My Carrier furnace is driving me crazy

hifiuser · 02-07-2007, 10:25 PM

I have a 1995 Carrier high-efficiency furnace and have the circuit board replaced twice. Two days ago the motor died and was replaced. There was no heat in the house for eight hours. Since then the furnace went non-stop for the last 48 hours (I have the temperature set at 68F but it can only reach app. 63F). It has been very cold in Toronto and I wonder if this is the reason for the furnace to act non-stop. Anyway I am really had it with this unit and was thinking of replacing it. I was told that high-efficiency furnace has a lot of problems. In light of this should I go with a standard-efficiency unit? Any recommendation would be appreciated.

Regards
Tom

#CARRIERMAN · 02-07-2007, 11:02 PM

Hi hifiuser

Not sure why someone would even suggest getting away from a 90 plus furnace, other than they are not paying the gas bill or they have no idea how to fix yours. Give me a little more detail, what it sound like top me is you need to fire your HVAC guy and find a certified one that knows what they are doing. Give me a model, series and a good explination of what is going on and I will give you what you need to get that furnace back up to par.

Good luck
Rusty

hifiuser · 02-08-2007, 09:43 AM

Hi Rusty,

I will email you on the details and model# later today .. thanks for your help in advance. The repair shop is a Carrier dealer and they are coming to have a look at the problem in 2 hours.

regards,
Tom

hifiuser · 02-08-2007, 10:21 PM

Hi Rusty,

The model # of my Carrier furnace is 58MXA080 and it was installed in 1994 together with a Carrier A/C. I mentioned the A/C because the coil is sitting on top of the furnace and the recent motor burn caused the furnace surrounding metal to heat up so much that it actually melted some of
the rubber around the A/C coil (this was discovered today).
I am not handy with the furnace and have to rely on the repair man. I will recount the event leading up to today's conclusion.
· Monday morning woke up with smoke everywhere, furnace very hot and not working. Carrier repairman show-up and told me the motor and the limiter has gone bad.
· The motor was replaced in the afternoon.
· I discovered later that night that the furnace went non-stop in very short cycle (about 10 mins). By that I mean it will start with the vent motor, gas burning, blow motor activating .. . and then the burn stops and the blow motor stop and then it will start all over with the vent motor again.
· The truth came out this afternoon. The vent motor start making loud noises and finally died.
· As I mentioned earlier the coil’s rubber was damaged and water would leak into the furnace during summer cooling . I was told that the whole coil unit will have to be replace since Carrier do not have a part for the rubber.

I am thinking of replacing the whole furnace because I am sick and tired of replacing parts once every 2 years. I am on my third circuit board and god knows what will happen next.
The comment about high-efficiency furnace not reliable was actually made by a friend who has a lot of problems with his unit too. What is your opinion on this subject and should I stay with Carrier again or something else?

Regards
Tom

rakes9720 · 02-08-2007, 11:45 PM

High efficiency furnaces are supposed to last longer, and you save a lot more money - especially in Toronto where it gets cold in the winter. Carrier is a very good brand. As long as any furnace is installed properly and maintained properly, it will last a long time.

#CARRIERMAN · 02-09-2007, 09:48 AM

Hi hifiuser

If you are talking about the drain pan on the evaporator, it can be replaced. If you will give me the model of the evaporator coil I will look up the part number for you. It should be a CK5AXA or BXA coil, I will need all of the number on the evap though. As far as the furnace, I have the exact same one in the upstairs of my house I installed in 1998. The only thing other than the yearly check and monthly filter changes I have ever had to do to this furnace is change out the board, that was due to lightning though. You have a excellent furnace, I think you would be dramatically dissapointed in something else.

Good luck
Rusty

hifiuser · 02-10-2007, 10:48 AM

Hi Rusty,

What kind of yearly check do you need on this kind of furnace?

Regards,
Tom