We've got a new Trane XL90 gas furnace. Wife turned it on yesterday
and it didn't fire up. When I got home from work, I took the lid off &
started poking around. Discovered that the combustion air fan (I think
the svc guy called it the "inducer") was bound. (Push in cover limit
switch, hear HMMMMMMMM at 60Hz, release limit switch, start feeling for
hot things, identify stuck motor...)

Since it's in warranty, I called service & griped. First thing he
asked was whether it was a 90% effeciency furnace. When I told him it
was (PVC exhaust), he immediately asked if there was a bird in the fan.
Yeah, that's the first thing I think of when a fan motor
fails--there's a dead bird in it!

Took the fan off, removed the dead bird, and everything works fine now.

Any good troubleshooter looks for horses, not zebras, and this guy
nailed it on the first try. So, is this a common thing? Repair dude
said you can't put a grill over the exhaust because it'll ice up &
clog. Is there nothing that can be done to prevent birds from getting
into my furnace?

The motor has a thermal overload (thought it was really hot), so
probably no damage when this happens again. Still, WTF??

Mine has a screen over it, and it hasn't iced up.
And no, I didn't put it there...

On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 13:05:50 GMT, "Toller" wrote:

Mine has a screen over it, and it hasn't iced up.
And no, I didn't put it there...


If you're in a place where icing is an issue, put a cage over it,
instead of a screen in it.

Toller wrote:
Mine has a screen over it, and it hasn't iced up.
And no, I didn't put it there...

Do you have a high-effeciency furnace? I think the exhaust is not so
hot (hence the high effeciency and PVC exhaust pipe).

How cold does it get where you live?

What brand of furnace do you have?

thanks,

"Toller" wrote in message
...
Mine has a screen over it, and it hasn't iced up.
And no, I didn't put it there...


Same here. Upstate NY, stayed below 20 degrees for at least a month last
winter. And, my exhaust pipe is only in the sun for an hour each morning.

wrote in message
ups.com...

Toller wrote:
Mine has a screen over it, and it hasn't iced up.
And no, I didn't put it there...

Do you have a high-effeciency furnace? I think the exhaust is not so
hot (hence the high effeciency and PVC exhaust pipe).

Yes, a 93%

How cold does it get where you live?

Upstate NY; it frequently gets below zero

What brand of furnace do you have?

Lennox. The intake/output is a plastic thing with a grating built into it.
Maybe plastic doesn't ice up?
thanks,

wrote in message
ups.com...
We've got a new Trane XL90 gas furnace. Wife turned it on yesterday
and it didn't fire up. When I got home from work, I took the lid off &
started poking around. Discovered that the combustion air fan (I think
the svc guy called it the "inducer") was bound. (Push in cover limit
switch, hear HMMMMMMMM at 60Hz, release limit switch, start feeling for
hot things, identify stuck motor...)

Since it's in warranty, I called service & griped. First thing he
asked was whether it was a 90% effeciency furnace. When I told him it
was (PVC exhaust), he immediately asked if there was a bird in the fan.
Yeah, that's the first thing I think of when a fan motor
fails--there's a dead bird in it!

Took the fan off, removed the dead bird, and everything works fine now.

Any good troubleshooter looks for horses, not zebras, and this guy
nailed it on the first try. So, is this a common thing? Repair dude
said you can't put a grill over the exhaust because it'll ice up &
clog. Is there nothing that can be done to prevent birds from getting
into my furnace?

The motor has a thermal overload (thought it was really hot), so
probably no damage when this happens again. Still, WTF??

Same furnace. Some animal(s) chewed away the plastic ribs that go across
the exhaust gas discharge. I put chicken wire over the opening and over two
winters it hasn't been a problem. The only thing that I get is some small
icicles due to the moisture on the wire.
MLD

wrote in message
ups.com...
We've got a new Trane XL90 gas furnace. Wife turned it on yesterday
and it didn't fire up. When I got home from work, I took the lid off &
started poking around. Discovered that the combustion air fan (I think
the svc guy called it the "inducer") was bound. (Push in cover limit
switch, hear HMMMMMMMM at 60Hz, release limit switch, start feeling for
hot things, identify stuck motor...)

Since it's in warranty, I called service & griped. First thing he
asked was whether it was a 90% effeciency furnace. When I told him it
was (PVC exhaust), he immediately asked if there was a bird in the fan.
Yeah, that's the first thing I think of when a fan motor
fails--there's a dead bird in it!

Took the fan off, removed the dead bird, and everything works fine now.

Any good troubleshooter looks for horses, not zebras, and this guy
nailed it on the first try. So, is this a common thing? Repair dude
said you can't put a grill over the exhaust because it'll ice up &
clog. Is there nothing that can be done to prevent birds from getting
into my furnace?

The motor has a thermal overload (thought it was really hot), so
probably no damage when this happens again. Still, WTF??


Just means the dispatcher know his company is to cheap to install the
properly screened termination point for the vent. The down turned elbow
should have had a 1/4" screen inset into it. But then they do cost a bit
more than a regular elbow.


Colbyt