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Heat, Take Whatever
Nov. 18th, 2010 10:12 amAs mentioned previously, my heat at my house doesn't work. Again. Here's the story, and if you don't want to learn about the ins and outs of electric forced-air heat*, stop reading. You've been warned.
What was replaced last week was the heating elements, all four of them. These are the parts that actually get hot, and are just like the wires in your toaster, except bigger. The heating elements are connected to four "hot posts," which feed electricity to the elements. The hot posts are connected to a pair of sequencers.
A sequencer is an electromagnetic switch, like the solenoid in your car's starter motor, that feeds power to the hot posts. Both of the sequencers are sticking open intermittently. So, sometimes I get two hot elements, sometimes all four, and sometimes none. The fix is to replace the sequencers.
The trick is to find the sequencers. I believe my heater (which is also forced central air) was installed in the 1980s. They don't make this type of unit any more, nor do they make spare parts for it. Thus, finding parts involves calling around and seeing who's got a dusty box in the back of a warehouse. I'm not thrilled about this, but it beats a whole new unit.
* My subdivision was built in the 1960s, when "the wave of the future" was all-electric. There is no natural gas service to my area.
What was replaced last week was the heating elements, all four of them. These are the parts that actually get hot, and are just like the wires in your toaster, except bigger. The heating elements are connected to four "hot posts," which feed electricity to the elements. The hot posts are connected to a pair of sequencers.
A sequencer is an electromagnetic switch, like the solenoid in your car's starter motor, that feeds power to the hot posts. Both of the sequencers are sticking open intermittently. So, sometimes I get two hot elements, sometimes all four, and sometimes none. The fix is to replace the sequencers.
The trick is to find the sequencers. I believe my heater (which is also forced central air) was installed in the 1980s. They don't make this type of unit any more, nor do they make spare parts for it. Thus, finding parts involves calling around and seeing who's got a dusty box in the back of a warehouse. I'm not thrilled about this, but it beats a whole new unit.
* My subdivision was built in the 1960s, when "the wave of the future" was all-electric. There is no natural gas service to my area.
