[newhomehelp!]

I just purchased my first home. We have been installing hardwood floors and such. The weather recently hit the 90's. Air worked fine at first but now will not circulate. I have a Lennox system- M/N: G23Q314-160-6. I thougt we might have run it to low trying to cool the place off or that the sanding might have caused excessive dust on the filters causing it to freeze up?

Here is what I can see:
-Unit outside of the house seems to be working properly
-Unit inside: Copper pipes are cold, but not frozen, and dripping condensation, casing on unit was also wet and cold
-Filter was pretty dirty so i changed it but it did not help
-The unit is making very cold air, the basement and air ducts in the basement are very cold
-The circuit board shows flashing green lights and all the wires and connections look like the are in good condition

I turned the thermostat to the on position and the cool/heat to off, then using an on off switch on the side of the unit in the basement I turned it off then on. It sounded like everything was turning on but one fan(?) tried to start but stoped right away. I shut off the system but I did not see alot of drainage coming out of the drain hose.

It has now been off for a day and a half and there is no change. I noticed the Fasco component, No. 7121-8774, has what I believe is called a squirel cage that will start to turn when I fist flip the switch to on but stops and does not try to go again unless I turn it off and on again.

Could this be an issue with my Fasco inducer motor? If so what might have caused it? Any suggestions could save me an expensive service call. I already have too many unexpected expenses as a first time home buyer, please help!

 

[SKIP4661]

That fasco blower is for your heating only. It is the exhaust blower{inducer}.
I would check the evaporator coil to make sure it is clean. You will need to check the upstream side of the coil, this is where it builds up.

 

[wirenut1110]

Could just be the capacitor, if it's trying to start.

If you can, take your hand when it's trying to start and spin it and see if it takes off from there. Then just leave the fan switch to "on" on the thermostat until you get another one.

 

[newhomehelp!]

SKIP- I thought that might be the case with the Fasco unit. Other blogers have confused me on that one!

Can you direct me to a place where I might find a guide to take me through the steps to check the evaporator coils? I am not experienced in this area at all but I can follow directions and usually I can get things fixed without paying someone.

Luckily I am not living there yet, it's hot and sticky here, but that also means I can't look at it again until tomorrow. I will run with whatever you can tell me and check back tomorrow once I get a chance to take another look.

Thanks

 

[newhomehelp!]

Are you suggesting I try to make the squirel cage spin? It starts out spining very fast then stops. It has very sharp edges and is in a tight spot? The blower fan turns just fine on it's own...

 

[newhomehelp!]

Sorry new to this site, I posted a response for you above.

 

[SKIP4661]

That G23 furnace has a Sure Light board that will bump the inducer when you cycle the power off and on.
How you clean the evaporator depends how your your system is configured, horizontal, down-flow or up-flow configuration.

 

[newhomehelp!]

How do I tell which configuration I am working with? Sorry for the amature questions here!

 

[SKIP4661]

In a horizontal position the furnace, the furnace will be placed on it's side in a horizontal position, mostly found in a crawlspace or attic. A down-flow furnace will be in a vertical position and the air will blow down, usually used on a slab or main floor application. Up-flow furnaces blow upwards and is typically used in basements or when the furnace is on the main floor and duct is in the attic.

 

[newhomehelp!]

Mine is in the basement.

 

[SKIP4661]

You have an up-flow. Hopefully you have an access panel where the refrigeration pipes go to the coil. You will have to access the A-coil by removing the access panel. You will usually see a triangle shaped piece of sheet metal attached to the end of the A-coil. After you remove this triangle shaped metal you should be able to inspect the underside of the A-coil. The best way to clean the coil I found is to clean off as much debris as possible with a coil brush. A baby bottle brush will work also but a coil brush has a longer handle. Then follow it up with a foaming no-rinse evaporator coil cleaner . You may want to lay cardboard on the heat exchanger so debris and cleaner won't get into the blower.

 

[newhomehelp!]

okay thanks, ill check back tomorrow

 

[kenmac]

If the fan/ blower motor is stopping on it's own . the motor is either over heating, bad capicator, bad relay , board. You can check the board with a v.m. & see if voltage is present on the high speed terminal whrn the motor stops

 

[AndrewF]

Here is a photo of an A- Coil. Some units just have a single coil on a slant.

One of the reasons it is important to use a high quality filter is that once the coil fins start clogging up, they restrict air-flow thru the coils and thereby reduce the efficiency of your unit.

It is likely in your case, that the coils are plugged up and need a good cleaning.

There are a variety of ways to clean them ,some of which depend on how the system is installed and if you can use a stiff bristol brush and comb parrellel with the fins. You have to be careful as you dont want to bend the fins shut. If that happens, no air will go through the coil and you'll get no cooling either.

 

[beenthere]

Becarefull removing the coil's end plate.
If your not. You could cut a distributor line open.

 

[yuri]

The inducer motor gets a bump, starts spinning for a few seconds when the power is turned on. That is normal for that unit.

 

[newhomehelp!]

Thanks for the advice. My father in law who know more about this kind of stuff is going to help me clean the coils on Monday. I am going to take a look tomorrow and see if I can tell that this is what the issue is. Your input has most likely saved us alot of time trying to isolate the issue. Thank you so much!