On Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:19:38 -0500, kjpro @ usenet.com wrote:

I went to a major appliance parts supplier store and they had a number
of furnaces on display including the high efficiency ones. The panels
had been removed so it was easy for me to make a close inspection of
its assembly modules and installation requirements. To install a high
efficiency furnace is a lot easier than to service one. Specified PVC
ducting for the air intake and burner exhaust. The gas connection and
the electrical connection. That's it.


Really, no condensate drain? No testing or other required hook-ups or
steps???



This post is more to show homeowners how to debunk trolls like kipro
than as a reply to him.


Okay, I missed mentioning this item since its not an immediate task
(installing the furnace) for me to keep in mind. The condensate
hookup is in the installation manual. More to the point the label
right beside the condensate collector in the furnace tells whoever is
reading it what must be connected and why. Its just a tube into run
to a drain to get rid of the water condensate.

As for the rest, after self installation, get it inspected by the
appropriate authority and be certified as correctly installed. There
isn't any secret magic stuff that only HVAC trolls can do.

In my Province I can do my own electricals and plumbing too. If I got
myself maimed or killed, tough. Its not a crime. My neighbor, should
I damage his property in the process, can sue me. The insurance
company can refuse to pay for self inflicted damages. Otherwise I can
do anything I want to and inside my house short of buring it down and
endangering the neighborhood.

Had I not been in such in a hurry I could have repaired my furnace
regulator (already done) and saved myself $138 bucks. But I had
already installed the new one. It would be unethical for me to
uninstall it, put back the repaired one and return the new regulator
to the store for a refund.

I can certainly replace the heat exchanger tubes too should I be able
to get my hands on some new ones. By law the appliance part store
cannot stock or sell any. I took a look and (mine) the tubes should
be good for another ten years at least.

However, if you work in the trade the Provincial laws clearly state
that you can only replace the gas regulator and cannot do any repairs.
You also cannot replace heat exchanger tubes. If our Kipro from Hell
insists on doing that in my Province he will lose his license and I
can sue the pants off him for, in law, endangering my life and
property.

As a general rule, for modern day equipment, that is anything 20 years
old or younger, they are no longer designed for parts repairs. All
the service technician does is to swap modules. The main
consideration is will a complete new piece of equipment cost
significantly more than the cost of parts and labor for a repair. If
fixing the old one is half the cost of a new one a better option is
to toss out the old one. The new one will give you more years of
trouble free service than the hassle of recurring small problems with
the old failing one. This module swapping design philosophy also
means that fixing a faulty piece of equipment something you can do
yourself without having to master some complex skill and special
schooling.