What is the proper loading sequence for the “Parts Cannon” ?

[Runs With Scissors]

EDIT: Although I did not write it out specifically, I turned the power/breaker on and off at the appropriate times to avoid electrocution, throughout this entire debacle….



So there I am lying in bed, all snuggly and warm, when I realize my nose is a little colder than normal.

Hmmmm????

So I walk over to the thermostat and yep, its only 64 degrees in the house.

Backstory; I am not an HVAC guy, but I decided to replace my AC and Furnace about a year ago. I paid an "actual HVAC guy" to hook up the tube that goes from the AC unit to the furnace, but I did the rest.


Well I have been down this road a few times in the past with a variety of furnaces, so I pull the panel off the back and I pull out the “flame sensor”, clean it, and put it back.

The furnace fires right up……I walk away with a smile on my face and order a new flame sensor.

The END……………………


NOT!

The next morning, its 64 degrees at 0’dark thirty, and Paul is in his “jammies" with his trusty Dewalt, pulling that F’ing panel again.

This time I’m paying a little closer attention.

I tap on the this thing (as I will soon learn, it is called a pressure switch) Bingo……I hear a series of “clicks” and the furnace fires up.


So I take a pic of the model number, fire up my computer and in an hour or so, I have a new pressure switch on its way but there is none available for “same day” shipping, so I have to wait 2 days…...

I keep having to go down and “monkey with it” for 2 days…….


I finally get the switch and the flame sensor and replace them both………..Perfect………….I walk away, “proud as punch”, with a “sh1t eating grin” on my face……Oh so proud, I am…...


Yep you guessed it………...The next f’ing morning, it’s 64 f’ing degrees and “dumbass” is in his jammies with that damn Dewalt gun, yanking that damn panel again.

Now I am pissed…….I decide that the thermostat MUST be bad, cause when I touched it, I heard some clicks and the furnace fired right up…..


Well I be damned…………..All this time, it HAD TO BE a “defective T-stat”……..

Easy enough……..I go to “The Depot” bright and early, shell out my 100 bucks and when I return, about 30 minutes later, I am the owner of a brand new Sensi T-stat (I replaced it with the same model)

I take a pic, so as not to accidentally “cross” a wire

The furnace immediately kicks on, and I walk away, slap my wifes ass, and say something smart like “Your lucky you married me, I can do it all”……..(or something similar……. )

THE END………………


…..NOT


The very next morning,…………yep you guessed it………..IT’S 64 F’ING DEGREES IN THE HOUSE….AGAIN!!!!!



Now I am FURIOUS……….

But I have exausted all of my HVAC troubleshooting “skills” and I have no idea what the hell is going on.

I look at the circuit board

As I put my screw driver to the board, on that bottom red wire, the furnace starts it series of “clicking” and fires up.

Well I be a “monkeys uncle”……Hmmmmmmm…..a loose wire?

It does’t really feel loose, but I decide to take all the wires off, re strip, and re connect them.

Well having been “burned” this many times, I am not getting that “warm and fuzzy” feeling on this latest “fix”, so I decide to do some homework.

I “research" and figure out the starting sequence and what has to happen, and "kind of understand” what is supposed to happen. Apparently the very first thing to happen is that this little blower motor is supposed to kick on, then the pressure switch closes that then sends a signal to the igniter, it glows and then the gas valve releases gas, then the flame sensor senses a flame ……………..blah…blah …blah….

Well I break out “The Meter” and the schematic, and start testing all the safety switchs and what not.

Everything is testing out fine??????? After some more “digging around” on the iner-web,

I find out that the “little blower” should be getting 120 volts as soon as the “call for heat” signal is given…….but using “the Fluke meter” I find out, its not getting the 120V it should…………Hmmmmmm?????????? WTF??????

Then I spot these “relays"

Just for “kicks and giggles” (and maybe a wee bit of frustration) I tap that relay on the left with the back of my screwdriver……………….and I hear “ ClICK…CLICK….Click” and the furnace fires up.

Well “Blow me down” ……..My confidence level is nearing 100% at this point, but “once bitten, twice shy” rule is applied here.

The next morning, its again…………64 F’ing degrees BUT, I calmly walk down, tap on that relay, and the furnace fires right up…….


I test my theory the next morning, by tapping that relay, and it fires right up.


It takes 3 days to get a new board, but I take a photo of all the wires.

It takes me about an hour or so to swap all the wires, and replace the board, but she has been running good ever since.


THE END……..

 

[Flintknapper]

You get a A+ for perseverance!



I'd argue a parts 'cannon' was used though. Maybe something 'belt fed'.

Good job.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

You may find that on the original PCB, one of those 1/4" tab is not properly soldered onto the PCB. It's a bit of 'magic' to get BIG tabs and itty bitty SMT devices to be properly soldered by machines.If you wait too long, to properly solder the big tabs, some small parts can fall off. If you go too fast the big tabs don't get soldered properly.
One of my remote energy control panels had worked for months,then winter came, PCB got real cold,ONE pin hadn't been soldered,so pin was NOT connected to the pad as PCB had 'shrunk'. A 10 second soldering fixed it...plus 2 hours of roadtrip.....

also... be sure to clean out the various hoses on the 'pressure' switch plumbing ! Over time they can become clogged with 'furnace combustion debris' and give a FALSE signal of why 'NO HEAT'.

 

[Yooper]

Parts cost versus having a hvac technician theoretically diagnose it correctly and hand you the bill. You might still be ahead.

 

[Workerbee]

Did your return to Amazon cannon work well?

 

[McMXi]

THE END……..

Your posts are so often really funny. This was a fun read for sure!

 

[Sidekick]

Sounds like how they fix Kubotas. Keep throwing parts and labor at them until they find the actual problem. You may want to see if it's covered under the furnace parts warranty if its that new and maybe have them send you a spare. Love these posts because we have all been there.

 

[TheOldHokie]

EDIT: Although I did not write it out specifically, I turned the power/breaker on and off at the appropriate times to avoid electrocution, throughout this entire debacle….



So there I am lying in bed, all snuggly and warm, when I realize my nose is a little colder than normal.

Hmmmm????

So I walk over to the thermostat and yep, its only 64 degrees in the house.

Backstory; I am not an HVAC guy, but I decided to replace my AC and Furnace about a year ago. I paid an "actual HVAC guy" to hook up the tube that goes from the AC unit to the furnace, but I did the rest.


Well I have been down this road a few times in the past with a variety of furnaces, so I pull the panel off the back and I pull out the “flame sensor”, clean it, and put it back.

The furnace fires right up……I walk away with a smile on my face and order a new flame sensor.

The END……………………


NOT!

The next morning, its 64 degrees at 0’dark thirty, and Paul is in his “jammies" with his trusty Dewalt, pulling that F’ing panel again.

This time I’m paying a little closer attention.

I tap on the this thing (as I will soon learn, it is called a pressure switch) Bingo……I hear a series of “clicks” and the furnace fires up.


So I take a pic of the model number, fire up my computer and in an hour or so, I have a new pressure switch on its way but there is none available for “same day” shipping, so I have to wait 2 days…...

I keep having to go down and “monkey with it” for 2 days…….


I finally get the switch and the flame sensor and replace them both………..Perfect………….I walk away, “proud as punch”, with a “sh1t eating grin” on my face……Oh so proud, I am…...


Yep you guessed it………...The next f’ing morning, it’s 64 f’ing degrees and “dumbass” is in his jammies with that damn Dewalt gun, yanking that damn panel again.

Now I am pissed…….I decide that the thermostat MUST be bad, cause when I touched it, I heard some clicks and the furnace fired right up…..


Well I be damned…………..All this time, it HAD TO BE a “defective T-stat”……..

Easy enough……..I go to “The Depot” bright and early, shell out my 100 bucks and when I return, about 30 minutes later, I am the owner of a brand new Sensi T-stat (I replaced it with the same model)

I take a pic, so as not to accidentally “cross” a wire
View attachment 167255



The furnace immediately kicks on, and I walk away, slap my wifes ass, and say something smart like “Your lucky you married me, I can do it all”……..(or something similar……. )

THE END………………


…..NOT


The very next morning,…………yep you guessed it………..IT’S 64 F’ING DEGREES IN THE HOUSE….AGAIN!!!!!



Now I am FURIOUS……….

But I have exausted all of my HVAC troubleshooting “skills” and I have no idea what the hell is going on.

I look at the circuit board


View attachment 167254


As I put my screw driver to the board, on that bottom red wire, the furnace starts it series of “clicking” and fires up.

Well I be a “monkeys uncle”……Hmmmmmmm…..a loose wire?

It does’t really feel loose, but I decide to take all the wires off, re strip, and re connect them.

Well having been “burned” this many times, I am not getting that “warm and fuzzy” feeling on this latest “fix”, so I decide to do some homework.

I “research" and figure out the starting sequence and what has to happen, and "kind of understand” what is supposed to happen. Apparently the very first thing to happen is that this little blower motor is supposed to kick on, then the pressure switch closes that then sends a signal to the igniter, it glows and then the gas valve releases gas, then the flame sensor senses a flame ……………..blah…blah …blah….

Well I break out “The Meter” and the schematic, and start testing all the safety switchs and what not.

Everything is testing out fine??????? After some more “digging around” on the iner-web,

I find out that the “little blower” should be getting 120 volts as soon as the “call for heat” signal is given…….but using “the Fluke meter” I find out, its not getting the 120V it should…………Hmmmmmm?????????? WTF??????

Then I spot these “relays"

View attachment 167257


Just for “kicks and giggles” (and maybe a wee bit of frustration) I tap that relay on the left with the back of my screwdriver……………….and I hear “ ClICK…CLICK….Click” and the furnace fires up.

Well “Blow me down” ……..My confidence level is nearing 100% at this point, but “once bitten, twice shy” rule is applied here.

The next morning, its again…………64 F’ing degrees BUT, I calmly walk down, tap on that relay, and the furnace fires right up…….


I test my theory the next morning, by tapping that relay, and it fires right up.


It takes 3 days to get a new board, but I take a photo of all the wires.
View attachment 167258


It takes me about an hour or so to swap all the wires, and replace the board, but she has been running good ever since.


THE END……..

This is all too familiar. Our furnace has been short cycling for the Iast two years. As long as the outdoor temps are above freezing it can keep up but below freezing it cant get the house up to the set temp and runs non-stop. I gave had a locsl HVAC contractor here 4 times and they have, in order:

1. Replaced a bad heat exchanger
2. Replaced the high temp shutoff
3. Cleaned the condensate drain
4. Leveled the unit

It is still not working and I have probably spent close to the price of a new furnace

Dan

 

[John T]

 

[Runs With Scissors]

View attachment 167271

Yes sir.

That was addressed when I installed the “new” T-stat

It unfortunately wound up on the “editing floor” though….

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Parts cost versus having a hvac technician theoretically diagnose it correctly and hand you the bill. You might still be ahead.

No question about it.

6 dollars for the flame sensor (now it’s my “spare”)

15 dollars for the “spare” pressure switch.

0 dollars for the (now returned) T-stat.

186 dollars for the ‘new board’.

It’s probably a “net zero” type of situation money wise. But now I know a hell of a lot more about my furnace.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Did your return to Amazon cannon work well?

I keep it well tuned, and in good working order……..I don’t think Bezo’s will mind

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Your posts are so often really funny. This was a fun read for sure!

Thank you sir…….I figure it’s might help someone and sometimes you gotta make “lemons" into “lemon-aide"

 

[Hugo Habicht]

I would have turned the board around first, as GreensvilleJay had suggested already and check the solder joints around the relais. Or replace the relais itself, then you have a spare board.

I would like to add one small detail to his post: use lead solder.

P.s.: do not get the guy any more that installed it originally.

 

[Dustball]

Did you read the diagnostics codes?

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I would have turned the board around first, as GreensvilleJay had suggested already and check the solder joints around the relais. Or replace the relais itself, then you have a spare board.

I would like to add one small detail to his post: use lead solder.

P.s.: do not get the guy any more that installed it originally.

I agree. Relays are much cheaper than a new board. Replace them all, using real solder, and be prepared for next time. Of course, next time will never come since he'll be prepared.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Did you read the diagnostics codes?

View attachment 167272

Yes sir I did. It was IDL

Not much help though.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I would have turned the board around first, as GreensvilleJay had suggested already and check the solder joints around the relais. Or replace the relais itself, then you have a spare board.

I would like to add one small detail to his post: use lead solder.

P.s.: do not get the guy any more that installed it originally.

I agree. Relays are much cheaper than a new board. Replace them all, using real solder, and be prepared for next time. Of course, next time will never come since he'll be prepared.

Gentlemen, I did “consider it”; However, it was/is pretty cold out there (well below freezing) and I had been getting lucky enough to that point, so I decided to “stop poking the bear” and just “pay the man” for a new board.

I still have the old board, but y’all know how “The List” is ever growing, and repairing that board is ranking pretty low right now…..

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Sounds like how they fix Kubotas. Keep throwing parts and labor at them until they find the actual problem. You may want to see if it's covered under the furnace parts warranty if its that new and maybe have them send you a spare. Love these posts because we have all been there.

I might try that.

I have a feeling they are going to tell me they want proof that it was installed by a “Qualified HVAC Professional” …..Then when they find out I did it, they will find a nice polite way to tell me to “Go pound sand in my ass”

But I might still give it a whirl and see what they say.

 

[hedgerow]

Over the last twenty five years I have installed a bunch of new AC units and gas furnaces. Never seek any of this work out as I didn't need or want any more jobs. You put one in for a friend and the next thing you know you have a side business. Because of health issues I have got to the point I just flat turn down the work. Two weeks ago we had a cold spell threw here and a lady called, I had put a 96 percent LP furnace in and a new A coil and out side unit in 2018. No heat and she's not happy. She's fifty miles from me in the middle of no where. I didn't want to do this unit back then. Friend of a friend deal. I get there, power cycle the unit and the ignitor doesn't glow. Pull the covers off and she has a mouse condo in the burner box. The mice had completely chewed off the wires to the ignitor, which was probably good as I couldn't believe the mice condo hadn't started the furnace on fire and could have burned the house down. Most of the insulation was gone off all the wires in the burn box. I got it running and insulated the wires the best I could. Went back a couple days later when it warmed up with temp heat and replaced the furnace.