"vairxpert" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 20:22:19 -0500, "StephenM"
stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote:


"vairxpert" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 19:34:45 -0500, "CBhvac"
stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote:


"Anthony Diodati" wrote in message
...
Why is that? Would not a lack of vacuum to the pressure switch not
allow
the
furmace to light?
Tony D.

Lack of vac would indeed, but what he describes is another larger
problem
that needs to be addressed, and while anyone can hack in a fix, the
real
tech will find the real problem, and repair the unit, not put a patch
on
it.
That was a patch...nothing more.

Case in point. I had a customer that had (key word, HAD) a 3 year old
Rheem
90% condensing furnace. He had allowed his cousin, who had a friend in
the
trade who had a friend...and so on, install it for him. I got called
out
for
a no heat call. When I got there, the unit was installed BELOW grade,
in
a
crawlspace and had been flooded. I priced out a new unit. Period. The
maker
of the unit even states in clear letters, not to run the unit if it
has
been
exposed to water.
He of course, declined and called his buddy of a buddy of a buddy back
out
who basically, disabled all the safetys, vac'd out the primary heat
exchanger and blocked the drain at somepoint.
I got called back about a month later. The home had caught on
fire....sorta...the lower floor joists were found to be smoldering one
morning since the drain had blocked up, filled the primary heat
exchanger
with water again, the inducer motor had been rigged to run all the
time,
and
the roll outs had been bypassed.

If the inducer was rigged to run all the time, how did the furnace
continue to operate after the first cycle in which the pressure switch
failed to open?

Ignore the posting name, changed it for a sec in alt.hvac and havent
bothered to change it back.

Simple...it was rigged on a standard peanut relay...When W was hot, it
started the inducer. I might...and thats might, have some pics of that
one
around...if I do, you can see what a mess it was.
He had a couple of old TI sequencers in there as well, that didnt belong.

Why did he go through all that trouble instead of just letting the
control board do its job? Or was the exchanger plugged to the point
the pressure switch didn't prove, so he basically hardwired the
inducer and used a relay in place of the pressure switch that would
make and break on W in order to fool the computer? Now that would be
Sweeet!!

Yup...exactly. I had a similar problem child not too long ago..an older
Armstrong. I got this call about a unit that the other tech had said he
"cant get that computer control anymore" and wondered if I could look at it.
It worked sometimes, and most times not. It was a mess, in a crawlspace, and
the vent was rusted, doors off, blower door switch hardwired, blower
overheat limit hardwired, an extra relay or 4 in there..a bad HSI, and the
best part was, once I got the HSI working, I had to prove what else was
wrong, and start over. So..first things first, I get the thing to fire, and
lo and behold, it does...problem is that the inducer and the blower came on
at the same time.
Turn the AC on....inducer was on..go freaking figure. Long story
short...after ripping it down to nothing but the HSI control still in place,
and starting over, there was nothing wrong with it other than some really,
really reeeeeealy dumb wiring done by a tech from another company, that
didnt have a clue.
Funny part was, it was proof positive that if the fan starts at the same
time as the inducer, the heat exchanger will never get to temp....the sounds
of commotion from the owner when she thought the house was on
fire..LOL..from the crap burning off the HE was priceless.
Point is, you and I both know that too many people think an extra relay to
make things work fixes the problem...


Oh and if you're reading this, Stormin'...please don't get any ideas!

I thought of him...I really honestly did...
I have even thought of printing up a sign, and when I run into a REALLY
hacked one like that, taping it to it and snapping a pic for the website..
Sign might say...SM was here....or...Stormy...is this your work?


George