Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on when it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the furnace to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped the two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this blower has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up but I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed

get the motor replaced

"Ed" wrote in message news:EDM2c.101332$A12.38409@edtnps84...
Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on when it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the furnace to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped the two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this blower has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up but I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed



This is Turtle.

I can't see it from here because of your 36" TV is in the way looking through your front window, but Like Ransley said replace the
blower motor. now in a lot of cases you have to buy the blower housing attached because it being made all together.

TURTLE



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"Ed" wrote in message
news:EDM2c.101332$A12.38409@edtnps84...
Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on when it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the furnace to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped the
two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will
start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this blower
has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this
blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up but I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem
might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed



Man..its already failed. I dont know where you are at, but you need to call
a qualified repair tech out, and allow them to replace the unit thats
failed, and insure that you have not done some damage to anything by
allowing the unit to run with a bad motor, motor control, or such. That is
called an inducer motor, and it is there for a reason. It has at least 3
safety devices connected to it, and its possible that one has failed in a
manner that the shock of hitting it is allowing it to "run fine for a day or
so..."
You need to stop poking around, and get someone that understands how these
work out there to check out the unit. Its not going to be cheap if you get
someone that has a clue, but you will find its cheaper than creating a
condition that just might be deadly, or, at the very least, harmful to you
or your family.
There is a damn good reason why there is warnings on those units that tell
you not to muck around with them unless you are qualified, and its obvious
you are not.
You will want to insure that the person working on your unit is licenced, if
thats required in your area, and insured. ASK for the proof of insurance.

040307 1638 - Ed posted:

Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on when it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the furnace to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped the two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this blower has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up but I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed



The furnace purge motor has to be operating before the main gas valve will
operate. There is usually a paddle in the air flow of this purge system to
let the system know that there is air flow and gases are being exhausted out
so that a gas flame doesn't ignite leftover gases and explode.

It sounds like this purge motor is lacking lubrication in its bearings, or
the fan blade is rubbing against something. If you want to work on this
yourself, you can remove the purge fan motor and fan and spin the motor
shaft and see if the bearings are OK. Check for sloppiness in the shaft
rotation. Connect the motor to its appropriate voltage and see if it
operates properly. If you need a new motor, you can contact your local
furnace company and give them the model of the furnace, and the model of the
motor and get a new one.

"indago" wrote in message
...
040307 1638 - Ed posted:

Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on when
it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the furnace
to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped the
two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows
warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will
start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this blower
has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this
blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up but
I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like
its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem
might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed



The furnace purge motor has to be operating before the main gas valve will
operate. There is usually a paddle in the air flow of this purge system
to
let the system know that there is air flow and gases are being exhausted
out
so that a gas flame doesn't ignite leftover gases and explode.

It sounds like this purge motor is lacking lubrication in its bearings, or
the fan blade is rubbing against something. If you want to work on this
yourself, you can remove the purge fan motor and fan and spin the motor
shaft and see if the bearings are OK. Check for sloppiness in the shaft
rotation. Connect the motor to its appropriate voltage and see if it
operates properly. If you need a new motor, you can contact your local
furnace company and give them the model of the furnace, and the model of
the
motor and get a new one.


Thanks to everyone for your informative replies. I'll have a closer look at
this inducer/purge motor and see how difficult it'll be to replace. I do
appreciate the safety risks involved in fixing a furnace, so if I don't feel
confortable with the task at hand I will call a heating technician out to
fix the problem. Even then, with the info you all have provided, it'll
hopefully help me be more informed when dealing with the technician.

I'll try to keep everyone posted once I get this problem resolved.

Ed.

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 07:40:06 GMT, "Ed" wrote:


"indago" wrote in message
...
040307 1638 - Ed posted:

Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on when
it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the furnace
to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped the
two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows
warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will
start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this blower
has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this
blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up but
I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like
its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem
might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed



The furnace purge motor has to be operating before the main gas valve will
operate. There is usually a paddle in the air flow of this purge system
to
let the system know that there is air flow and gases are being exhausted
out
so that a gas flame doesn't ignite leftover gases and explode.

f It sounds like this purge motor is lacking lubrication in its
bearings, or
the fan blade is rubbing against something. If you want to work on this
yourself, you can remove the purge fan motor and fan and spin the motor
shaft and see if the bearings are OK. Check for sloppiness in the shaft
rotation. Connect the motor to its appropriate voltage and see if it
operates properly. If you need a new motor, you can contact your local
furnace company and give them the model of the furnace, and the model of
the
motor and get a new one.


Thanks to everyone for your informative replies. I'll have a closer look at
this inducer/purge motor and see how difficult it'll be to replace. I do
appreciate the safety risks involved in fixing a furnace, so if I don't feel
confortable with the task at hand I will call a heating technician out to
fix the problem. Even then, with the info you all have provided, it'll
hopefully help me be more informed when dealing with the technician.

I'll try to keep everyone posted once I get this problem resolved.

Ed.


Yeah, let us know. You could easily save yourself some big money.
We have seen on those news shows what those so-called technicians do
when you invite them into your home.

PJ

"PJx" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 07:40:06 GMT, "Ed" wrote:


"indago" wrote in message
...
040307 1638 - Ed posted:

Hi all, I'm a newbie at troubleshooting furnace problems, so please
bear
with me........

I've got a home gas furnace that's failing to consistently turn on
when
it
is supposed to. Here's what I've done so far:
1) Checked circuit breaker for Furnace - OK
2) Reset the furnace by following the instructions inside the
furnace
to
turn it off & on - Done
3) Checked thermostat - OK. Removed thermostat and manually jumped
the
two
wires to make sure that furnace is turned on. Nothing happens to the
furnace.
4) If I hit the exhaust(??) blower - not the main blower that blows
warm
air through the house, but the one by the flue pipe - the blower will
start
to spin and in turn lights up the igniter. I'm not sure how this
blower
has
anything to do with the electronic ignition system, but this blower
unit
must work before the igniter lights up. I should also note that this
blower
unit has been squealing over the last while when it first starts up
but
I
didn't think much of it.
5) Once I get the unit up and running by tapping the blower, it may
continue to work fine for another half a day or so.
6) When it stops working, I have to repeat step 4 again. Seems like
its
going to fail for good soon.

I hope this makes sense. Can anybody please tell me what the problem
might
be?? and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks,

Ed



The furnace purge motor has to be operating before the main gas valve
will
operate. There is usually a paddle in the air flow of this purge
system
to
let the system know that there is air flow and gases are being
exhausted
out
so that a gas flame doesn't ignite leftover gases and explode.

f It sounds like this purge motor is lacking lubrication in its
bearings, or
the fan blade is rubbing against something. If you want to work on
this
yourself, you can remove the purge fan motor and fan and spin the motor
shaft and see if the bearings are OK. Check for sloppiness in the
shaft
rotation. Connect the motor to its appropriate voltage and see if it
operates properly. If you need a new motor, you can contact your local
furnace company and give them the model of the furnace, and the model
of
the
motor and get a new one.


Thanks to everyone for your informative replies. I'll have a closer look
at
this inducer/purge motor and see how difficult it'll be to replace. I do
appreciate the safety risks involved in fixing a furnace, so if I don't
feel
confortable with the task at hand I will call a heating technician out to
fix the problem. Even then, with the info you all have provided, it'll
hopefully help me be more informed when dealing with the technician.

I'll try to keep everyone posted once I get this problem resolved.

Ed.


Yeah, let us know. You could easily save yourself some big money.
We have seen on those news shows what those so-called technicians do
when you invite them into your home.

PJ



Yea..some of us actually fix the problem and dont even charge for the
service calls...but you never hear about those do you?

Sheesh.

sounds like you found the problem, now just to get someone out to replace
the part. Sometimes it might be an air paddle, but I'm used to seeing a
vacuum actuated switch. Same idea -- the furnace requires a positive air
flow through the combustion chamber before the gas turns on. So that you
don't pump carbon monoxide into your house.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Ed" wrote in message
news:qrV2c.168128$Hy3.93966@edtnps89...

The furnace purge motor has to be operating before the main gas valve will
operate. There is usually a paddle in the air flow of this purge system
to
let the system know that there is air flow and gases are being exhausted
out
so that a gas flame doesn't ignite leftover gases and explode.

It sounds like this purge motor is lacking lubrication in its bearings, or
the fan blade is rubbing against something. If you want to work on this
yourself, you can remove the purge fan motor and fan and spin the motor
shaft and see if the bearings are OK. Check for sloppiness in the shaft
rotation. Connect the motor to its appropriate voltage and see if it
operates properly. If you need a new motor, you can contact your local
furnace company and give them the model of the furnace, and the model of
the
motor and get a new one.


Thanks to everyone for your informative replies. I'll have a closer look at
this inducer/purge motor and see how difficult it'll be to replace. I do
appreciate the safety risks involved in fixing a furnace, so if I don't feel
confortable with the task at hand I will call a heating technician out to
fix the problem. Even then, with the info you all have provided, it'll
hopefully help me be more informed when dealing with the technician.

I'll try to keep everyone posted once I get this problem resolved.

Ed.