For several years I've known I need to fix the gas control valve for our propane hot air furnace in the summer -- when we don't need heat 😉
There are two solenoids that operate the gas valve and the electrical connector is poorly designed and over time the electrical connection becomes unreliable.
Real repair and photos from October 2024 later on in the thread.
1/10
Finally tapping with a small hammer stopped working so I took off the gas control valve plastic cap and slid out the electrical connector and one of the spring connectors was partially broken.
I cleaned all four connectors with a tiny file and bent the remaining prong of the broken connector back into position and now the furnace works! I think my partner will appreciate having heat again!!
2/10
Next summer I'll take this apart again, remove the spring connectors, solder three wires directly from the three large pads on the connector board to the two solenoids and then it will work for a long time. At least that's the plan 😉
UPDATE
The spring clips failed again so I needed to do the more involved fix.
3/10
1. Twist off all four spring clips from the gas control valve electrical connector.
2. Solder red, white, and black stranded wire to the three large solder pads on the back of the connector.
3. Slide the connector into the gas control valve slot.
4. Solder the red, two white, and black wires to the appropriate terminals on the two solenoids.
4/10
Blue arrows point to the electrical connector that operates the solenoids. I can slip it out backwards.
5/10
Those spring connectors have small amounts of corrosion I can clean with a tiny file and the connector on the right is partially broken. I'll bend up the remaining spring bit that isn't broken..
6/10
The brass spring clip broke when I bent it back … so here’s the more involved repair: soldered, two white, and red and black 22 ga. very flexible stranded wire to the three large solder pads.
7/10
I’ll slide the connector board back into the slot in the control valve.
8/10
And solder the wires to the appropriate terminals on the solder posts that energize the two solenoids.
9/10
The furnace turns on! I think this repair will last longer than tapping on the valve with a hammer!
10/10
Stephen Bannasch (316 ppm)