I have to send you a very tearful thank you. I am a single mom with two kids and am on a tight budget, so you can imagine my panic when I came home to 55 degrees inside my house (-4 outside). Tried to call a repair guy with no luck, cried a little, and then decided to see what I could find on RUclips. Thirty minutes later and my furnace is back on and the temp is climbing :) Thank you so much from a very grateful mama who’s kiddos are warm tonight ❤️
I just brought my first born home from the hospital and on the 3rd night at 1130pm I realized my house was at 18. After doing some troubleshooting I found your video and you saved me and my new family. Thanks so much man! You just walked me through my first "Dad" repair. You the MVP.
it's 15 degrees here, furnace died for Christmas, not good timing. Wife is in recovery from chemo and was freezing. Shannon has saved us, we are so grateful for his vid, and we thank him. You have no idea.
Dear Shannon, its supposed to get down to -31 here northwest of Chicago tonight (wind chill near -50) and my furnace kept cycling and the temp had zero regularity the last few days. I watched a few videos before I came to yours, and since I replaced the air filter and cleaned the flame sensor like you showed in the video the furnace has kicked on (and finally stayed on) and its no longer 10 degrees lower than what I set it to. Since I started writing this its gone from 61 to 67 and climbing. I will rest easy tonight knowing my furnace is working properly through this polar nightmare. I can genuinely say your video may have saved my life. Thank you.
Shannon you're awesome! We had this problem in our house this morning. Furnace would cycle but after the burners lit, 5 seconds or so, the system would shut down. It would try two more times but after the burners ignited it just wouldn't stay on. On my furnace the igniter and flame sensor are a combined part. I removed them and cleaned the rod with a new scotchbrite pad (green). I didn't have any steel wool. There was some white residue on the flame sensor. Like calcium. Once I reinstalled the sensor/igniter the furnace started and the burners stayed on until the blower started working. You saved us $250 at least. Love your videos. I have learned so much. Don't take any sh#* from these RUclips commenters saying you go too slow. For a novice your videos are perfect! Thanks! 👍
Great video and super useful. Very informative and it was exactly the problem as you described. You did a god job also mentioning the typical symptoms - 100% right on. Thank you.
This absolutely video was literally a life saver. It’s midnight here and it’s currently -37c (before windchill) here in Edmonton AB Canada. Home was rapidly losing heat and our furnace was cycling and stopping exactly as the video describes. While waiting on hold for an emergency repair person, I watched this video and in less than 10 mins, I learned about the flame sensor, located it, cleaned it, reinstalled it, then crossed my fingers and voila ! Furnace is back up and running correctly. First thing tomorrow I’m buying a replacement sensor. My wife , kids and my whole family thank you sincerely! Not only is this now my all time fav RUclips video, I’m a subscriber for life now ! Thank you so much !!!
Great instructions. My furnace was acting up today. The thermostat would click, the burners would light up, the blower would go for about 3 minutes then shut off. Last year the repairman was here because of the same problem. He said it was the flame sensor - worked on the furnace 10 minutes, charged me $180 and then left. Today, when this problem happened I looked up your video and tried fixing it myself. Turned off electricity to furnace, removed two front panels, found the sensor, removed the screw holding the sensor in, cleaned it with steel wool just like you said (the sensor had some black soot on it). Then I reassembled everything. It worked like a charm - furnace kicked in and didn't shut off. House is getting toasty now. Thank you!
If your sensor had black soot on it, it could be a combustion problem. Not a big deal getting the sensor dirty but over time that will build up inside your heat exchanger causing premature failure. Best of luck finding someone who actually knows how to fix it.
@@MyBallzGotShocked My furnace is heading into it's tenth year. At this point if I can keep it running a few more years by cleaning the sensor I'm fortunate.
Thank you. You are clear precise and to the point. My furnace was not keeping the house warm at night. I paid a company to clean the vents and furnace (that didn't work), I changed the filter ( that didn't work), I change the thermostat(that didn't work), then ran across your video ( it is currently working). I did need the furnace cleaning and filter change but the thermostat was fine. I watched a couple of videos and most recommended using sandpaper. My godfather is a retired hvac technician confirmed to clean the sensor with fine wool and keep and extra on hand as you have. He was also upset that I didn't call him first.
Our furnace stopped heating at about 7pm on New Year's Eve. What a hassle! Your video saved us. It was quite difficult to reach the sensor on our particular furnace as it was sandwiched between the heating tubes and another panel, but 20 screws later and a bit of steel wool, we were warm again. We're truly grateful to you for creating this very helpful video.
I just followed your step by step instruction and cleaned my flame sensor successfully. My heater would either not turn on or it would turn on and then off in a few seconds. Cleaning the sensor made all the difference. Thank you very much for this tutorial buddy!
Thank you Shannon!! It is (-13 deg F) this morning and overnight my furnace apparently decided it was time to shut down. My local HVAC guys can't get here until this afternoon. The temp inside the house was under 50 deg F as I woke up. So I started investigating. I got an error code indicating the system was cycling and not starting fully so I tried your fix. I found the sensor - it was discolored, I cleaned it lightly with steel wool - reinstalled and voilla! The system fully started as it should. We have desperately needed heat again!!!! So you saved our house from a lot of frozen pipe damage and the need to vacate to a relative's for our own safety. Thank you for sharing your talents.
YOU SAVED ME! It's Sunday, its 14 degrees outside and I am a single older woman on a limited income. I followed your instructions and now am nice in warm in my house in Colorado! Thanks so much!!
First time homeowner here and don’t know the first thing about HVAC systems, we’ve been having this problem for the past 2 days now and after multiple videos and google searches this one was the one!! The hardest part about this was getting the screw off!! I used a new dishwashing sponge (the back rough side) and i reinstalled it and it works! Big shout out to this channel!
Had a short cycle problem on our furnace and your video helped to diagnose and fix the issue. This saved us hundreds of dollars for a ~$10 part. Thank you for your effort in creating this video and sharing it.
I realize that your video posted years ago, but I wanted to chime in with my two cents about how it totally solved my furnace problem. Thanks so much for posting!
You're a lifesaver. Had a short cycle problem and your video gave me the confidence to check the flame sensor, clean it off, and voila- no more short cycles! Thanks a ton!
For anyone having this same issue. My furnace did the cycling but never actually never turned the fan on so no air ended up moving through the vents when the heat was on. I did exactly what Shannon recommended and now it’s running like new. Thanks a lot!
It’s saterday and I just got off my 10 hour shift. My wife tells me it’s been clicking on and off and she’s tried turning it off and back on and it’s still doing it. I call but nobody is open on the weekends. So I try the system that I guess alerts them it’s an emergency or that I’m desperate. Several people call my phone back immediately and the cheapest person was going to charge $220 just to come look. I googled. Found your video. Tried it and it instantly kicked on. Your a life saver man. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. Liked and subscribed. Thank you so much for your service!
OMG!THIS WORKED PERFECTLY! THANKS SO MUCH, YOU'RE AWESOME! IM A SINGLE MOM AND I BEGAN TO PANIC THINKING ID HAVE TO PAY FOR A TECHNICIAN! VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND! HAPPY I FOUND THIS!
This guy is great. He saved me about $150-$200 for a service call. He hit the nail on the head when he said how the furnace started and stopped. Exactly what mine was doing. Then wouldn't start at at. I cleaned the flame sensor with sand paper and its working great now. Thanks your are great!
thank you. this did the trick on my furnace less than five minutes ago. your description on how the furnace would act with the dirty sensor and detailed steps on how to fix were exactly what I needed.
I saw a furnace repairman clean my landlord's furnace thermocouple last year and couldn't believe that she paid $200 for something so simple and easy. My son has a building and the same problem occurred. I followed your instructions and the furnace ignited and stayed ignited with no problem. Thank you so much for sharing. You saved us some money.
LL, a thermocouple and a flame sensor are not the same thing, but serve a similar function. I haven't heard of cleaning thermocouples. The are connected mechanically directly to the gas valves. When they go bad, they need to be replaced.
Great info Shannon! My igniter was in the hardest spot to get to but because of your video, I knew exactly which part I was looking for. It took me only 7 minutes to disconnect and clean: then another two hours to get the bracket-screw I dropped behind the motor when I was removing it! Thanks for this major, money-saver!!
Six idiots dislike this video. It was totally professional and worth saving in my RUclips account. Going to follow your instructions now Thank you very very very much! Awesome!
I woke up this morning and noticed the furnace wasn't working; IT WAS COLD! i knew what the code meant, so i searched for a fix. I had my furnace back up and running less than an hour later. It would have been quicker but i struggled to get the top guard off (my furnace is a different model and not quite as user friendly). This video gave me the confidence to do it myself and save a ton of money! THANK YOU!
Your video saved me at least a couple hundred and I can go buy a new one way cheap for next season. Cleaned with 2000 grit paper very gently and gently brushed off whatever was left with a soft toothbrush, which is all I had... furnace cycling great not shutting down for an hour plus with two on offs then shut down. Complete nightmare for a season and a half!!!! Thank you.
Excellent video: thorough yet concise, great camera work, easy to understand & follow along. Because of this video I was able to remove the flame sensor on all three of my units, clean them with 0000 fine steel wool, and reinstall them with no problems. Actually, it was a very quick process. I put a reminder on my cell phone to do the job every six months to prevent issues. Now I don’t have to deal with one of the three heaters cycling off at random times like it was doing before. Thank you very much… Saved me a lot of time and money!
Thank you for the video. Your directions were spot on. Removed the flame sensor, cleaned it with some steel wool, re-installed it and it fired right up. Awesome and it saved me a service call! Thanks again.
Furnace would light the flames for a second and then would go out. The furnace would keep blowing and cycle lighting the flames again a period of a second, then go out. I located the flame sensor and cleaned it. The flames are staying on solid now and home is heating up. Big thank you, as this saved us in the middle of the night!
This post and another just like it saved me a couple hundred dollars easily. I also spoke with a buddy who's an HVAC tech and he told me to do the same thing, Cleaned the flame sensor within 5 minutes and my heat was back to working like a champ. Didn't have to wait a week for someone to come out and charge me $200+ probably for something so simple.
Great video, thank you. Our Lennox furnace was acting up & we followed your instructions & now it’s working like it should. Going to pick up a spare flame sensor or two just to have on standby. The expense we saved on a service call will more than cover the cost of a new sensor. Thanks again!
I gotta start doing this every year when I start using the heat, I swear I run into this problem every year with the heat not working at the worst times lol.
I don’t really leave comments but this really worked wonders for me and my family. For three days our heat was not working and My landlord was being a slumlord not answering my calls so I gave this a try and it worked. Thank u for posting this because it’s helped my family tremendously.
This is the second time i needed this in the past 3 yrs. Took me about 2 hrs to find the information the first time around. Had it bookmarked this time, took a refresher scan thru the vid, fixed the furnace in less than five minutes. Best detailed information out there, thank you!
Thank you so much ours is cutting off early like you mentioned right now.. we changed the thermostat yesterday still didn't work but I am going to try this today. I will update after I do..UPDATE...It worked !!! I am forever grateful 🙏 thanks again
Shannon, I thank Jesus for you and this video. My furnace kept cutting off as the snow began to come down. Fearing that we would probably have no heat tonight, I ran across this video, followed your directions, and my Heat Is Back On!!!!
Wish I could give you another thumbs up. I watched your video a year or two ago to fix my furnace, and watched it again today. This is now on my calendar as a recurring event.
I'm so happy I found your video! Furnace wasn't working right, I knew something was wrong because it wasn't getting warm in here. Did some troubleshooting and googling and found your video. 15 min later, no blinking lights on furnace and heat is working!!! These are for you 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘!! Thanks for this video and clear instructions! Now I know to do this every year
It’s Christmas Eve and my furnace stopped working mid day. I have home warranty plan I pay for and it’s supposed to cover emergency services. I called the emergency line three times but they still hadn’t dispatched someone out. I started researching and found your video. My furnace is back up and running!! Thank you so much!!
My furnace stopped working overnight. Noticed this was the problem based on the flashing light error code. Did exactly this and worked perfectly. Thanks!
Thank so much for making this video. Tonight it's our first coldest night of the season in Texas. And my 67 year old mom's heater did the same. Her house was really cold and no one to call. With this video I was able to get it going and my mom can now have a warm sleep. Again, thank you so much for this video.
Thank you for your help! My husband and I just used your tips and fixed our furnace. We had this issue a couple of years ago and couldn't remember exactly how to fix it. You just saved us a house call!
Your comment at 1:40 was a game changer for me. My furnace would cycle, but sometimes it would just shut off completely and I couldn't understand why. Good to go now, thanks.
Thanks from Hamilton, ON Canada! My furnace was crapping out and giving 8 red light error code. Cleaning the flame sensor did the trick. You're the best Shannon!
Furnace was short cycling, I went up and reset it the furnace. It worked for a bit then started again. Called someone and they ended up saying the flame sensor was dirty. Thanks for showing me how to do it next time. Great preventative step for keeping your furnace working.
Oh my goodness! Thank you for your video! It was HUGELY helpful! It’s a little after midnight on a 23 degree night and I can now rest easy knowing the furnace is blowing warm air and my family will be able to sleep comfortably. Your video and instructions were clear and concise. Thanks a million!
This video has now helped me TWICE! First time was last year, it was -20 outside and well after midnight. I have a tropical bird in my home that can not be exposed to cold temps. I was able to fix the problem in minutes! Again, today my furnace was making the same sounds. Found this video again. I gave the sensor a little wipe down, totally worked. Thank you so much!
Thanks, I cleaned the sensor and the temperature went from 40 degrees to 71 degrees.... It was 60 degrees below zero in Chicago for 2 days... We are warm and I saved money too..
Hi Shannon - just wanted to say THANKS for this. Furnace has been unreliable for the past week, and I've barely ever opened one. I figured out how to read the codes, which lead me to suspect the flame sensor was bad, and watched this on how to clean it. Took all of 5 minutes, and the furnace came right to life afterwards! I used 1500 grit sandpaper and a paper towel to clean it off. Hardest part was getting the sensor back into the awkward position. Thanks a million!
Shannon, thank you!!! I finally was able to cease the cold nights over here at my house. I am so appreciative of the videos that you all provide for us on the channel. I am ever grateful. Peace
Very useful video. I had a furnace inspection but the company did not clean the heat sensor. A few weeks later I had a lockout due to ignition failure. Now the problem is gone. This is something I'll do every year on my own from now on.
Thank you very much for this video! Completed repairs at 11:45 PM! All seems to be working properly now. Will monitor for the next few days and if furnace remains intermittent I will replace the the furnace flame sensor rather than just cleaning it.
U DA BOMB Shannon! Your video helped me fix my furnace problem. Heat is now coming out of the register and the house is now heating up and not just the fan blowing. Thank you.
Kudos, I started looking into RUclips videos then came across.... cleaned the flame sensor, Thank god! I also noticed the air pump tubing was cracked and cut was disconnected. So totally no air supply due to poor job done by an elec. contractor lasted just a year or so. After half hour work, saw the beautiful blue flame and saved hundred fifty bucks or so. THANKS
Thank you very very much. I was thinking to call a HVAC technician, but after watching your video, it took less than 10 minutes to solve the problem. Muchas gracias amigo
Unbelievable -your solution fixed my furnace perfectly. Thank you for saving me from an emergency repair - furnaces seem to only break down when it’s bitter cold.
Thanks a bunch Houseimprovements....last year i got charged $300 for this (service call) and they tricked me to get into a so called yearly maintenance program!! Little did i know it is just a flame sensor. Did the cleaning today myself and furnace is working like a charm. The symptoms you described were on point (the furnace would turn on the light and shoot flames for a second then turnoff, do that 3 - 4 times and completely shut off), i knew immediately that i found the solution after you said that. God bless you!
20 degrees outside and my furnace kept lighting and the going out. Found my flame sensor, gave it a light sanding with steel wool, reinstalled and all worked as normal. Thanks for saving me the $150 service call
Make absolutely sure you have CUT OFF ALL POWER to the furnace before opening it!!Thank you Shannon for an outstanding video that will no doubt help many people.
Thanks so much. Cleaning the flame sensor with Scotchbrite fixed it perfectly. I should have realized this... My last house, the hot water tank would do the same thing and I used to clean the flame sensor on that thing to fix it.
My heater started running constantly with no heat. The flame sensor was dirty (going to blame it mostly on kitty litter dust) and cleaned it off with a steel wool pad. Now we have heat again. Thank you for your video!
Ditto, furnace kept turning on and off then stopped. Found your video. Problem fixed! 85 year old single grandmother living in our basement can now get out of bed! Thanks from the bottom of our 💕!
Thank you Shannon for sharing this very helpful video. As a single mom, kind of handy, I found your instructions very easy to follow. Although I wish my sensor was conveniently placed like your sample! Thanks again!!! I’ve saved this to my favorites to refer back to is as needed.
THANK YOU so much Shannon! This video saved me a whole lot of further aggravation. I am back in business and with lower blood pressure now thanks to you! Keep up the good work!
Shannon you are awesome! You were clear and precise with how to locate, remove and clean the sensor. Only took my 5 minutes to have my furnace up and running again after I watched your video! Thank you so much for the video!
Thanks Shannon. Saved us from a cold night here in Boston. My sensor was a little different but the comparison of the new and old sensor was helpful. Thanks again for a great video.
Thank you so much sir! All this time I thought it was maybe a thermostat issue. Bought a new thermostat and still had the same problem. Your video was the answer and going on 2 weeks, not a single problem of the furnace shutting off like that. Liked, subscribed, shared, everything! You're being put on social media blast sir, but in a positive way! Thank you!
Shannon!! Thank you so much for your video! Ours went out this morning and after watching tons of other issues videos, your video helped us to solve the real issue. Thanks again! You rock!!
This video worked for me. I have a Nest thermostat and blamed that until I replaced it with a normal Honeywell unit. Still had short cycling issue. I cleaned the furnace flame sensor with steel wool and my furnace was fixed. Awesome video keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for your tutorial on cleaning my furnace flame sensor. I've used it two years in a row now. I'm a very non-handy girly girl but was able to easily follow your video instructions and complete the cleaning. Saves me at least $150 to have a professional come out. Now, could you please design a heater that doesn't make it so difficult to access the sensor! :)
this was the problem i was having. thanks to this video i learned something about furnaces and was able to easily get the furnace back running as well as saving me some $.
Thanks for the video! It is very precise. I have never done this before but tonight I did it with your instruction and it did work. I worn gloves, and I didn't have stealwool so I used a clean cloth and it worked! Thank you :)
Dude thank you! So glad I found this video. My furnace just kept cycling and then would start blowing without igniting. I took out the sensor, wiped it down and voila! Fired up the first time after I put it all back together.
I watch a few flame sensor videos and yours was the most straight forward. Thank you for making this for us DIYer's. You have a new subscriber. All the best!
Shannon this video is so well-crafted and clear. My furnace stopped working a couple of days ago and I was torn between trying to fix it myself or spending $175 or more to have someone come out. So I hit RUclips, as usual, to find a video to help me and I found yours. I just followed your directions, the single wire reference was particularly helpful, used 400 grit waterproof sandpaper, all I had, accidentally touched the rod like 5 times 😬 but cleaned it off, reinstalled the flame sensor and Bam it's working. So grateful to you! 💃💃💃🔥💗🔥🌹🌈
Thank you so much you save my life last night with this video. Me and my kids appreciate you so much. Have a bless day and a merry Christmas to you and your family
glad I saw your video....I went to turn my Lennox furnace on tonight, because it's 42 degrees in May and it started up, then shut off within 30 seconds!! it did exactly what you said. I will try to fix it in the morning....it's 1am...hoping it doesn't get any colder out tonight! thanks for posting this video
Hello Sir! Thank you so much for your video!!! I found the flame sensor by using the two features you described and cleaned it and now my furnace is working very well! Watched many videos and yours is the best! Really appreciate it!
![How A Water Heater Works [Cutaway View]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OHDsNtGXEEY/mqdefault.jpg)
![How A Water Heater Works [Cutaway View]](/img/tr.png)
I have to send you a very tearful thank you. I am a single mom with two kids and am on a tight budget, so you can imagine my panic when I came home to 55 degrees inside my house (-4 outside). Tried to call a repair guy with no luck, cried a little, and then decided to see what I could find on RUclips. Thirty minutes later and my furnace is back on and the temp is climbing :) Thank you so much from a very grateful mama who’s kiddos are warm tonight ❤️
Wonderful!
Way to go hero.. now there is some poor hvac guy missing his chance to take advantage of a cold single mother :-( 😞
I just brought my first born home from the hospital and on the 3rd night at 1130pm I realized my house was at 18. After doing some troubleshooting I found your video and you saved me and my new family. Thanks so much man! You just walked me through my first "Dad" repair. You the MVP.
it's 15 degrees here, furnace died for Christmas, not good timing. Wife is in recovery from chemo and was freezing. Shannon has saved us, we are so grateful for his vid, and we thank him. You have no idea.
you are welcome , hope your wifes recovery is speedy
HouseImprovements god bless from all of us.
@@HouseImprovements hi
I had this same issue this morning (luckily nobody was recovering from chemo)
This absolutely works. Great video 🙌🏻
Dear Shannon, its supposed to get down to -31 here northwest of Chicago tonight (wind chill near -50) and my furnace kept cycling and the temp had zero regularity the last few days. I watched a few videos before I came to yours, and since I replaced the air filter and cleaned the flame sensor like you showed in the video the furnace has kicked on (and finally stayed on) and its no longer 10 degrees lower than what I set it to. Since I started writing this its gone from 61 to 67 and climbing. I will rest easy tonight knowing my furnace is working properly through this polar nightmare. I can genuinely say your video may have saved my life. Thank you.
Shannon you're awesome! We had this problem in our house this morning. Furnace would cycle but after the burners lit, 5 seconds or so, the system would shut down. It would try two more times but after the burners ignited it just wouldn't stay on. On my furnace the igniter and flame sensor are a combined part. I removed them and cleaned the rod with a new scotchbrite pad (green). I didn't have any steel wool. There was some white residue on the flame sensor. Like calcium. Once I reinstalled the sensor/igniter the furnace started and the burners stayed on until the blower started working. You saved us $250 at least. Love your videos. I have learned so much. Don't take any sh#* from these RUclips commenters saying you go too slow. For a novice your videos are perfect! Thanks! 👍
Great video and super useful. Very informative and it was exactly the problem as you described. You did a god job also mentioning the typical symptoms - 100% right on. Thank you.
This absolutely video was literally a life saver. It’s midnight here and it’s currently -37c (before windchill) here in Edmonton AB Canada. Home was rapidly losing heat and our furnace was cycling and stopping exactly as the video describes. While waiting on hold for an emergency repair person, I watched this video and in less than 10 mins, I learned about the flame sensor, located it, cleaned it, reinstalled it, then crossed my fingers and voila ! Furnace is back up and running correctly. First thing tomorrow I’m buying a replacement sensor. My wife , kids and my whole family thank you sincerely! Not only is this now my all time fav RUclips video, I’m a subscriber for life now ! Thank you so much !!!
Thanks for subbing Derek. Glad your family was safe and warm after watching our video!
Great instructions. My furnace was acting up today. The thermostat would click, the burners would light up, the blower would go for about 3 minutes then shut off. Last year the repairman was here because of the same problem. He said it was the flame sensor - worked on the furnace 10 minutes, charged me $180 and then left.
Today, when this problem happened I looked up your video and tried fixing it myself. Turned off electricity to furnace, removed two front panels, found the sensor, removed the screw holding the sensor in, cleaned it with steel wool just like you said (the sensor had some black soot on it). Then I reassembled everything. It worked like a charm - furnace kicked in and didn't shut off. House is getting toasty now. Thank you!
If your sensor had black soot on it, it could be a combustion problem. Not a big deal getting the sensor dirty but over time that will build up inside your heat exchanger causing premature failure. Best of luck finding someone who actually knows how to fix it.
@@MyBallzGotShocked My furnace is heading into it's tenth year. At this point if I can keep it running a few more years by cleaning the sensor I'm fortunate.
Thank you. You are clear precise and to the point. My furnace was not keeping the house warm at night. I paid a company to clean the vents and furnace (that didn't work), I changed the filter ( that didn't work), I change the thermostat(that didn't work), then ran across your video ( it is currently working). I did need the furnace cleaning and filter change but the thermostat was fine. I watched a couple of videos and most recommended using sandpaper. My godfather is a retired hvac technician confirmed to clean the sensor with fine wool and keep and extra on hand as you have. He was also upset that I didn't call him first.
Our furnace stopped heating at about 7pm on New Year's Eve. What a hassle! Your video saved us. It was quite difficult to reach the sensor on our particular furnace as it was sandwiched between the heating tubes and another panel, but 20 screws later and a bit of steel wool, we were warm again. We're truly grateful to you for creating this very helpful video.
Woke up to a cold house. This worked. Our heat is back on. My family and I are extremely thankful.
I just followed your step by step instruction and cleaned my flame sensor successfully. My heater would either not turn on or it would turn on and then off in a few seconds. Cleaning the sensor made all the difference. Thank you very much for this tutorial buddy!
Thank you Shannon!! It is (-13 deg F) this morning and overnight my furnace apparently decided it was time to shut down. My local HVAC guys can't get here until this afternoon. The temp inside the house was under 50 deg F as I woke up. So I started investigating. I got an error code indicating the system was cycling and not starting fully so I tried your fix. I found the sensor - it was discolored, I cleaned it lightly with steel wool - reinstalled and voilla! The system fully started as it should. We have desperately needed heat again!!!! So you saved our house from a lot of frozen pipe damage and the need to vacate to a relative's for our own safety. Thank you for sharing your talents.
YOU SAVED ME! It's Sunday, its 14 degrees outside and I am a single older woman on a limited income. I followed your instructions and now am nice in warm in my house in Colorado! Thanks so much!!
Glad you are now warm
First time homeowner here and don’t know the first thing about HVAC systems, we’ve been having this problem for the past 2 days now and after multiple videos and google searches this one was the one!! The hardest part about this was getting the screw off!! I used a new dishwashing sponge (the back rough side) and i reinstalled it and it works! Big shout out to this channel!
Had a short cycle problem on our furnace and your video helped to diagnose and fix the issue. This saved us hundreds of dollars for a ~$10 part.
Thank you for your effort in creating this video and sharing it.
I realize that your video posted years ago, but I wanted to chime in with my two cents about how it totally solved my furnace problem. Thanks so much for posting!
You're a lifesaver. Had a short cycle problem and your video gave me the confidence to check the flame sensor, clean it off, and voila- no more short cycles! Thanks a ton!
For anyone having this same issue. My furnace did the cycling but never actually never turned the fan on so no air ended up moving through the vents when the heat was on. I did exactly what Shannon recommended and now it’s running like new. Thanks a lot!
It’s saterday and I just got off my 10 hour shift. My wife tells me it’s been clicking on and off and she’s tried turning it off and back on and it’s still doing it. I call but nobody is open on the weekends. So I try the system that I guess alerts them it’s an emergency or that I’m desperate. Several people call my phone back immediately and the cheapest person was going to charge $220 just to come look. I googled. Found your video. Tried it and it instantly kicked on. Your a life saver man. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. Liked and subscribed. Thank you so much for your service!
Glad it worked out and thanks for subbing!
OMG!THIS WORKED PERFECTLY! THANKS SO MUCH, YOU'RE AWESOME! IM A SINGLE MOM AND I BEGAN TO PANIC THINKING ID HAVE TO PAY FOR A TECHNICIAN! VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND! HAPPY I FOUND THIS!
Watching your videos inspired me to become an electrician I'm taking classes at a trade school now
I grew facial hair!
This guy is great. He saved me about $150-$200 for a service call. He hit the nail on the head when he said how the furnace started and stopped. Exactly what mine was doing. Then wouldn't start at at. I cleaned the flame sensor with sand paper and its working great now. Thanks your are great!
thank you. this did the trick on my furnace less than five minutes ago. your description on how the furnace would act with the dirty sensor and detailed steps on how to fix were exactly what I needed.
I saw a furnace repairman clean my landlord's furnace thermocouple last year and couldn't believe that she paid $200 for something so simple and easy. My son has a building and the same problem occurred. I followed your instructions and the furnace ignited and stayed ignited with no problem. Thank you so much for sharing. You saved us some money.
LL, a thermocouple and a flame sensor are not the same thing, but serve a similar function. I haven't heard of cleaning thermocouples. The are connected mechanically directly to the gas valves. When they go bad, they need to be replaced.
Great info Shannon! My igniter was in the hardest spot to get to but because of your video, I knew exactly which part I was looking for. It took me only 7 minutes to disconnect and clean: then another two hours to get the bracket-screw I dropped behind the motor when I was removing it! Thanks for this major, money-saver!!
Six idiots dislike this video. It was totally professional and worth saving in my RUclips account. Going to follow your instructions now Thank you very very very much! Awesome!
Absolutely right. I'm an HVAC professional and this guy is really good
Gil Gonzalez Thank you.
Eternal Perspective now its 50 dislikes
Those who dislike are idiots.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you for that video !! saved me ton of cash!!
I woke up this morning and noticed the furnace wasn't working; IT WAS COLD! i knew what the code meant, so i searched for a fix. I had my furnace back up and running less than an hour later. It would have been quicker but i struggled to get the top guard off (my furnace is a different model and not quite as user friendly). This video gave me the confidence to do it myself and save a ton of money! THANK YOU!
Your video saved me at least a couple hundred and I can go buy a new one way cheap for next season. Cleaned with 2000 grit paper very gently and gently brushed off whatever was left with a soft toothbrush, which is all I had... furnace cycling great not shutting down for an hour plus with two on offs then shut down. Complete nightmare for a season and a half!!!! Thank you.
Thank you so much!! I just fixed my furnace myself. A pack of fine steel wool cost me less than $5.00. I'm grateful...
Excellent video: thorough yet concise, great camera work, easy to understand & follow along. Because of this video I was able to remove the flame sensor on all three of my units, clean them with 0000 fine steel wool, and reinstall them with no problems. Actually, it was a very quick process. I put a reminder on my cell phone to do the job every six months to prevent issues. Now I don’t have to deal with one of the three heaters cycling off at random times like it was doing before. Thank you very much… Saved me a lot of time and money!
Thank you for the video. Your directions were spot on. Removed the flame sensor, cleaned it with some steel wool, re-installed it and it fired right up. Awesome and it saved me a service call! Thanks again.
really great demo Mr Shannon, wish they could all be this clearly filmed/edited, professional & straight forward!
Furnace would light the flames for a second and then would go out. The furnace would keep blowing and cycle lighting the flames again a period of a second, then go out. I located the flame sensor and cleaned it. The flames are staying on solid now and home is heating up. Big thank you, as this saved us in the middle of the night!
This post and another just like it saved me a couple hundred dollars easily. I also spoke with a buddy who's an HVAC tech and he told me to do the same thing, Cleaned the flame sensor within 5 minutes and my heat was back to working like a champ. Didn't have to wait a week for someone to come out and charge me $200+ probably for something so simple.
Glad you are warm again!
Great video, thank you. Our Lennox furnace was acting up & we followed your instructions & now it’s working like it should. Going to pick up a spare flame sensor or two just to have on standby. The expense we saved on a service call will more than cover the cost of a new sensor. Thanks again!
I noticed my house is cold.I went to check my furnace lights are blinking alternately.I followed your instructions .Now its working.Thank you
I gotta start doing this every year when I start using the heat, I swear I run into this problem every year with the heat not working at the worst times lol.
Great job
I don’t really leave comments but this really worked wonders for me and my family. For three days our heat was not working and My landlord was being a slumlord not answering my calls so I gave this a try and it worked. Thank u for posting this because it’s helped my family tremendously.
glad it worked for you.
This is the second time i needed this in the past 3 yrs. Took me about 2 hrs to find the information the first time around. Had it bookmarked this time, took a refresher scan thru the vid, fixed the furnace in less than five minutes. Best detailed information out there, thank you!
Glad it helped!
Thank you so much ours is cutting off early like you mentioned right now.. we changed the thermostat yesterday still didn't work but I am going to try this today. I will update after I do..UPDATE...It worked !!! I am forever grateful 🙏 thanks again
Shannon, I thank Jesus for you and this video. My furnace kept cutting off as the snow began to come down. Fearing that we would probably have no heat tonight, I ran across this video, followed your directions, and my Heat Is Back On!!!!
+Neal Tomlin Glad to help.
Wish I could give you another thumbs up. I watched your video a year or two ago to fix my furnace, and watched it again today. This is now on my calendar as a recurring event.
I'm so happy I found your video! Furnace wasn't working right, I knew something was wrong because it wasn't getting warm in here. Did some troubleshooting and googling and found your video. 15 min later, no blinking lights on furnace and heat is working!!! These are for you 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘!! Thanks for this video and clear instructions! Now I know to do this every year
It’s Christmas Eve and my furnace stopped working mid day. I have home warranty plan I pay for and it’s supposed to cover emergency services.
I called the emergency line three times but they still hadn’t dispatched someone out.
I started researching and found your video. My furnace is back up and running!!
Thank you so much!!
My furnace stopped working overnight. Noticed this was the problem based on the flashing light error code. Did exactly this and worked perfectly. Thanks!
Glad it worked for you!
Thank so much for making this video. Tonight it's our first coldest night of the season in Texas. And my 67 year old mom's heater did the same. Her house was really cold and no one to call. With this video I was able to get it going and my mom can now have a warm sleep. Again, thank you so much for this video.
Thank you for your help! My husband and I just used your tips and fixed our furnace. We had this issue a couple of years ago and couldn't remember exactly how to fix it. You just saved us a house call!
Your comment at 1:40 was a game changer for me. My furnace would cycle, but sometimes it would just shut off completely and I couldn't understand why. Good to go now, thanks.
Thanks from Hamilton, ON Canada! My furnace was crapping out and giving 8 red light error code. Cleaning the flame sensor did the trick. You're the best Shannon!
Furnace was short cycling, I went up and reset it the furnace. It worked for a bit then started again. Called someone and they ended up saying the flame sensor was dirty. Thanks for showing me how to do it next time. Great preventative step for keeping your furnace working.
Oh my goodness! Thank you for your video! It was HUGELY helpful! It’s a little after midnight on a 23 degree night and I can now rest easy knowing the furnace is blowing warm air and my family will be able to sleep comfortably. Your video and instructions were clear and concise. Thanks a million!
This video has now helped me TWICE! First time was last year, it was -20 outside and well after midnight. I have a tropical bird in my home that can not be exposed to cold temps. I was able to fix the problem in minutes! Again, today my furnace was making the same sounds. Found this video again. I gave the sensor a little wipe down, totally worked. Thank you so much!
Yet another grateful Dad for saving me an expensive service call!
Thanks, I cleaned the sensor and the temperature went from 40 degrees to 71 degrees.... It was 60 degrees below zero in Chicago for 2 days... We are warm and I saved money too..
Hi Shannon - just wanted to say THANKS for this. Furnace has been unreliable for the past week, and I've barely ever opened one. I figured out how to read the codes, which lead me to suspect the flame sensor was bad, and watched this on how to clean it. Took all of 5 minutes, and the furnace came right to life afterwards! I used 1500 grit sandpaper and a paper towel to clean it off. Hardest part was getting the sensor back into the awkward position. Thanks a million!
I tried this with my daughter and it worked!! we've tried everything and this was the only thing that worked. Thank you so much!
glad to hear
Shannon, thank you!!! I finally was able to cease the cold nights over here at my house. I am so appreciative of the videos that you all provide for us on the channel. I am ever grateful. Peace
Very useful video. I had a furnace inspection but the company did not clean the heat sensor. A few weeks later I had a lockout due to ignition failure. Now the problem is gone. This is something I'll do every year on my own from now on.
Thank you very much for this video! Completed repairs at 11:45 PM! All seems to be working properly now. Will monitor for the next few days and if furnace remains intermittent I will replace the the furnace flame sensor rather than just cleaning it.
You just saved me an awful lot of headache. Thanks so much. I will be picking up the spare part to have on hand!!
U DA BOMB Shannon! Your video helped me fix my furnace problem. Heat is now coming out of the register and the house is now heating up and not just the fan blowing. Thank you.
Kudos, I started looking into RUclips videos then came across.... cleaned the flame sensor, Thank god! I also noticed the air pump tubing was cracked and cut was disconnected. So totally no air supply due to poor job done by an elec. contractor lasted just a year or so. After half hour work, saw the beautiful blue flame and saved hundred fifty bucks or so. THANKS
Right on!
Furnace started acting up when it was 18 degrees outside (Minnesota in December). This video did the trick. Can't thank you enough!
you are welcome, keep warm!
Wow, thanks. Can't believe I watched your video at 1215 at night and had my furnace running in 7 minutes. Lightly used sand paper to clean.
Nice work!
Use emery cloth.
You’re my hero! Next 5 days coldest in Texas.
-72°F in Alberta Canada today
Thank you very very much. I was thinking to call a HVAC technician, but after watching your video, it took less than 10 minutes to solve the problem. Muchas gracias amigo
Unbelievable -your solution fixed my furnace perfectly. Thank you for saving me from an emergency repair - furnaces seem to only break down when it’s bitter cold.
Thanks a bunch Houseimprovements....last year i got charged $300 for this (service call) and they tricked me to get into a so called yearly maintenance program!! Little did i know it is just a flame sensor. Did the cleaning today myself and furnace is working like a charm. The symptoms you described were on point (the furnace would turn on the light and shoot flames for a second then turnoff, do that 3 - 4 times and completely shut off), i knew immediately that i found the solution after you said that. God bless you!
20 degrees outside and my furnace kept lighting and the going out. Found my flame sensor, gave it a light sanding with steel wool, reinstalled and all worked as normal. Thanks for saving me the $150 service call
I've been impressed with every House Improvements video I have watched, and this one is no exception! Thank you for posting!
Make absolutely sure you have CUT OFF ALL POWER to the furnace before opening it!!Thank you Shannon for an outstanding video that will no doubt help many people.
Thanks so much. Cleaning the flame sensor with Scotchbrite fixed it perfectly. I should have realized this... My last house, the hot water tank would do the same thing and I used to clean the flame sensor on that thing to fix it.
My heater started running constantly with no heat. The flame sensor was dirty (going to blame it mostly on kitty litter dust) and cleaned it off with a steel wool pad. Now we have heat again. Thank you for your video!
Ditto, furnace kept turning on and off then stopped. Found your video. Problem fixed! 85 year old single grandmother living in our basement can now get out of bed! Thanks from the bottom of our 💕!
You're a good man Shannon. Thank you
You’re welcome, thanks for watching.
Thank you Shannon for sharing this very helpful video. As a single mom, kind of handy, I found your instructions very easy to follow. Although I wish my sensor was conveniently placed like your sample! Thanks again!!! I’ve saved this to my favorites to refer back to is as needed.
A nutdriver and a piece of steel wool just saved me an expensive service call. Thanks for posting this information! It was an easy fix.
THANK YOU so much Shannon! This video saved me a whole lot of further aggravation. I am back in business and with lower blood pressure now thanks to you! Keep up the good work!
Shannon you are awesome! You were clear and precise with how to locate, remove and clean the sensor. Only took my 5 minutes to have my furnace up and running again after I watched your video! Thank you so much for the video!
Thanks Shannon. Saved us from a cold night here in Boston. My sensor was a little different but the comparison of the new and old sensor was helpful. Thanks again for a great video.
Thank you so much sir! All this time I thought it was maybe a thermostat issue. Bought a new thermostat and still had the same problem. Your video was the answer and going on 2 weeks, not a single problem of the furnace shutting off like that. Liked, subscribed, shared, everything! You're being put on social media blast sir, but in a positive way! Thank you!
+MrStonecold71 Thank you, glad it worked for you.
Just saved me a service call on one of the first days below freezing this season! Thanks for this!!
Awesome! My family will sleep well tonight in a heated home because of this video. Thank you so much!
great to hear John!
Shannon!! Thank you so much for your video! Ours went out this morning and after watching tons of other issues videos, your video helped us to solve the real issue. Thanks again! You rock!!
This video worked for me. I have a Nest thermostat and blamed that until I replaced it with a normal Honeywell unit. Still had short cycling issue. I cleaned the furnace flame sensor with steel wool and my furnace was fixed. Awesome video keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, living in Canada... this prevented me from having a really cold and painful night before work!
glad to help, please share our channel with your friends. ruclips.net/user/HouseImprovementsfeatured?view_as=public
Thank you so much for your tutorial on cleaning my furnace flame sensor. I've used it two years in a row now. I'm a very non-handy girly girl but was able to easily follow your video instructions and complete the cleaning. Saves me at least $150 to have a professional come out. Now, could you please design a heater that doesn't make it so difficult to access the sensor! :)
LOL, some are tough to get at! Glad to have been able to help you out. Please share my videos or channel.
I knew u were Canadian by your accent but you saying 40 below just confirms it. That's crazy cold. Great videos. Best in the web! Thanks
this was the problem i was having. thanks to this video i learned something about furnaces and was able to easily get the furnace back running as well as saving me some $.
Just used this video to find the part, clean it and now it's working perfectly. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the video! It is very precise. I have never done this before but tonight I did it with your instruction and it did work. I worn gloves, and I didn't have stealwool so I used a clean cloth and it worked! Thank you :)
good job!
This GREAT man saved me a $100 house call. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-Chiefs Kingdom
you are welcome
Dude thank you! So glad I found this video. My furnace just kept cycling and then would start blowing without igniting. I took out the sensor, wiped it down and voila! Fired up the first time after I put it all back together.
Glad it helped
Thanks Shannon I almost spent the $75 service one warranty fee for them to fix it! Really easy to do!
I watch a few flame sensor videos and yours was the most straight forward. Thank you for making this for us DIYer's. You have a new subscriber. All the best!
thanks for the sub
This dude just helped me get my heat back on. Life-saver in winter
Shannon this video is so well-crafted and clear. My furnace stopped working a couple of days ago and I was torn between trying to fix it myself or spending $175 or more to have someone come out. So I hit RUclips, as usual, to find a video to help me and I found yours. I just followed your directions, the single wire reference was particularly helpful, used 400 grit waterproof sandpaper, all I had, accidentally touched the rod like 5 times 😬 but cleaned it off, reinstalled the flame sensor and Bam it's working. So grateful to you!
💃💃💃🔥💗🔥🌹🌈
it worked 🔥 I fixed my furnace yesterday 🔥 they didn't even look dirty 🔥 but it worked on my Rudd 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thank you so much you save my life last night with this video. Me and my kids appreciate you so much. Have a bless day and a merry Christmas to you and your family
glad I saw your video....I went to turn my Lennox furnace on tonight, because it's 42 degrees in May and it started up, then shut off within 30 seconds!! it did exactly what you said. I will try to fix it in the morning....it's 1am...hoping it doesn't get any colder out tonight! thanks for posting this video
+mewsette1961 Hope it works for you!
Hello Sir! Thank you so much for your video!!! I found the flame sensor by using the two features you described and cleaned it and now my furnace is working very well! Watched many videos and yours is the best! Really appreciate it!
You are welcome