We just purchased a condo and we notice that the blower will start and
stop 3 or 4 times, each for about 20 seconds, before it finally kicks
in. It is very annoying and we are certainly wasting money on this. Can
someone tell me, a total neophyte, what to look for and where to look
for it? I had thought that I had this problem once at my house, and it
was a sticky relay and it just needed WD-40. I would hate to have a
service call for something that simple. Thanks in advance for any
help!!

Jeff

don't spray wd-40 on electrical relays. it's flammable and leaves oil
behind.
perhaps this is on a furnace and you can search www.google.com for your
manual.
perhaps this on a different system?

Dont you have a warranty, has a pro checked and cleaned it, on a new
unit a good idea.

wrote in message

We just purchased a condo and we notice that the blower will start and
stop 3 or 4 times, each for about 20 seconds, before it finally kicks
in. It is very annoying and we are certainly wasting money on this. Can
someone tell me, a total neophyte, what to look for and where to look
for it?

"Blower" does not say much.
Hot air furnace blower
Oil burner blower
Kitchen vent hood blower
Bathroom vent blower
Hair dryer blower
Dragster blower
Power vent blower for a heater

I'm guessing you are talking more about a heating system blower than a Fuel
Dragster. Could be the limit switches need adjusting, but then again, if
you are talking about an oil burner, it could be a fuel related problem.

Blower on what?

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
oups.com...
We just purchased a condo and we notice that the blower will start and
stop 3 or 4 times, each for about 20 seconds, before it finally kicks
in. It is very annoying and we are certainly wasting money on this. Can
someone tell me, a total neophyte, what to look for and where to look
for it? I had thought that I had this problem once at my house, and it
was a sticky relay and it just needed WD-40. I would hate to have a
service call for something that simple. Thanks in advance for any
help!!

Jeff

OK, so I am an idiot. Sorry about this. The way that I see it (not
knowing anything about this stuff) is that it sounds like the heat
"kicks on" and then turns off after 20-30 seconds. This continues to
happen until the desired temperature is reached. I don't know if it is
the blower or the burners, I can just hear it loudly come on and then
turn off. This is a natural gas furnace that I hav elittle information
on, as we just moved in. There is nothing blocking any of the vents,
and the room does eventually get to the desired temperature. If I have
to bring someone in, I will. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't
something that I can do very easily. Thanks again for any help someone
can give me.

wrote in message
ups.com...
OK, so I am an idiot. Sorry about this. The way that I see it (not
knowing anything about this stuff) is that it sounds like the heat
"kicks on" and then turns off after 20-30 seconds. This continues to
happen until the desired temperature is reached. I don't know if it is
the blower or the burners, I can just hear it loudly come on and then
turn off. This is a natural gas furnace that I hav elittle information
on, as we just moved in. There is nothing blocking any of the vents,
and the room does eventually get to the desired temperature. If I have
to bring someone in, I will. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't
something that I can do very easily. Thanks again for any help someone
can give me.


Do you have a Lennox Pulse furnace? if so..first, allow me to offer my most
sincere condolences.

If its a Pulse, its just acting normal.

If you can get to the furnace, you need to see if its the burners. But I
doubt it. Sounds like you might have (remember, no one can see it from here,
but offer educated guesses) is a fan limit switch thats either set WAY to
low, or, if its a newer unit, a bad limit switch.

The cycle should be, and this is assuming its an induction style unit, with
a draft inducer motor.

1-Call for heat by thermostat
2-self check of board, and initial start of inducer motor and fan
3-after board check, all safety switches involved with inducer close,
ignition souce will start (hot surface will be engergized, or spark ignition
will start)
4-pilot valve in gas valve will open, once flame is proven to board, gas
valve will go to 100% flow
5-fan limit switch will either start to register temp rise in unit, and
start blower at or around 150F air temp, OR, after a timed delay by board,
fan will start.


IF you have an older fan limit switch that is adjustable, it may be set too
low. This will also cause cycle issues with the fan in the summer.
I would not adjust it over 100F on shutdown, but then your problem might be
that its out of calibration anyway. it can also be caused by a fire rate
thats not set correctly.

It also, but rarely can be caused by a motor that for whatever reason, is
tripping out on a thermal limit, indicating normally a blower motor, or
capacitor that is bad. IF its the blower cycling out due to this, and its a
capacitor, and its been doing this for some time, go on and replace the
motor as well.

Jeff,
Speaking from experience, there are many variables that could cause the
problem you are describing, very few of which can be fixed with WD40.
I would suggest you call in a HVAC expert. Then again, if you "just"
purchased the condo (new) it should sill be under warranty. Then
again... even if you purchased it used, it may still be under warranty.
It's not uncommon for heating units to have 10-year guarantees from
their original installation date. (although you will still get hit with
a service call / trip charge)

That said... if you want to read more on your problem I would suggest
you check these two links. Both will redirect you to some older
postings in this alt.home.repair newsgroup. You may need to give them a
second to complete the redirect.

http://tinyurl.com/73k32

http://tinyurl.com/bl4s3

Elton

Thanks to all for your great advice. This is CLEARLY above my level of
expertise (almost non-existent), so I will call an HVAC person. I
don't know any in the Pt Pleasant, NJ area, so I will have to take my
best shot. The unit is almost certainly 20 yrs old, as that is when
these condos were built, so I doubt it is warrantied. Thanks again!