betting it is a simple fix and won't cost too much. Best of luck. I would start by calling Walters. They are most likely the ones that installed the furnace, so should have experience working on them.

It sounds like you have the same furnace as me, I know very little about houshold hvac, but the last time my furnace quit all together I replaced the igniter and that took care of it. I would make sure your thermostat is set to heat also, and you could try shutting it off, then on and see if it starts.

I found a sticker inside with a model number. It looks like 3B3KAV060100. Does anyone know when the experts are online?

Ouch, that hurts, lol. Im online right now. If the other experts can help you more with the info you have given, I would call them Gods.

Ouch, that hurts, lol. Im online right now. If the other experts can help you more with the info you have given, I would call them Gods.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean you weren't an expert, there is a thing at the bottom of the topic page that says experts with 3 names. I thought they might be some sort of official experts or something.

Northernheat, hvac1000, and Keepitsimplestupid. Who are they?

Lmao@GODS

Expert means they have been members for quite a while, posted lots of responses to questions, and have been very helpful to people in need. Basically. And hvac1000 has a lot of technical resources.

Thanks everyone for your input, I'm going to stay at my sister's tonight and try again tomorrow.

Ouch, that hurts, lol. Im online right now. If the other experts can help you more with the info you have given, I would call them Gods.

Sister is that you again? I told you not to email me too much since it is upsetting saint Peter and Paul who is sitting next to me.
Signed God. LOL

Wow! Just... wow!

Like the James Brown song sometimes I Just Can't Help Myself.

Maye you should try harder :p

I'm sorry if I offended anyone last night, I'm new to this whole thing and didn't know how it works. I see that one of the official experts is here with his team of saints and nuns so I'm feeling pretty good about my chances for a miracle today. It is 44 degrees in the house. I called the number for Walters about an hour ago and they told me someone would call back but so far no one has. I really need help if at all possible.

Try this: set the fan selector at the thermostat to on and see if the blower runs. This will check the power supply, transformer, and blower motor.

No one was offended. The regulars here including myself have to vent once in awhile for some fun. KC13 asked you to do a simple test. Post back with the results.

Since when does a biology expert answer heating questions?

I see don't see anyone holding back about answering questions about evolution. ;)

I tried what kc13 said earlier but nothing. Walters finally called and came out. They charged me $135.00 to come out, looked at the furnace for about 3 minutes and said it was shot and I need a new one. The guy tried to get me to sign a purchase contract for a new furnace for $5800.00 but I told him I have to think about it. He seemed very pushy, I don't trust him, how does he know my furnace is shot when he barely looked at it? This is just what I was afraid of. How can a furnace be working fine one day and be shot the next? Does this sound right or am I about to get screwed?

Three minutes? Seems like a very quick judgement unless the tech has x-ray vision... did he offer any explanation as to why the unit quit working? Sometimes intuition is dismissed as paranoia. Perhaps another evaluation is in order.

Does the fan come on? I didn't see the answer to that question. In other words, is it an electrical problem?

Nothing happened when I tried the fan switch. The repair man didn't say anything except it was shot, time for a new one. All he did was take off the top cover and look at the model sticker inside, turned off some switch in the furnace and put the cover back. Maybe I'm wrong but I just don't feel like he really did anything to even try to fix it. No tools or testers or anything. Now I'll have to pay someone else to come out again and maybe tell me the same thing. Something just doesn't feel right about this.

You're right. Something isn't right about this. I would contest the bill and call the service company first thing on Monday morning and ask for a DETAILED explanation as to why their tech condemned your furnace. Either report back with their diagnosis or call a different service company. If you do call in another company and they are able to repair your system then do not pay the first bill. There is a remote chance that the guy that came today was pissed about being called out on a Sunday.

Okay, so maybe I'm not crazy or paranoid, thank you MarkwithaK. I suppose I'll try another company tomorrow, but I already paid the other guy so that's water under the bridge. I don't expect something for nothing but I don't want to get ripped off either.

I had another heating company come out today, and within 15 minutes they found and fixed the problem. There is a fuse by a switch on the ceiling, he said it was loose and the tip burned. He put in a new switch fuse combo and turned the gas switch back on (the one the other guy turned off) and it's working great now. Thanks to all of you experts who took the time to try and help me. I might have been robbed if not for the supportive feedback.

Maybe the first guy was really a biology expert in disguise... :rolleyes:

Nah, HVAC expert for sure. That's why he charged $75 to turn off the gas. I've had guys do that too.

HVAC expert? Sounds more like a sales novice...

I had another heating company come out today, and within 15 minutes they found and fixed the problem. There is a fuse by a switch on the ceiling, he said it was loose and the tip burned. He put in a new switch fuse combo and turned the gas switch back on (the one the other guy turned off) and it's working great now. Thanks to all of you experts who took the time to try and help me. I might have been robbed if not for the supportive feedback.

I would call the first company and demand your money back. There is no excuse for that. Inform them of what their tech told you and then inform them of the ridiculously simple fix that the second company did. They were trying to screw you and get you to buy a brand new unit. That's crooked in my book. If they do not refund at least 1/2 of your money then I would inform them that you will report them to the better business bureau.

Its guys like this that give the rest of us a bad name. Glad you called in a different tech instead of taking the first guys advice. I would also call first company, explain what happened, and hopefully they take enough pride in their business to give you your money back, plus make sure the tech either gets more training before working on furnaces, or gets sent down the road to a new job. Maybe he would make a good furnace salesman. All you need to do is act like you know how they work, then sell some, and let somebody else worry about working on them.

Overall, I'm just glad you got it fixed. Take care and stay warm.