Said It Here

Furnace lights up then immediately goes out

Even after replacing the igniter, gas valve, and flame sensor, a furnace can fail to stay lit if the new igniter isn't drawing the correct amount of electrical current. This prevents the control board from sensing proper operation and keeping the gas valve open, stopping the system from completing its heating cycle.

Overview
People affected18 accounts across 3 forums
Workarounds found38 items attempted
Community agreement90 total upvotes

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

  • People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
  • This comes up 18.6× more often in r/hvacadvice than across the site as a whole.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

38 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    Replacing multiple parts sequentially
    Did this help you?
  2. 2
    Checking incoming gas pressure and flame signal
    Did this help you?
  3. 3
    Consulting forums for diagnostic steps
    Did this help you?
  4. 4
    Consulting AI tools like Google Gemini for troubleshooting advice
    Did this help you?
  5. 5
    Checking the amp draw of the ignitor
    Did this help you?
  6. 6
    Calling the gas company to verify gas is flowing
    Did this help you?
  7. 7
    Calling a professional technician for help
    Did this help you?
  8. 8
    Pressing the reset button
    Did this help you?
  9. 9
    Calling a technician
    Did this help you?
  10. 10
    Checking continuity across control board components
    Did this help you?
  11. 11
    Testing rollout switches, limit switches, and inducer motor vacuum switches
    Did this help you?
  12. 12
    Checking the thermostat switch settings
    Did this help you?
  13. 13
    checking if the gas supply is turned on
    Did this help you?
  14. 14
    clearing the pressure switch hose nipple with a paper clip
    Did this help you?
  15. 15
    Pulling and cleaning the flame sensor with an emery cloth
    Did this help you?
  16. 16
    Replacing the furnace entirely
    Did this help you?
  17. 17
    Replacing components like the flame sensor based on online research
    Did this help you?
  18. 18
    Using a multimeter to test continuity across switches and trace power
    Did this help you?
  19. 19
    Replacing the igniter
    Did this help you?
  20. 20
    Swapping out the inducer motor
    Did this help you?
  21. 21
    Turning off the system and running the fan to de-ice coils
    Did this help you?
  22. 22
    Bleed air from the fuel line until oil flows
    Did this help you?
  23. 23
    Replace the fuel filter
    Did this help you?
  24. 24
    Check and reset or replace the primary control unit
    Did this help you?
  25. 25
    Check for a tripped motor reset button
    Did this help you?
  26. 26
    Replace the relay in the AC ready kit
    Did this help you?
  27. 27
    Tapping the gas valve in case it is stuck from lack of use
    Did this help you?
  28. 28
    Testing the thermopile with a multimeter
    Did this help you?
  29. 29
    Checking or replacing the wall thermostat
    Did this help you?
  30. 30
    whack the gas valve with the back of a screwdriver
    Did this help you?
  31. 31
    use a multimeter to check if the gas valve is getting 24 volts
    Did this help you?
  32. 32
    call a technician from a small to medium independent company
    Did this help you?
  33. 33
    Using AI chatbots to interpret multimeter readings and suggest parts.
    Did this help you?
  34. 34
    Replacing the entire aged HVAC system instead of attempting piecemeal repairs.
    Did this help you?
  35. 35
    Trying different MERV rated air filters
    Did this help you?
  36. 36
    Having a technician clean the evaporator and heat exchanger
    Did this help you?
  37. 37
    Using a manometer to check the gas pressure going into and out of the valve
    Did this help you?
  38. 38
    Using a multimeter to test the pressure switches for proper function
    Did this help you?
Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/hvacadvice13 people · September 2026 – November 2026

“My carrier furnace will try to ignite, fail and retry, just has difficulty starting, even when ignited the flames are no burning smoothly.”source ↗

“This has been going on since I bought the house new in 21.”source ↗

Different_Sugar_5028 · r/hvacadvice · 26 upvotes

“I replaced the inducer on my furnace but it’s not manually lighting.”source ↗

Daifa- · r/hvacadvice · 24 upvotes

“I replaced the gas valve and the igniter and flame sensor on this furnace, did I get a bad gas valve possibly? Old one Was doing the same thing. Any advice would be nice. I’m just a new tech trying to figure it out.”source ↗

OkTomorrow9097 · r/hvacadvice · 10 upvotes

“Last winter, i would notice the furnace going through the ignition cycle several times before it would actually ignite.”source ↗

“Now, the furnace starts the ignition cycle, but I see no glow.”source ↗

brantonhoblit · r/hvacadvice · 5 upvotes

“When I first turned it on, it flickered, but all of the burners eventually lit up blue. However, it shut off after about a minute. Now this is happening, and I’m not sure what’s causing it.”source ↗

Over-Structure4349 · r/hvacadvice · 3 upvotes

“I am work travel and trying to remotely help my wife diagnose the furnace problem so that I can order some parts and have them there for when I get back.”source ↗

“Now it will not complete the start cycle and it show 6 flashes and then will go into 6-1 just as the manual describes.”source ↗

frankie232425 · r/hvacadvice · 2 upvotes

“My furnace quit working last night, it has power and gas going to it, it only attempts to start when I pull one wire off the limit switch but still fails to start.”source ↗

Southern_Mess1278 · r/hvacadvice · 2 upvotes

“My system was apparently powered off at the new house. Trying to get it restarted without having a tech come out.”source ↗

“I tried 15 second hard reset one time”source ↗

Pleasant_Lychee_6919 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“I have only touched it once.”source ↗

Pleasant_Lychee_6919 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“The igniter is working and lights the pilot, but the mains never kick on.”source ↗

“Very erratic while the pilot is lit. Of course, it eventually times out.”source ↗

ajbkid · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“I completely left out that I did that first. Pulled it and took emery cloth to it. This was after.”source ↗

ajbkid · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“I have a Keeprite furnace and i have been having issues with the burners not igniting.”source ↗

“they ignite randomly leaving the house cold during certain times.”source ↗

sammy416 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“I can't get the furnace to prime. It's getting power, I have the thermostat set to call for heat, I hold the red button for 15 seconds until the yellow prime light comes on, then let go. Prime light turns off and nothing happens.”source ↗

Tpaul9 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“I had the same issue last fall and managed to get it going and it ran all winter but I can't remember how. I want to say it was something with the lockout sequence. Because it seems to do this when it goes unused from spring to fall.”source ↗

Tpaul9 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“It doesn't sound like it's trying to pull any fuel and it's not even trying to ignite. I think it may be something with lockout?”source ↗

Tpaul9 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“The blower kicks on. The igniter ignites. No gas. No audible click.”source ↗

VermicelliRoutine601 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“Forgot to add that no 24v hitting the gas valve during sequence.”source ↗

VermicelliRoutine601 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“That's what ours was like and I even posted about it here. We got an entry level American Standard split system for about $14k to replace it this year and so far the heating is more effective and consistent.”source ↗

GhostofSmartPast · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

“Is there any way I can rule some of these out? I live on the outskirts of town, so finding someone willing to come out here thats knowledgeable enough to handle this is difficult and will cost an arm and probably half a leg.”source ↗

Different_Sugar_5028 · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes
r/appliancerepair4 people · September 2026

“Google gemini says I need to replace the igniter, can anyone confirm?”source ↗

DocBrown1105 · r/appliancerepair · 2 upvotes

“What’s the amp draw of the ignitor? I’ve never seen an ignitor cause a valve to act like this and I don’t hear the valve closing and opening.”source ↗

jecroyle · r/appliancerepair · 2 upvotes

“100% new igniter. Not drawing enough amps to keep the valve open.”source ↗

LuftwaffeP · r/appliancerepair · 1 upvotes

“Yep looks like you need a new ignitor to me.”source ↗

Pyrokid241 · r/appliancerepair
r/HomeMaintenance1 person · October 2026

“I got the pilot light on and was able to turn the dial to the on position. There's a dial on the wall to control the fireplace but even when it's turned all the way up, the fireplace isn't catching.”source ↗

“All the fuses are on and I'm not aure what I'm missing to get this thing going.”source ↗

“We don't want to spend money for a professional to fix an easy problem.”source ↗

JonInfect · r/HomeMaintenance · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised