heaters....

“Looking at trane site now .. okay no slats to see in through, definitely electronic ignition. Adaptive hot-surface igniter, whatever that means. Is it an upflow or downflow model? btw I'm only finding XL80 and XL90 models.”

“well theres definantely slats on the end of the thing. I feel so stupid..I don't know the difference between upflow or downflow?”

“Upflow is standard, cold air goes in the bottom, hot air comes out the top.”

“I would think upflow...only because of the little chimney thing blowing air up.

Just got to love home ownership. My christmas present this year instead of gear maybe a new furnace...that sucks!

I'll have a big day tomorrow. I'm going to review this thread then check everything I can under the house. on the unit. the valve etc tomorrow in the daylight.

Thank y'all for the things to begin to look for!
last edited: 12/02/05 7:55:44 PM”

“Should have asked this before ... do you smell gas? Also is it the kind with the A/C in the same unit?”

“no I don't smell gas...I sniffed real good before I even started posting. Yes A/C same unit.”

“Found the XL1200, getting closer. So it's squat rectangular combined unit, heater at one and and a/c at the other.”

“yeah..what Leofric said.”

“Definitely sounds like the problem's inside the unit itself and the thermostat is okay. Trane site says direct spark ignition, so it should be making tick-tick noises when it's trying to light the burners.
last edited: 12/02/05 8:00:34 PM”

“so that means I better just call a repairman huh?”

“Unfortunately that's what it's sounding like. Sorry... hope it doesn't get too cold at your place tonight. All out of obvious things to check for.”

“I appreciate your helping me out. Its eastern NC but its pretty cold. I imagine the furnance men are working full blast. But hey... Thanks for tryin. I'll see who I can find tommorrow.”

“No problem, any time.”

“Be sure to turn it off and turn the gas off to the unit. If it is not turning on properly you don't want to run the risk of leaking a buncha gas.

One thing you can do to try to test the unit is to take your hair drier and heat up the thermostat to make sure it's off. Run to the unit and wait for a bit and see if you ever hear it tick trying to come on. Depending on how cold the house it you ususally have a minute or so before the latent heat escape the thermostate and clicks on.”

“Did you crank the thermostat all the way up?”

“now I'm freaked out my house is gonna blow up...I've turned the entire thing OFF.

yeah NC I pushed that thermostat all the way one time mainly frustration but hoping.

Good Googley...I shouldn't have checked my indoor outdoor thermometer. Y'all wanna venture a guess as to the indoor temp and outdoor temp?”

“Since it's an outdoor unit a leak (if any) is unlikely to find it's way into the house. Doesn't act like a leak though.”

“Getting down into the 30s?”

“If it were to be a leak thats rough for the neighbor on that side. I saw the husband next door firing up a nice 'pipe' last weekend under his carport..which by the way is pretty close to my unit. talk about firing one up.

36 outside....brrr..I've moved upstairs to big old quilts!”

“Thought you had a nice real fireplace there Carlette?”

“Here's a link I found that may have some insight:

http://www.hvacmechanic.com/forums/resservice/messages/10369.htm

There's a draft sensor that might be failing. The burner won't light unless it detects that the draft motor is pulling a good draft through the combustion chamber.”

“May I suggest you get out the owners manual for the furnace and check out the troubleshooting section? Most of the newer furnaces have troubleshooting code lights that flash in a certain sequence and that is covered in the manual.
Not all electronic igniters click, some are just a glow plug and these things are the usual suspect when your furnace will not fire up. There should be a light switch on your furnace, since I do not know your local building codes you might have to use the breaker. Turn it (switch or breaker) off and turn up the t-stat, go back to the furnace and switch it on and if it is a glow plug it should glow bright enough for you to see. This also activates the code lights if your unit has them. Again all of this will be covered in your manual.

When all else fails...read the manual and when that fails call the repairman.”

“I do have a fireplace Y2. I have found the fireplace looks good but really doesn't do much in 2600 sq ft. It cuts the chill in the den but thats about it.

The maunal failed too...so the repairman is coming this afternoon. HA! and he thought he'd take off today..NOT!”

“How's that furnace? Much better now?”

“the repairman called back to say with the calls he rec'd he wouldn't be able to make it today as first thought. So...we're chillin like villins.”

“Bummer.”

“If you can close off the room with the fireplace, you might be able to keep fairly warm. Are there doors you can close or maybe hang some big blankets over the open doorway(s)?”

“What sucks when I end up having to get a repairman is usually it is something so simple and in my face. Then I gripe all day about how stupid I was not to find it myself.

It could be worse, think of New Orleans.”

“So, what happened with Carlette's heating situation? Are her hands too frozen to type? Did the repairman come over today? Did her pipes freeze?”

“We went from 40 degrees Saturday to mid sixties today..which helped. Ski--the repairman wound up not being able to come yesterday...so I'm on the list for this week. Of course we're forecast for 40's during the days this week...hopefully I"m on the MONDAY TO DO LIST!”

“When they say "we have you down for Tuesday" you have to ask, "who is we, where is down, and which Tuesday" -- Erma Bombeck.”

“How we can go from the 60's one day to the 20's at night the next day is beyond me. LOL..thanks for the heads up Leo...before my lunch is over I think I'll call them to clarify my interpretation of Monday!”

“Well...what's up with the heater? Inquiring minds want to know.”

“Beat me to it, Ski...

Well?”

“I still don't know whats wrong with the thing. I've been told I need a whole new unit....so I guess I'm weighing what to do.
We're hanging tight with a space heater until I can get a second opinion.”

“oh yeah...and I got a whole load of free oak from a neighbor that had to take a tree down.”

“Oh, for a real fire.......I miss that, instead I'm stuck with central heat only.”

“I'll trade ya! You can have the real fire and I'll take your central heat..whatcha say whacha say!”

“I'll trade ya! You can have the real fire and I'll take your central heat..whatcha say whacha say!”

“YOu can say that again.”

“uh....i mean i would like BOTH. I've lived with space heaters, fireplaces, wood burning stoves and have done my time. I just miss the smell and mess and ashes, popping, heat, etc. I guess I'm a hopeless romantic. :)
last edited: 12/08/05 7:14:57 PM”

“oops...its so frigid I'm stuttering..lol. Actually its not so bad tonight...and we're now no longer forecasted to get snow Friday..so all seems to be cool for a day or two.”

“I miss the snow too........(don't start on me)”

“BTW Carlette... it was 75* here in Bama last Sunday.”

“Definitely get a second opinion. Simply telling you to get a new unit without a detailed reason sounds too glib. I still think it might be the draft sensor -- that has rubber tubes and diaphragms that can weaken and wear out, especially in an outdoor setting.”

“The new furnaces are so energy efficient it will probably pay for itself in reduced energy costs & increased comfort. My son-in-law (commercial HVAC installer) talked me into a new fridge because mine was old, saying it would pay for itself. I now have a 3 door (we & everybody else call it walk-in). HUGE. Fits everything imaginable & then some. Uses a LOT less energy then our old one.

Any old appliance is dollar wise to replace for it's significant energy savings.”

“What sucks when I end up having to get a repairman is usually it is something so simple and in my face. Then I gripe all day about how stupid I was not to find it myself.

It could be worse, think of New Orleans.?
sticks
7:32:54 AM
12/04/05


sticks,what i like to do is pay to have the "pros" diagnose the problem and then just fix it myself...still have to pay them but it keeps me from spending the time and money fixing the wrong thing 2 or 3 times before i figure it out”

“Carlette, I wish I had your phone number I could call you and talk you through a couple of things to maybe see if a hose from the pressure switch is clogged with water. First off, YOU DO NOT NEED A NEW FURNACE!!! Trane is not that old and with the newer furnaces, they are made so air-tight that if there is not sufficient air inside this hose, that hose, this vent, that vent, it simply will not work.The only reason you would need a new furnace is if there is a crack in the heat exchanger. If they say there is a crack, tell them you want to see it. They saw it, so should you. Another reason it might not be coming on is because the mercury in the thermostat is not making contact. There is also a circuit board that may or may not have a small 3AMP fuse on it. If you had a power outage, then that fuse blew. Saves the circuit board. I guess my main message to you is to not trust that you need a new furnace. I am 99% positive, without even being there, that that is not the case. Also, if your filter is clogged, it will shut down your furnace.”

“Also, there should be an inducer motor, as mentioned earlier. It is a small motor that is attached to PVC piping, and it is circular. Once you turn the thermostat up, check that little motor to see if it is running. If not, see if it feels warm, like it wants to run but is not. There could be a bird or something else small in the vent preventing air from reaching the pressure switches. If it is not running at all, then the troubleshooting starts there and that little motor could be the culprit.”