Apologies if this was double-posted.

My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutes
every 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,
it's always the same.

One thing that bothers me is, with the system "professionally"
balanced, the temperature at the registers was in the low 70's using
an infrared thermometer. I've since closed off the vents to all
unoccupied/unused rooms in the house, and even with just the living
room and main hallway heated, the vent temperature is still only in
the upper 80's. My understanding is that it should be around 100
degrees.

I think all the heat is going up the chimney. The exhaust pipe on the
furnace is RIPPING hot, can't even put my hand near it. It's putting
out a clean blue flame. Changing the filter didn't help. Pros say the
furnace is in perfect working order.

The furnace itself is a 1999 Amana, but I can't tell which model
because the labels are all in French (I'm in upstate NY, not Quebec)
and apparently use technical terms that the online translators can't
deal with. It's either a 48,000 or 65,000 BTU unit, depending on which
part of the label you read.

Mostly, I'm sick of being cold and listening to the furnace fan howl
all the time. I've got plenty of insulation (R38 batts over R19 in the
ceiliing joists). Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding. Windows are all double-pane vinyl units.
It's a pretty tight house, as I can't feel any drafts or hear any
whistles in high winds.

On Nov 26, 12:38 pm, wrote:
Apologies if this was double-posted.

My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutes
every 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,
it's always the same.

One thing that bothers me is, with the system "professionally"
balanced, the temperature at the registers was in the low 70's using
an infrared thermometer. I've since closed off the vents to all
unoccupied/unused rooms in the house, and even with just the living
room and main hallway heated, the vent temperature is still only in
the upper 80's. My understanding is that it should be around 100
degrees.

I think all the heat is going up the chimney. The exhaust pipe on the
furnace is RIPPING hot, can't even put my hand near it. It's putting
out a clean blue flame. Changing the filter didn't help. Pros say the
furnace is in perfect working order.

The furnace itself is a 1999 Amana, but I can't tell which model
because the labels are all in French (I'm in upstate NY, not Quebec)
and apparently use technical terms that the online translators can't
deal with. It's either a 48,000 or 65,000 BTU unit, depending on which
part of the label you read.

Mostly, I'm sick of being cold and listening to the furnace fan howl
all the time. I've got plenty of insulation (R38 batts over R19 in the
ceiliing joists). Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding. Windows are all double-pane vinyl units.
It's a pretty tight house, as I can't feel any drafts or hear any
whistles in high winds.

Do you have AC, a friend of mine had his ac coil so clogged no air
would go through it. Get another pro out, somebody is missing
something, Your furnace is trying to heat the rooms you turned off,
also maybe your thermostat is set for no swing in temperature.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:38:47 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding.

That's your problem. The walls should be R30. The insulation
effectiveness (ie reducing heat loss) graph plot rises steeply from
zero to R30 then flattens off. That is beyond R30 you won't realise
much more insulation gain. But R 11 is certainly pretty low on
insulation effectiveness.

PaPaPeng wrote:
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:38:47 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding.

That's your problem. The walls should be R30. The insulation
effectiveness (ie reducing heat loss) graph plot rises steeply from
zero to R30 then flattens off. That is beyond R30 you won't realise
much more insulation gain. But R 11 is certainly pretty low on
insulation effectiveness.

So if I put more insulation in my walls, the furnace will stop blowing
cool air? That doesn't make sense.

wrote in message
...
Apologies if this was double-posted.

My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutes
every 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,
it's always the same.


If you're anywhere near Rochester, I can recommend a heating company that's
terrific.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:47:33 -0800 (PST),
wrote:



PaPaPeng wrote:
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:38:47 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding.

That's your problem. The walls should be R30. The insulation
effectiveness (ie reducing heat loss) graph plot rises steeply from
zero to R30 then flattens off. That is beyond R30 you won't realise
much more insulation gain. But R 11 is certainly pretty low on
insulation effectiveness.

So if I put more insulation in my walls, the furnace will stop blowing
cool air? That doesn't make sense.


I am not so sure about the explanation for you furnace not blowing
hotter air. It sounds like there is a large mass of colder air in the
house and it takes all of the 30 minutes to warm it up to the set
temperature. Most of that air is recirculated air drawn from the
rooms back into the furnace. Someone knowledgeable will have to see
the furnace running to troubleshoot. It can be you. Put a
thermometer in the hot air plenum, more thermometers some distance
away in the main trunk and see what the readings are. That should
provide a clue.

I don't have the answer for the furnace. On insulation try asking
your city hall agency that deals with home construction permits and
ask how it can be done in your location. Its just that when I built
my house (1980, sweat equity program for people on limited income)
that was what the construction class instructor told me. It sounds
like yours is an older house (80 yrs?) when such things were not well
understood or insulation was absent altogether. Some of these older
houses had insulation added as an afterthought and the studs weren't
deep enough to put in thicker insulation. Insulation batts have to be
loose to trap air pockets. Squeezing R30 batts and compressing them
into a thinner wall space is ineffective.

Effective insulation means that less heat will be lost through the
walls by conduction. Sealing the gaps around the doors, windows,
electrical boxes, etc. will reduce heat loss by convection (ie
escaping warm air and letting in cold air).

On Nov 26, 7:41 pm, TD wrote:
ransley wrote in news:7b81a643-3594-487b-9945-
:



It's broken.

Its not insulation, do you have AC, get the unit serviced by a
different Pro.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:04:10 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

wrote in message
...
Apologies if this was double-posted.

My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutes
every 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,
it's always the same.


If you're anywhere near Rochester, I can recommend a heating company that's
terrific.


How many square feet is your house? The furnace sounds like it is a
mid-low efficient, at about 75%. 65,000 Btu input, 48,000 Btu Output.

1) Check your furnace filter, be sure it is not clogged.
2) Try a digital Thermostat. I just replaced mine with a Honeywell
touch screen, my furnace runs different now, the cycle times are
closer, and the on/off times are different. Also, the fan does not
run as long as it use to.
3) Check that the air return vents are not clogged either.
4) Thermocouples could be dirty, a cleaning with steel wool may help.

It also sounds like partly the thermostat is not telling the furnce it
has achieved temperature, and not shutting off.
Or if it is an older furnce, then there may be a problem with the
upper/lower limits switches of the furnace.

Let us know what you've tried and what the solution was.

samurai.

On Nov 26, 8:02 pm, samurai sammer003 @ yahoo.ca.spam wrote:
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:04:10 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"

wrote:
wrote in message
...
Apologies if this was double-posted.

My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutes
every 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,
it's always the same.

If you're anywhere near Rochester, I can recommend a heating company that's
terrific.

How many square feet is your house? The furnace sounds like it is a
mid-low efficient, at about 75%. 65,000 Btu input, 48,000 Btu Output.

1) Check your furnace filter, be sure it is not clogged.
2) Try a digital Thermostat. I just replaced mine with a Honeywell
touch screen, my furnace runs different now, the cycle times are
closer, and the on/off times are different. Also, the fan does not
run as long as it use to.
3) Check that the air return vents are not clogged either.
4) Thermocouples could be dirty, a cleaning with steel wool may help.

It also sounds like partly the thermostat is not telling the furnce it
has achieved temperature, and not shutting off.
Or if it is an older furnce, then there may be a problem with the
upper/lower limits switches of the furnace.

Let us know what you've tried and what the solution was.

samurai.

has any tech actualy Looked at the AC coil and cleaned the unit, a
super hot stack indicates otherwise.

wrote in message
One thing that bothers me is, with the system "professionally"
balanced, the temperature at the registers was in the low 70's using
an infrared thermometer. I've since closed off the vents to all
unoccupied/unused rooms in the house, and even with just the living
room and main hallway heated, the vent temperature is still only in
the upper 80's. My understanding is that it should be around 100
degrees.

I think all the heat is going up the chimney. The exhaust pipe on the
furnace is RIPPING hot, can't even put my hand near it. It's putting
out a clean blue flame. Changing the filter didn't help. Pros say the
furnace is in perfect working order.

Has it always been like that? It does not sound right that the chimney
would be that hot. Perhaps you need a new pro to look at it.

wrote:
Apologies if this was double-posted.

My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutes
every 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,
it's always the same.

The run time part doesn't really seem like much of a problem..


One thing that bothers me is, with the system "professionally"
balanced, the temperature at the registers was in the low 70's using
an infrared thermometer. I've since closed off the vents to all
unoccupied/unused rooms in the house, and even with just the living
room and main hallway heated, the vent temperature is still only in
the upper 80's. My understanding is that it should be around 100
degrees.

You'd have to check the temperature rise at the furnace plenum and
compare it to the specs. That does sound low though.


I think all the heat is going up the chimney. The exhaust pipe on the
furnace is RIPPING hot, can't even put my hand near it. It's putting
out a clean blue flame. Changing the filter didn't help. Pros say the
furnace is in perfect working order.

Unless it's a 90% or higher efficiency model, the exhaust will usually
run way too hot to touch, so I can't really tell if what you're
describing is abnormal or not.


The furnace itself is a 1999 Amana, but I can't tell which model
because the labels are all in French (I'm in upstate NY, not Quebec)
and apparently use technical terms that the online translators can't
deal with. It's either a 48,000 or 65,000 BTU unit, depending on which
part of the label you read.

Mostly, I'm sick of being cold and listening to the furnace fan howl
all the time. I've got plenty of insulation (R38 batts over R19 in the
ceiliing joists). Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding. Windows are all double-pane vinyl units.
It's a pretty tight house, as I can't feel any drafts or hear any
whistles in high winds.

Temperature rise check would be the first thing I would do/have done..

--
Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from
Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
If you're anywhere near Rochester, I can recommend a heating company that's
terrific.

By coincedence, I am near Rochester.

ransley wrote:
Its not insulation, do you have AC, get the unit serviced by a
different Pro.

I'm thinking it's not insulation... My insulation isn't R30, but it's
at least R19 overall, which is standard for this area. Sheesh, I'd
need 2x8 studs to keep an R30 batt fluffy! I just finished putting R19
between the floor joists along the foundation walls too.

I've got AC, but if the coil was clogged, wouldn't I notice low air
flow and high register temperatures?

wrote in message
...
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
If you're anywhere near Rochester, I can recommend a heating company
that's
terrific.

By coincedence, I am near Rochester.


Prepare to fall in love with a heating company.

Hawn Heating
482-2499
http://www.hawnheating.com/aboutus/hawntrad.html


Doug Hawn is the owner, and you'll often end up talking to him on the phone.
He's extremely knowledgable. Learned from his dad, Al Hawn, who's still
somewhat active in the business. I've used them since 1983, when they were
recommended to us by the people we bought our first house from. The
technicians they send to my home are ALWAYS courteous, picky about details,
willing to explain things, and they wipe their feet. I never got the feeling
they were trying to sell me something I didn't need. Matter of fact, Al Hawn
helped me milk a couple more years of life out of the old furnace in my
previous home, by teaching me what I could do in terms of maintenance.

They're on Winton Road near Blossom. Nice showroom. They did an installation
for a friend who lived 30 miles away, so I know they're service range goes
at least that far.

While we're on the subject of word of mouth, here's a name to have around,
if you never need appliances or service. Another amazing company:
http://netzmans.homeappliances.com

On Nov 27, 9:48 am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
wrote in message

...

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
If you're anywhere near Rochester, I can recommend a heating company
that's
terrific.

By coincedence, I am near Rochester.

Prepare to fall in love with a heating company.

Hawn Heating
482-2499http://www.hawnheating.com/aboutus/hawntrad.html

Doug Hawn is the owner, and you'll often end up talking to him on the phone.
He's extremely knowledgable. Learned from his dad, Al Hawn, who's still
somewhat active in the business. I've used them since 1983, when they were
recommended to us by the people we bought our first house from. The
technicians they send to my home are ALWAYS courteous, picky about details,
willing to explain things, and they wipe their feet. I never got the feeling
they were trying to sell me something I didn't need. Matter of fact, Al Hawn
helped me milk a couple more years of life out of the old furnace in my
previous home, by teaching me what I could do in terms of maintenance.

They're on Winton Road near Blossom. Nice showroom. They did an installation
for a friend who lived 30 miles away, so I know they're service range goes
at least that far.

While we're on the subject of word of mouth, here's a name to have around,
if you never need appliances or service. Another amazing company:http://netzmans.homeappliances.com

If the ac coil is clogged heat goes up the chimney, not to the
registers, to even see mine I had to cut open the sheet metal
surrounding it

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
Prepare to fall in love with a heating company.

Hawn Heating
482-2499
http://www.hawnheating.com/aboutus/hawntrad.html

I've heard of them, and seen their van(s) around town. Thanks!

As an update, I went around with some clear packing tape last night
and covered over the cold air intakes in the unheated rooms. Something
said in this thread got me to thinking that it might work more
efficiently if it wasn't trying to heat the COLD air. Maybe it's all
in my head, but I think it made a difference both with the register
temperature, and how often the furnace runs. Gotta take the IR
thermometer home tonight, and start taking notes again.

wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
Prepare to fall in love with a heating company.

Hawn Heating
482-2499
http://www.hawnheating.com/aboutus/hawntrad.html

I've heard of them, and seen their van(s) around town. Thanks!

As an update, I went around with some clear packing tape last night
and covered over the cold air intakes in the unheated rooms. Something
said in this thread got me to thinking that it might work more
efficiently if it wasn't trying to heat the COLD air. Maybe it's all
in my head, but I think it made a difference both with the register
temperature, and how often the furnace runs. Gotta take the IR
thermometer home tonight, and start taking notes again.


That's stupid. You've just restricted the airflow to the furnace heating
vents.

wrote in message newsbi3j.220172$Fc.90981@attbi_s21...
wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
Prepare to fall in love with a heating company.

Hawn Heating
482-2499
http://www.hawnheating.com/aboutus/hawntrad.html

I've heard of them, and seen their van(s) around town. Thanks!

As an update, I went around with some clear packing tape last night
and covered over the cold air intakes in the unheated rooms. Something
said in this thread got me to thinking that it might work more
efficiently if it wasn't trying to heat the COLD air. Maybe it's all
in my head, but I think it made a difference both with the register
temperature, and how often the furnace runs. Gotta take the IR
thermometer home tonight, and start taking notes again.


That's stupid. You've just restricted the airflow to the furnace heating
vents.


Similar: A friend of mine had her ancient furnace replaced last year. When
the installers were done and testing the new unit, something was very
obviously wrong with the air flow. On further investigation, they found
that two of the cold air returns had been stuffed with fiberglass
insulation. Based on other amazing home maintenance screwups we saw around
the house, it was most likely the previous owners, who were experienced
break-it-yourselfers.

PaPaPeng wrote:
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:38:47 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam and
housewrap under the siding.

That's your problem. The walls should be R30. ...

That's absurd.

There's virtually no house w/ _walls_ of R30.

2x4 wall cavity w/ fiberglass is R11 (2x6 will yield R19). The inch of
styrofoam is another R5 for a total of about R16. The rest of the wall
exterior sheathing and interior drywall while not insulation per se,
will add another fraction. That's a plenty-well insulated wall.

--