Thread: Water went down vent that leads to gas furnace, help?

About 32 oz of water spilled and went directly into the floor vent (in the time I went to get a towel most of it went in the vent). This vent is pretty much right above the heater in our basement, about two feet of vent from heater to the vent opening in our living room. Now our heater doesn't want to turn on at all, but I did hear it trying to but now its not at all anymore. Do we have to reset it or anything? Do we have to just wait for the water to evaporate or is this a big problem?

Keep your hands off the furnace. There are electric wires and contacts in there. Turn the thermostat down low enough so it does NOT try to start. Get furnace maintenance guy and let him handle it.

How old is this furnace? If it is an older one with a pilot light (standing flame), it is a possibility you put that out. To relight, turn gas valve button to "pilot", hold down the red button (not all furnaces have a red button, but it is the most common, sometimes it is the knob itself that is to be pressed). You will hear a small hiss when you do this, hold your lighter to where the silver tube coming from the gas valve. When the flame starts, hold the button for at least another 30 seconds, let go. If it stays lit, turn the knob to "on". If it doesn't light, repeat.

If it is a newer furnace with an electronic ignitor, turn off the furnace from the switch (should have a metal electrical wire come out the side and leads to a switch usually mounted on a ceiling, but can be on a wall as well). Turn it off, wait 10 secs or so and turn it back on. if it doesn't start up again, wait for the water to dry and try again. There is a chance you got water on the ignitor, which would make it malfunction. It is an easy fix and can be done by any HVAC company same day.