I'm having problems with my heater?

Sounds like trash in one or all of the jets. The only thing I can tell you, without seeing it myself is that if you shut it all the way down and you can get to the jets, you could pull a pipe cleaner through the jet and possibly get whatever is in the way out and the it should not give any more trouble. don't quote me, because like I said, without looking at it, really don't know. You might also check and make sure the gas line at the propane tank is not loose and sucking air. This will case a heater to act weird too.

It sounds like it is turning itself because the burners didn't all light - it also sounds like a fairly modern furnace with electronic ignition (i.e. the pilot light isn't always on.

There are really only three possible reasons for some burners to light and others to not light.

First, there's usually some sort of deal to carry the flame from the igniter to all of the burners. You should be able to watch the ignition sequence through a little window. The igniter lights, a tiny flame ripples along a little tube, then the main gas valves open and the burners come on. So, are all of the little holes in this tube clean and do you get a nice clean, even flame all the way across?

Another problem could be that some burners aren't getting gas. Is it a multi-stage furnace where it turns on more burners when more heat is needed? It could have a band gas valve. Probably it's a single stage furnace with one gas valve and mulitple orofices - one per burner - and one of them could be clogged. Sometimes you can just swipe the inside of an orofice with a pin and get it going again.

One burner may not be getting air - spiders can get in there and make eggs sacs inside venturi tubes and cause all sorts of hassle. These can be cleaned with a bit of wire, a toothpick, etc, it really depends on what is in there and where it is.

I hear you when you say that you can't afford to pay for help right now, but you have to understand that working on your own furnace involves ricks of fire and risks of carbon monoxide poisoning. There are a lot of people out there with enough mechanical skill to do the level of work that you need to do to diagnose this problem quite safely and there are a lot of dopes that try to use butter knives as screwdrivers. Be sure you now which you are and if it's the latter, seriously consider alternatives, like handy family member, handy neighbor, social services folks that will pay for a real furnace tech for you, etc.

As golden rider says, it sounds like a flow problem. You don't mention whether it's LP or propane. In either case, I'd check for restrictions somewhere - dirty jets, a valve not fully open, a kinked line.. But please do get it fixed quickly, as malfunctioning burners have the potential to cause a gas buildup. Money is only money; what price can you put on someone's life? btw - carbon monoxide (CO, not "CM") is a product of combustion. No combustion, no CO.

Mike is right. The unit has a flame sensor(s) that will turn of the gas to the burners. This is a safety feature. You don't want a buildup of un-ignited gas close to a flame. I would suggest that if you can't afford a tech, you most assuredly can't afford to buy a new home after yours burns down. Good luck and God Bless

Technically, you should call the local gas dept. and have them come check your gas connections. I wouldn't use it until it is checked. YOU DO NOT WANT THIS TO CAUSE YOUR HOME TO BLOW UP! YOU ARE ALLOWING THE GAS TO CREATE CARBON MONOXIDE INTO YOUR HOME WHEN THE BURNERS ARE NOT TURNING ON! THIS CAN KILL YOU WITHOUT YOU EVEN SMELLING IT. C M DOES NOT SMELL, IT PUTS YOU TO SLEEP, THEN KILLS YOU WITH THE INHALATION.

GET THIS CHECKED ASAP! YOU NEED TO FIND THE $$'s SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW TO GET THIS FIXED!

could be blocked burners or low gas pressure. Have the gas company check it out asap