danski0224
Well-known member
Next guess is fuel pressure issues.
Internet search answers mostly point to fuel pressure issues.
Or heat exchanger defects.
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Seasonal furnace maintenance
- Thread starter Hakeem
- Start date
Internet search answers mostly point to fuel pressure issues.
Or heat exchanger defects.
danski0224
Well-known member
The HX tubes in the video are rusted out on the weld seam, and the tubes are not stainless steel, and not sure how easy it would be to order one with a stainless heat exchanger (of course, someone would have to pay for it).Agree, but the point that a heat exchanger could rust that bad in 9 years is crazy. There must be some secondary cause at work, like you suggest.
There is the condensation issue in summer due to the design of these units.
It can also be short cycling, where it doesn't run long enough to dry out the HX tubes.
It is not uncommon to see issues like that on those units.
If the rest of the unit is sound, why not replace the part?
The area around and under the inducer assembly is also badly rusted, and near a burner inlet. Indicates condensation has crept into several areas.The HX tubes in the video are rusted out on the weld seam, and the tubes are not stainless steel, and not sure how easy it would be to order one with a stainless heat exchanger (of course, someone would have to pay for it).
There is the condensation issue in summer due to the design of these units.
It can also be short cycling, where it doesn't run long enough to dry out the HX tubes.
It is not uncommon to see issues like that on those units.
If the rest of the unit is sound, why not replace the part?
Only some HXs are stainless. The one on my Goodman gas furnace isn't and failed after ~12 years. When I looked into this a few years ago, Amana had a "premium" line that uses SST HXs with a lifetime warranty to the original owner.
$75 for an annual checkup is a bargain. The reason why it can be so cheap is that some businesses do this for fill in work when they don't have any repair calls, and to establish a relationship so that you call them for when something goes wrong. On a 60F day, they probably have some spare time.
I personally just change the filters and fire mine up each winter. YMMV.
$75 for an annual checkup is a bargain. The reason why it can be so cheap is that some businesses do this for fill in work when they don't have any repair calls, and to establish a relationship so that you call them for when something goes wrong. On a 60F day, they probably have some spare time.
I personally just change the filters and fire mine up each winter. YMMV.
Checking back in on this thread now that winter is finally over. I ended up trying exactly that self-maintenance scheme to save some money, and it was a mistake. I must have misaligned something while cleaning because the flame sensor failed right afterwards.I have a few rental properties and maintain a few more for another landlord and I’ve been paying an HVAC tech to come by in the winter and “service” them. I came with last time and it basically amounted to changing the filters, vacuuming the interior out, and cleaning everything with WD40. For $75/furnace I’ll do it myself. So I’ve been watching some videos on YouTube and it seems like a decent maintenance routine would entail the following:
1) turn off power/gas
2) check/replace filter
3) remove flame sensor and clean it with light abrasive
4) vacuum interior
5) wipe everything down
6) turn power/gas on and run a cycle, ensuring that everything operates in proper sequence, sounds ok, and that blue flames are present during ignition
Is this about right? Any steps I’m missing? These are all newer furnaces, none older than 6 years, and all are functioning properly. I’m just looking to maximize longevity and prevent any component failures.
I had to swallow my pride and call Comfort One to fix my mess. They came out to my property in Lake County, diagnosed a hairline crack I had completely missed, and replaced the faulty assembly to get the heating running safely again. Lesson learned—some complex HVAC stuff is better left to the experts.
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Ohmthis
Well-known member
If it has one.Inspect the capacitors to ensure they are within specs
Ohmthis
Well-known member
I feel stupid for not reading all of the comments from the beginning!
Burt Shaver
Well-known member
Oil furnace?We have the original furnace from '73. When we bought the place we a had a tech come, and inspect it. He said the manifold was cracked, and it should be replaced. That was BS. I've cleaned it up including the electrical connections/original thermostat, and it works fine. No CO2 issues.