NF furnace issue. Help appreciated

[huzzsaba]

So the place I rent had the furnace replaced 2 years ago (Rheem brand). I just realized this morning because it was freezing cold in the house that the heat is not turning on.

 

So far I replaced the batteries in the thermostat (battery light was flashing) replaced the filter, turned the switch beside the furnace on and off as well as checked the fuse. Everything seems to be fine.

 

Basically when I turn the thermostat to heat, the furnace turns on for 30 seconds, then shuts off. If I set the thermostat to fan, the fan will turn on but the fan will not turn on when it is in auto mode and with the setting on heat. It'd currently showing 69 degrees on the thermostat,however the upstairs floor is more like 62 degrees. I set the thermostat at 74 for now and even put it up to max 82 to see if it would kick on, but no luck.

 

I called the company that installed the furnace and they want 100 bucks to check it since it's past the warranty.

 

I know it's my landlords problem but want to make sure before I get him to send someone that I am not missing any steps in the initial diagnosis, and then I look like a fool ?.

 

Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[G.mech]

If it's a gas furnace, check an make sure the vent pipe is clear. The burner won't fire if there is inadequate air flow when it's purging on startup. Usually that result in a 'lock-out' condition after a few tries but I'm not sure about the Rheem. Sometimes a wasp nest or spider webs in the end of the pipe are enough to restrict the exhaust air flow. You could even try hooking you shop vac to the outlet and see if you get any junk out.

[BillM]

Does the furnace actually light? or does the fan just come on? Could be as simple as a pressure switch.

Edited October 14, 2016 by BillM

[porkpie]

When my furnace doesn't turn on I call the landlord..... Unfortunately I am the landlord. That's probably what I would do if my furnace wasn't working in a rental.

[leaf4]

Is there an error code flashing?

 

Pull off the front panel, on the back is a list of codes that are numbered and will be indicated by the amount of flashes as to what the error code is

 

From what you say it could be the pressure switch, easy fix

Edited October 14, 2016 by Lucas F

[Old Ironmaker]

I was a landlord, I don't want my tenants calling in any service people on my behalf. It is the landlords responsibility not yours Huzz. If something like a furnace didn't function, and that's important in the winter for sure, I left a list of service providers if for some reason the tenants couldn't reach me. Not everyone had cell phones back then. So call the landlord now and ask him for a list of service people to call if you can't get a hold of him/her during an emergency only.

 

With todays Hi-Efficiency gas furnaces there are so many safety interlocks someone without technical experience is just guessing. It can be anything from a plugged vent to a dirty thermopile.

 

Yea Lucas, an easy fix for you HVAC guys. I don't want my tenants touching anything they don't own, especially a gas appliance.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Old Ironmaker

[ketchenany]

I had the same problem, it was a vacuum safety thing, water was building up and it shuts itself off. After they drained it problem gone.

 

Something of that nature may be your problem, A gas guy will know for sure.

[DanD]

Put on a sweater and call the landlord for direction.

Start mucking with it and you may cause more issues than what there is now.

If you owned the place, it would be a different story.

 

Dan.

[Tom S]

Most likely either a flame sensor or a pressure sensor that is shutting things down. I dealt with the same thing when my induction blower stopped working. Without the blower feeding the burner the burner is prevented from lighting and without the burner lighting the fan won't kick on. A flame sensor failure acts the same, but the induction blower will be running.

 

Easy fix for me, but if you're not familiar with HVAC equipment call a service tech, it's pretty easy to cause more problems than you fix if you're not sure of what you're doing.

[Old Ironmaker]

Exactly Dan. Come to think about it a tenant broke the latch for a furnace because he didn't know how to properly remove a filter and I had to repair it on my dime.

 

I had a service contract with an HVAC guy, if my tenant authorized 100 bucks or anything for a service call I would have a problem with it.

[DRIFTER_016]

When ever I have an issue with anything @ the house I call up my land lord.

That's what I pay him for.

[NANUK]

Take Old Ironmaker's advice,

Could be as simple as a clogged filter or nutrilizer on the codensate drain but it is NOT your problem, Call your landlord.

There are lot of safety and limit switches on these high efficiency furnaces, You could mess things up by just removing an access panel,

[huzzsaba]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I am not going to touch the actual furnace. Just wanted to make sure something simple like a thermostat setting or like some mentioned a clogged pipe may be the issue that wouldn't require messing with the actual furnace.

 

I got in touch with the landlord and will be contacting the home warranty guys. Let's see how long it take lol.

[ketchenany]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I am not going to touch the actual furnace. Just wanted to make sure something simple like a thermostat setting or like some mentioned a clogged pipe may be the issue that wouldn't require messing with the actual furnace.

 

I got in touch with the landlord and will be contacting the home warranty guys. Let's see how long it take lol.

Alway tell them there are very young kids in the house, they come quick! Always worked for me I did have young kids, just in case they wanted to see them.

[DRIFTER_016]

I did have young kids, just in case they wanted to see them.

 

Had some leased ones stuck in a closet in case of emergency?

[Old Ironmaker]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. What do pay per kid? I use my nieces and nephews but they want more $$, little bas@!^^*)'s.

[huzzsaba]

Update: the tech came out and narrowed it down to the pressure switch. He wasn't surprised it went out in less than 2 years. He said most new furnaces have a lot of plastic in them and it is expected. He also told me that Rheem is not great for furnaces since their parts are hard to get. Just a heads up for anyone looking to replace their furnace.

 

Thanks for help. The furnace is up and running great again!

 

In case anyone needs a technician, Amir from express air solutions came quick and got the job done. ?

Edited October 14, 2016 by huzzsaba

[ketchenany]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. What do pay per kid? I use my nieces and nephews but they want more $$, little bas@!^^*)'s.

 

Had four of my own kids and then my brother became a master plumber and a gas fitter. My son in law's father is an electrician, I have cousins who have an electrical supply company and a nephew who does gas furnaces /air.

 

Now I need a roofer. And a painter!

[leaf4]

Yup, pressure switch is a pretty common item to go, I think mine was like $40 or something last year, on a 6 year old Payne furnace, trouble was it happened to crap out on me at about 10:00 on a Friday night and if I wanted the part I had to pay the supplier to open on the weekend, that makes the $40 part a $140 part... I got a propane heater from the girlfriends uncle and ran my blower... Kept it pretty toasty lol

[ketchenany]

If it's the same switch I'm thinking about in a pinch you can disconnect the rubber hose and blow into it and it will run the furnace but eventually it will do it again.

It happened to me.

 

And the furnace only breaks when it cold outside!!!!!

[SirCranksalot]

 

And the furnace only breaks when it cold outside!!!!!

 

 

Unlike ACs, which only break when it's hot, usually late Friday!!!

[Tom S]

Parts is a big dollar business when it comes to customized/proprietary parts. Rheem might make slight changes every couple of years meaning that very model specific parts are needed. Once the supply dries up it can get tough to find parts - or a company has purchased every last spare component it can find and has a monopoly on that part. Industries like HVACR and appliance repair are able to get away with this as many people do not have the know-how to fix by themselves, where if a plumber or electrician tried to do the same thing they'd be thrown out on their ear by a homeowner who has done any research.

[Old Ironmaker]

Hi Tom, what's the "R" stand for in HVACR. I'm out of the HVAC® loop. I hear you when you talk about getting parts. I bought a pricy gas fireplace 16 years back from Majestic. Of course as soon as I needed the first replacement part after the warranty was up I'm told Majestic is out of business. Prices of the fan kit nearly doubled. Knock on wood the fan (twice) was the only issue ever with the unit other than things you would expect like thermocouples. Changed 1 in 16 years, not bad.

[leaf4]

Hi Tom, what's the "R" stand for in HVACR. I'm out of the HVAC® loop. I hear you when you talk about getting parts. I bought a pricy gas fireplace 16 years back from Majestic. Of course as soon as I needed the first replacement part after the warranty was up I'm told Majestic is out of business. Prices of the fan kit nearly doubled. Knock on wood the fan (twice) was the only issue ever with the unit other than things you would expect like thermocouples. Changed 1 in 16 years, not bad.

Refrigeration, typically. It's kinda lumped in with HVAC usually, but you wouldn't want a commercial HVAC service/installer working on a chiller tower IMO there are alot of differences between air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, just like sheet metal (what I do) gets lumped into HVAC as well, so when people say "Lucas can you replace my furnace and AC" I say no because to purchase the equipment for the refrigerant would take me 5-10 change outs to recoup my cost on it, plus I don't know how to braise, but I could buy a pro press... More money... Hahaha

Edited October 15, 2016 by Lucas F

[Tom S]

Refrigeration. Like Lucas said HVAC, sheet metal, and refrigeration often get lumped together when it comes to skill training, trade shows, and the like; but usually operate as completely separate fields. Even within the same building such as a supermarket you may have one company installing the HVAC units, another company hanging ducts, and a third company doing refrigeration.

 

Lucas, check out the ZoomLock system from Parker. 700 psi working pressure, 3000psi burst pressure, vacuum rated. It's miles past Propress type systems.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Tom S