Gas furnace problems

Post your model and serial number of your furnace or pm me, I'll tell you if it is still covered under a manufactures warranty or not.

gamer_jim said:

He said there was no replacement of the heater exchange, just the whole unit.

He said the cause is me not maintaining it properly.

Very possible, but he should be able to tell you exactly how is was NOT maintained properly. (a clogged evaporator or secondary heat exchanger would do it)

He did not verify with a camera.

No need, from your description you have a heat exchanger problem (and maybe a dirty A/C evaporator also)

And yes, it lit then the blower came on then the flame shot out towards us.

He was here 10 minutes and charged me $75--I am choose the wrong career.

From your description it's a very straight forward diagnosis. We charge $100 bucks.

The 2-300 to fix is if the whole unit is still under warranty. I'll get a new one that way. He said 2 hours of labor + 100 or so in parts.

That raises some concerns for me.

I asked him if the heat exchange can be replaced he said no. Seems kinda wrong to me if the rest of the machine, electronics and all, is in good working order. But again, if it only costs me $300 to get a new furnace I am in.

Also raised some concerns, with the age of your unit, I would suspect the parts to still be available. It may be that the manufacture allows for a new unit and thus his response. Unless the unit is a high end unit, most heat exchanger jobs are simply not worth the labor to complete them.

Many times the labor for replacing the entire furnace is less then replacing the heat exchanger.

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Having been in the HVAC trade for 35+ years I will concur that the prices quoted are extremely reasonable. If I (or anyone) could get $75 all day for 15 minutes of work and an hour travel ... I still would not be able to pay my taxes and overhead.

My boy didn't call me back today so I guess I'm calling around tomorrow for competitive quotes.

Anyone else that wants to give me a bid to replace the heat exchanger please pm me. This is not a high end unit.

Thanks.

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Turns out the heat exchange was under warranty but on a 2 week back-order. They finally replaced it and would bill me for 2 hours of labor and $20 in parts. The thing cut off before he left the driveway. He flipped the circuit breaker and it started again, and stopped again after 10 mins. I reset it again and waited for it to cut off so I could get the code off of the circuit board but it never cut off again. My guess is it was over-heating because it was so cold in the house and had to run for so long.

Woke up the following Sunday morning to the condensate pump running on and off every 15 seconds. I check it out and it turns out to be the check valve in the pvc tubing is all torn up. I redirect the condensation drain tube into a basin and unplug the pump. Contacted the pump manufacturer and was told they havne't made that model in a while and don't have parts. The pump worked but this small rubber valve needed to be replaced. Amazon.com prime to the rescue, 2 days I have a new pump. Hook it up and we're good. It pumps the water safely away to where it should go.

Friday of last week there is water on the floor again around the furnace. I thought it was the rubber coupling between the vent fan and the pvc flue. It had some crap on it. I took it off and went to Lowes and HD yesterday but they didn't have a match. I put the old part back on and duct taped it on there figuring I could stop by a parts store on my way home from work. Turned it back on and saw where the water was really coming from. There is a large black panel behind the vent fan and the water was coming from the seal where this panel attached to the rest of the furnace. I remember him showing me the seal before putting it back on. He said it needed to be replaced but could use silicon and it would work just as good. Apparently it doesn't.

Does anyone know what that piece is called so I can sound half-way intelligent when I call the service department again?

Thanks in advance.

gamer_jim said:

There is a large black panel behind the vent fan and the water was coming from the seal where this panel attached to the rest of the furnace. I remember him showing me the seal before putting it back on. He said it needed to be replaced but could use silicon and it would work just as good. Apparently it doesn't.

Does anyone know what that piece is called so I can sound half-way intelligent when I call the service department again?

Thanks in advance.

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I just went through the same thing with the heat exchanger, both primary and secondary.

I don't know what that part is called, but I know exactly what you're talking about. I can tell you that if you go to a HVAC shop with your furnace make and model, they will sell you a seal and gasket kit which will include that part. When my friend replaced my exchanger, he had a bag with him that included that gasket and others which should be replaced when the collector is replaced. That cover collects water from the secondary exchanger and routes it to the pump. There are usually two places where the drain tube can attach. The drain tube is attached to one, and the other is blocked off with a blind fitting.

Collector box, if using a sealant it should be high temp water resistant, not clear silicon.

Weber said:

Collector box, if using a sealant it should be high temp water resistant, not clear silicon.

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Thanks.

When he used sealant he made a big deal about using high temp stuff, said he'd have to charge me a couple bucks for using it. Also, it smoked quiet a bit when he first turned the furnace back on. Said it had to do that to get it to seal. I really don't want to call this guy back and have him work on my furnace again.

Thanks again.

That seal should not create any smoke, it's there for seal the condensation from the primary and secondary heat exchangers.

Smoke from a new heater or heat exchanger can be normal when it is first turned on, as the metal parts are coated with an oil to prevent rust. It burns off when it first lights off, smokes and smells a little. Sometimes enough to set the detectors off.

I was able to order the gasket online, local plumbing supply wouldn't sell to me without being licensed. I got the box off and the gasket that was on there looked fairly new. I tore it off and there was a bunch of gunk under it. So I'm guessing he replaced the gasket but didn't clean off the collector box. I just spent the last 1/2 hour scrubbing it with a medium steel wool and it looks pretty clean now, virtually no damage to the plastic.

Hopefully I can put this back together.

Also, there were a couple screws that were stripped as I was removing it, I wonder if those caused it to not seal correctly.