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Burned wire insulation on Goodman flame sensor wire

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duncans7
duncans7 Member Posts: 4
in Gas Heating
Has anyone seen a blacked/fried/burned up (whatever term you’d like to use) wire connect to the flame sensor. It is a Goodman GMS90703A unit. No heat call. Unit igniting and turning off and repeating. Flame sensor cleaned and working again but I have never seen flame sensor wire insulation being burned from the inside like that before. Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

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  • unclejohn
    unclejohn Member Posts: 1,833
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    Flame roll out or it was laying on top of the combustion top at some point. It was not heated from the inside out if thats what your thinking. I don’t know why anyone would have a torch down there but I have hit a few wires with a torch flame. 
    mattmia2duncans7
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,286
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    Agreed. Perhaps more to the point, that wire is toast -- both literally and figuratively -- and needs to be replaced.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    mattmia2duncans7
  • duncans7
    duncans7 Member Posts: 4
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    I replaced the wire but there are no signs of a torch or other heat source. There are other wires that are touching the burner box below that are not marked like this one and the wire seemed to have been up out of the way the entire time from what can be seen. 
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,702
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    No signs of a torch? How about that burned wire...that seems like a sign :sweat_smile:
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
    pecmsgBenDplumberEdTheHeaterManSuperTech
  • BigPerm
    BigPerm Member Posts: 1
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    I may be seeing the start of the same thing. When my ignitor starts, the flame sensor wire emits a small continuous blue spark where it touches the frame supporting the gas line. There is a small amount of soot there. Furnace is only starting some of the time. I wonder if it's a ground issue. I cannot find anything online about it.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,524
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    That wire got heated from something. lots of discolored insulation
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,837
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    ethicalpaul said:

    No signs of a torch? How about that burned wire...that seems like a sign :sweat_smile:


    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 1,385
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    Hello @BigPerm,
    BigPerm said:

    I may be seeing the start of the same thing. When my ignitor starts, the flame sensor wire emits a small continuous blue spark where it touches the frame supporting the gas line. There is a small amount of soot there. Furnace is only starting some of the time. I wonder if it's a ground issue. I cannot find anything online about it.

    Sounds like in your case the insulation is probably age related dilapidated and the high voltage is arcing to the nearest ground. The one pictured looks like a torch or other flame got to it, since it is out in the open and not near metal to arc to. In either case the wire should be replaced.

    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • realliveplumber
    realliveplumber Member Posts: 354
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    EBEBRATT-Ed said:

    That wire got heated from something. lots of discolored insulation

    Different problem, someone posted on a thread, with not the same problem.

    One was the melted wire, 2nd is about a spark jumping to ground.
  • realliveplumber
    realliveplumber Member Posts: 354
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    BigPerm said:

    I may be seeing the start of the same thing. When my ignitor starts, the flame sensor wire emits a small continuous blue spark where it touches the frame supporting the gas line. There is a small amount of soot there. Furnace is only starting some of the time. I wonder if it's a ground issue. I cannot find anything online about it.

    You should start your own thread.

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