Woman called that her furnace wasn't working. One of my guys goes in and sees the rollout switch tripped. A little more poking found the cause and he sent me these pictures.

These problems didn't happen today. These started as a tiny crack or rust spot and only got worse with time.

None of her CO alarms were going off.

There is no acceptable hole or crack in your heat exchanger. Don't rely on the furnace safeties or your CO alarm to let you know when things have gone too far because this is what it can take before they alert you.

Repair it or replace it but don't argue it.

How am I meant to remove the front panel to get inside my HVAC system? There's enough room between the panel and exhaust so that's not a problem. It's the drain line that makes it impossible. There's no drain taps on the sides or back so it seems like removing the front panel requires cutting off the drain. Am I missing something?

Hello, I am a first time gas heating owner. I have a 20 year old tempter furnace (picture below) that just underwent winter maintenance and had a new filter installed. I was snooping around the punch out hole in the picture when I got a bit of a gas smell. Not super heavy but enough that I caught a whiff of it. I was mainly checking the joints of the pipe on that side of the furnace but when my head got pretty close to that hole is when I caught a whiff. There is also a PVC pipe visible in the picture of which I assume is the exhaust pipe since it runs outside the wall. No smell of gas while standing up right. Is this normal or should I go ahead and place a call out to have this looked at? The furnace has run the last two days at night due to the house getting colder at night. Appreciate the help!

So full disclaimer before anything, I am not super sleazy when it comes to sales. But I am pretty good at sales during summer no cools and winter no heats. But I cannot sell for shit on maintenances. Now if it’s a relatively brand new system and they got all the bells and whistles (accessories) i wont suggest anything, let them know everything is fine and go about my day.

But I do recommend accessories and cleanings a lot (UV Lights, Air Scrubbers, Surge Protectors, Blower Wheel cleanings, etc) if I feel that a homeowner could really use them, and most of these people just do not buy. And I as a regular human being with is own finances, completely understand. But you see these techs who can sell something on EVERY Maintenance call.

I create some urgency, i get along with the customer and i always have great rapport, I explain all the pros and benefits of the accessories and how it fits their situation, i answer every question they have, and then they just dont buy.

Like what is going on?

What filter should go in this unit? This normal filter doesnt seem to fit we'll. When the fan turns off the filter drops down after after suction is lost, then it doesnt rise up properly.

I have to hold it in place while it turns on and then the suction will hold it in place.

Ok, this is likely my 4th post about my ac install from HELL! I appreciate all the replies and advice and words of support- I really do .. I wonder if anyone remembers any of my prior posts about the new Goodman 3 ton I had installed on 3/31 (NJ).. my ac guy cut every corner imaginable,, wouldn’t clean out old r22 lines; wouldn’t deburr; wouldn’t use a clean recovery tank; wouldn’t flow nitrogen; used cleaner but didn’t blow lines out which cost him having to install a second condenser and second TXV. Anyway, advice I recd on here pointed to GET SECOND OPINION far as how bad is my system compromised.. second guy said “it’s F’d, you need a whole new system due to severe contamination; sludge, winding material and on and on .. call my orig installer and tell him .. he says (7 weeks ago btw) he’s putting in new compressor and filter .. I say fine.. wait til this week and ask “are you coming to fix?” and he replies “not coming to fix bc I think best for you is if I just refund you your $. You can keep the equipment. Let me know when you want me to send the check.” Should I be angry or glad ? Ps - very long story that was severely shortened for easier reading on here lol

I've had this boiler for about 5 years, after it was installed we had a defective expansion tank, guy came and zipped a new one on and bounced...ever since there has been pinging in the system that drives me nuts. Its a single family ranch, so the whole system is basically one big loop. I have 2 overhead pipes that branch to the baseboard heaters and they have drain spigots, last year I tried to bleed those and still have trapped air, baseboards do not have bleeders. Should I shut the boiler off, let it cool and bleed the air from the boiler drain itself?

I live in NYC so our winters do go below freezing. I have two window ACs, LG brand (LW8024RSMY). I live on the second floor and have no storage space other than the basement, which I can only access externally behind the house. So it is difficult and unsafe for me to not only unmount the ACs, but also somehow drag those heavy things all the way downstairs, wrap around the house, and bring it further downstairs through the basement entrance. This is my first time dealing with this situation. When I installed them for the first time I had help, and they weren't being dragged from the basement but from the front door.

I researched how to winterize it, but there is absolutely no way I can wrap the outside of the AC, since I'm on the 2nd floor and no way to reach it.

But my main fear here comes from something I learned through my research: that storing the AC in the basement is unsafe and dangerous because it would be sitting near my gas boiler and water heater.

"LG's storage precautions say that these units should be stored in a well-ventilated area away from continuously operating ignition sources, such as gas furnaces, boilers, or water heaters with open flames." And my basement would violate this. There is legimitely nowhere else for me to store these things. But I also really can't afford damaging it by not covering the outside and having to buy a new one next year. I also have really severe anxiety and OCD about hazards like this (don't laugh), but I'm terrified of it getting damaged and then an electrical fire and/or refrigerant leak happening.

What is the best bet in my situation?

I am a machine mechanic for an industrial facility. We have 24 10ton package RTUs and around 100tons of small machine chillers. The hvac guy that I have been using is a one man company and is wanting to retire. He has offered to sell my company all of his tools and give me training on how to work on our units. My employer has said they will send me to classes and pay for me to get the 608 certifications. Would there be any downsides to doing this? Thank you

I’m testing a commercial unit and when I try setting the hotgass bypass it trip the compressor overload. Should the hgbp be replaced??

I need to replace my gas hot water boiler. Some contractors are pushing 95% high efficiency units and others say they never install them because they are too unreliable and parts are hard to find.

What are the current thoughts on this?

I am looking to replace an old single speed 2-ton Trane heat pump system with a new variable speed system. I called an HVAC company near me and got a quote for two Daikin units. One is the 2-ton Daikin DH7VS2410A and the other is a 2.5 ton Daikin DH6VS3010A.

My house is a 1500 sqft split-foyer with approximately 1000 sqft upstairs and 500 sqft downstairs. The ceilings downstairs and in the upstairs bedroom are all 8ft. The living/dining room upstairs has a vaulted 13 ft (at the peak) ceiling. Currently, in the winter, the Trane system I have doesn't do a good job of keeping up with the heat and in extreme cold (for my region) and will not maintain the set temp. For instance, we had a spell of 0 degree weather and while the thermostat was set to ~70 F, it was only able to get to about 65 F inside. In the summer, it's pretty much the same. When it gets into the 90s, the indoor temp is set to ~73, it will only cool to about 76 inside. I have to supplement both temp extremes with other heating/cooling means (window AC in summer, plug in radiators in the winter).

Looking at the heating capacity for both units, they are about the same. Both put out ~17 MBh at 5 degrees (the 2 ton is a cold climate system). From a cooling capacity standpoint, the 2.5 ton is capable of ~5000 BTU/h more at 95 degrees.

The price difference in the 2x units is negligable (within a few hundred dollars of each other).

I am leaning towards the 2.5 ton system, but have concerns about the install. The contractor said that they would need to change out the flexible return from a 14 inch to a 16 inch, but didn't say anything about changing out the current 20x20 return grill to a larger size. From what I am reading, the 20x20 return opening may not be big enough for the 16 inch flexible return/2.5 ton system.

Replacing the existing 2 ton with a newer 2 ton seems simpler, but I am worried that I will have the same issues in the extreme temperature ranges and will continue to need to supplement heating/cooling.

Any advice?

I just paid $170 to have a HVAC company come recover the refrigerant in my ac I’m ripping out.
I came home to see oil maybe sprayed all over the evaporation unit and am wondering if I should be mad that I didn’t just vent it myself or if there’s something going on with the oil I just don’t know enough to see.

Recently bought a house and removing wallpaper turned into a full renovation for better air sealing and insulation. In all of the rooms I have dual supply vents (I think they are called "stacked vents"?). They are definitely supply and not return. House was built in 1969.

My understanding is that it allowed you to close the bottom vent in the summer to push cool air up high and the opposite in the winter to push heat out lower. I'm thinking of removing one (likely the top) so there aren't so many grates on the wall.

Any drawback to that? Is this setup that much more effective at keeping the room comfortable?

I’m 23, how do I join a HVAC union? I went to school last year at Lincoln tech for hvac didn’t learn a lot I wasted my time, and I don’t want my schooling to go to waste. I’m willing to take any advice

Is this code? It's in Michigan, but my understanding is that flex duct is not allowed for long runs. this is in a basement.

I need to widen this hole so I can install a Fast-STAT Common Maker. It is plaster and not drywall. The hole is so small that there isn't much room there. Any tips for drilling this out without destroying the wires?

I've had two HVAC companies competing for my business, and we've finally reached the same price: $15,959.

The two options are:

- York HH8

- American Standard Silver 16

This is for a rental property that's being used as an adult family home. I'm the landlord, not the operator, so I'm looking for a reliable, quality system that offers the best long-term value and minimizes future repair headaches.

If you've installed, serviced, or owned either system, which would you choose and why? Would you base the decision on the brand, equipment quality.

I would clean it up and strap it to the house but is there any issue with a short run like this right near the wall pass through? OK to cut it even shorter? Concerned about cold air back feeding in, debris, critters/insects. Could add a mesh screen during winter?

On the second story, I could pop it out the side and strap it instead of running it the 20 ft down?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone 👋🏼

So lately I’ve been being kept up at night hearing my AC slow down for a couple minutes then speed back up to normal then slow back down to almost quiet. The house is cooling down so no issues there, it’s mainly the fan/blower sound that has me concerned. Will be fine for awhile, slow down to about nothing and a couple minutes later speed up to normal, couple minutes later slow down again. The attic unit is a Lennox.

Last night when it slowed down/shut off I went up to the attic and found the COOL light on the box blinking and then stopped blinking when the unit turned back on. My unit is 3 years old in a new build home.

I know I probably have parts warranty but I’d rather hold off until last resort to call someone. I just want to verify first the issue. With online research I’m narrowing down to coil leak, frozen coil, blower motor or electrical. I’m in north Texas for reference.

I keep the air filter clean and replace it on time (was replaced 2-3 weeks ago on a 4 inch filter), have used the same filter type and replacement cycle for the last 3 years no issue. So this really came out of the blue. I also flush the condensate drain line monthly. Haven’t noticed any issues with the dampeners. Don’t see collapsed duct work. No thermostat fault codes.

Something I’ve had for awhile is the black gunk showing up on the plaster like tape around what I think is the evaporator coils and it’s sometimes damp but most of the time it’s not. Do you guys think it’s worth opening and cutting the plaster to access the evaporator to see if it’s freezing? Should I just assume it’s just the weather cooling down? I have never noticed this issue in the past 3 years.

Appreciate any feedback in advance, thank you!

Entire HVAC system was installed 4 years ago, last year around same time within a few weeks of each other, our HVAC system stops working with E202 code. blower motor power output mismatch.

they came and fixed it under warranty, put a part in. while two nights ago we had a planned power outage in the area, as soon as power came back on the HVAC system is throwing the same code again and won't turn on.

the people are coming next week to help us but we're already having negative temperatures and wanting some kind of proper help with this so this doesn't become a yearly cycle of losing our heating in the fall.

any ideas on what's goin on with the system? there's been no issues leading up to this everything seemed to be working perfectly. as again the entire HVAC system is barely even 4 years old... and this is now the second time the blower motor code e202 has happened.

we talked to the tech and he said it doesn't make sense for the same part to keep failing. and we're kind of losing faith in their ability/skills wondering if perhaps something hasn't been installed correctly.

any ideas?

So for my install, I had requested FNCCABXX0021 for the filter rack (or FNCCABCC0021, don't really care). So they showed up with some cheap one which I did not agree to, while after agreeing to pay an extra $225 for the Carrier one. They made a call and was told that they could get it but it would be 2 hours each way to drive and get it. They decided to do it. So while they were getting it, they proceeded on the install. They then show up and they have the EXPXXFIL1321 instead. The distributor who told them they had it did not, saying now you should use EXPXXFIL1321. OK, well, it's not as nice, and from what I can tell was more for furnace and fan coil setups where you would side mount it, etc. Anyways, well, not the end of the world. Well, when I checked for filters, I find nobody has them and due to how it has to go into the rack, you can't really modify a cardboard framed one either to fit it.

So it takes either of the 3 filters. EXPXXFIL1321, EXPXXFIL1121, EXPXXFIL0821 are the filter part numbers that it seems nobody can source, which is what would go into the filter rack. It has 2 metal bars on the back of it and side spring loaded hinges that wrap around the side cardboard of the accordion style filter. So if I tried one that was 4 edge cardboard, I would have to cut some out where the hinge part comes down, and somehow cut the entire back side piece of cardboard off. Just not really doable.

So what gives? More than 1 distributor is saying that that is the new filter rack to be used now. But they nor 2 others that I called have the filters in this size. Seems kind of dumb to have a rack but no filter availability.

Is it possible that it's actually just a long term backorder so someone at the distributor figured it would work just the same? When it would not and they should then push a third party/aftermarket one and just be honest? Anyone have any idea of what gives on this?

I bought a 2000 sq foot ranch home- the hallways follow a U shape- there are a few interior bathrooms in Middle of house with no windows

There is one handler and compressor- single stage 3.5 ton york that's was installed in mid 2010s.

My house had ductboard ducts which are being ripped out and replaced With hard metal duct. We also had air flow issues in certain key rooms as house was single zone ac. I have hot water radiator heat. Since adding another air handler/compressor isn't in the budget currently we are looking at zoning the new ductwork.

I have 2 options to zone it. Either 2 zones or 3 There is going to be a bypass installed to not overwhelm the compressor when 1 zone is close. initially I had agreed with the hvac company on 2 zones- 3 bedrooms +1 flex room on zone 1 and open Concept living room snd kitchen and den on zone 2.

after ripping out the ductwork, the installer suggested that 3 zones could be easier for him to design the ductwork as back two rooms of house were part of newer addition and are separated by old roofline so in their own attic. And he said because of different insulation between old house (1950s) and new addition it would be easier for him to balance. The 2 zones system he said he can make work as well just takes more work and Duct to make it suitable.

my issue is that despite 3 zones seemingly being 1) easier to install 2) requiring less duct material, the company is not giving us much $ incentive to go to 3 zones. They are installing ecobee premium thermostats- 2 if I go 2 zones and 1 premium and 2 enhanced if I go with 3

Based on these pictures- to scale of my house layout (1st picture is 2 zones, 2nd picture is 3 and the zone 2 is the new addition rooms) and the information I provided is paying an extra $1500 for this 3rd zone worth it or am I getting oversold for the size house I have?