Lennox Pulse

[Retired Guy]

I have a G21Q upflow furnace that we purchased in1992. It took the dealer three years and at least 4 controllers to get it working properly. I paid for many of them. Had the lennox area rep involved. From 1995- to this year we have refused to let anyone touch it and it worked well. Made the mistake of having the Lennox dealer service it this fall currently. The furnace works when it wants to. As long as I am home to cycle the 110 volt it will usually start. Had a service tech from Lennox dealer suggest that we should have the heat exchanger tested at our expense and if it leaked, Lennox would give is a new furnace for us to install. We are considering to installing a York two stage to replace the pulse, hopefully ending a Lennox nightmare

Does anyone have any recommendations concerning the York 9T gas furnace?

[tinknocker service tech]

what issues have you had with this furnace over the years

the G21 pulse is and has proven to be one of the most reliable furnaces made

york is a good choice but along with any other brand

i am just wondering why this furnace has been problematic and what has been done to resolve the issues.

[Retired Guy]

The issue is more with the Lennox service techs than with the furnace itself. It seems as though no one in our area can fix it. We can't go on with an unreliable furnace. If it is bad, I don't know why I'd want a Lennox as a replacement. It took three years with the assistance of the Lennox factory rep in Mass. to get the thing running. Customer service from Lennox is the main problem.

Glad to hear that you have good things to say about the York.

[lolson]

theres probably not very many techs that has had formal training on them units anymore due to they dont manufacture them anymore but if that co. is a lennox dealer they can download a service manual from davenet. another thing that caught my eye is the number of controllers that has been replaced, did they check the unit for a proper ground? the test procedures are also on davenet.
lennox will only warranty a replacement with another lennox product if there is in fact a faulty heat exchanger

[Retired Guy]

Thanks. Grounds are ok. Just bad parts - we finally got a Johnson controller after three years and that part worked well. We bought what we thought was a top of the line furnace and it was just ok. Not great - not something I'd do again, not any Lennox again. Just need something reliable - Cant say if the fuel savings ever equaled the service charges.

[Irishmist]

as you are having on-going issues, what is the Lennox rep's position at this stage?

I agree, that the Lennox Pulse furnace was a premier furnace available on the market and the concept is still head and shoulders above anything else that has been made available.

Guess what? The Jaguar / Mercedes dealership near me has a BIG service department. How can that be? You mean these top-of-the-line autos need service? ;)

Get my point?

all the best, Irish

[Retired Guy]

Rep assisted in getting the system set-up correctly. Took time as it was new to the Lennox dealer. I would agree with the Jaguar analogy - however neither one can be relied on day in and day out. Should have bought a standing pilot furnace. And I drive a Ford.

[tinknocker service tech]

The issue is more with the Lennox service techs than with the furnace itself. It seems as though no one in our area can fix it. We can't go on with an unreliable furnace. If it is bad, I don't know why I'd want a Lennox as a replacement. It took three years with the assistance of the Lennox factory rep in Mass. to get the thing running. Customer service from Lennox is the main problem.

Glad to hear that you have good things to say about the York.


this is a first
i have worked with Lennox field reps for many years and they IMHO are top notch. I have yet to see them hang a customer out to dry and in most if not all cases they gratis any parts and in some cases even the labor. You bought a top of the line furnace and if it were made to date it would still be top of the line.

i think you need a new dealor with trained techs on the pulse and not a new furnace but that is just my opinion

i have also found in a lot of cases when a problematic furnace is replace with out knowing what caused the problem even the new ones have the same problems. Replacing a good furnace because someone thinks it will solve the problem isnt always the case.

good luck

[Retired Guy]

The Lennox rep was OK. The lennox dealer wants a lot of money to test the heat exchanger. If it tests good, I am still where I am now - an unreliable furnace, and a bit poorer. If it tests bad the "free" Lennox replacement barely covers the test cost. If I spend a few bucks more I get a reliable system, peace of mind when we travel and 10 years of warranty. I'm sure that the lifetime heat exchanger warranty is similar to Lennox - give you about 20% of replacement cost when it fails. The bottom line is that no one around here can service the Lennox.

[dhvac]

From what I read I would have the same opinions as you if I bought something that didn’t work right for me. I have had 2 dodges in my life both gave me a lot of trouble, neither were new when I bought them but guess what I will not buy a dodge
Is it their fault…. No but it doesn’t make me want to spend my money with them
The same thing happened here, I don’t know about you guys but if I install a unit and it doesn’t work right from day one which sounds like the case here, I would eat the parts and labor to have a happy customer and maybe have the chance to be the company to upgrade when its time

As far as the training goes well I don’t know about your areas but here there just isnt much available. its sad but I don’t think the manufactures care much if the dealers are trained anymore


Now to Retired guy, it wasn’t the furnace that caused the problems in the first place it was a company that sold it,, so if you are shopping by brand for a new furnace then you may very well end up with the same problems all over again
If you really want “peace of mind” shop for the contractor that will be there to take care of the problems you have the first time you have them
Because as many have stated the pulse was a great furnace, but you still had problems so now if you get a good furnace and a good contractor you can go for 20 years without any issues

[tinknocker service tech]

just so you are informed properly
lennox no longer gives a new furnace should the hx fail
they will only give an allowance for what they determined the hx would cost

test or not will not really serve a purpose if your plans are to replace

forgot the allowance is a credit to the dealers toward the new lennox furnace

if you use a nondealor and a different brand you are sol is what i believe but may also be wrong on this point

[HeyBob]

Pulse furnaces, while they look like the inside of a rocket, are not rocket science. You need a dealer that can repair it.

Also, like someone said, the furnace is no longer "Free". It's a discount on a new furnace. As I remember that program started October 1, 2007.

[Retired Guy]

The Lennox rep did OK. Needed to call him a half a dozen times to sorta get it working. A service tech was in to replace our electric HW heater with a new gas unit about 3 years after the new furnace install and noticed the lennox failing sporadically. He fixed it, no charge and things were OK until we had the Lennox dealer clean it this fall. First cleaning in 12 years. Then it went all to heck - runs properly most of the time but you never know... Had lennox dealer hear for 8 hours on a sunday trying to figure it out. Has failed a couple of times since then. Never often enough to call. My feeling is because of the "leading edge" technology of the pulse it will always operate on the edge of failure. I just don't want to deal with anything Lennox. They brought this product to market a few decades too soon.

[Retired Guy]

I called the Lennox home office a couple of weeks ago and they said that the replacement furnace for heat exchanger is still on. Doesn't surprise me that it isn't true.

[Retired Guy]

HeyBob,
without using numbers, after paying for the pressure test, I'd save a nice dinner at a local restaurant if I filed a claim. Not worth it. But then again, it'll be 16 years old tomorrow. Don't need headaches now.

[HeyBob]

I called the Lennox home office a couple of weeks ago and they said that the replacement furnace for heat exchanger is still on. Doesn't surprise me that it isn't true.

Nope, you get a furnace at a reduced price, you pay to install it. It's cheaper than paying full freight.

The new G51 and G61 furnaces are extremely quiet and reliable also. The G61 is an upgrade which would cost you a few bucks more.

Get someone else to work on it. Remember, you can buy just about any furnace on the market and end up with a problematic unit.

Same as a car! Oh yea, Ford owns Jaguar, at least they did until recently! :D

[HeyBob]

HeyBob,
without using numbers, after paying for the pressure test, I'd save a nice dinner at a local restaurant if I filed a claim. Not worth it. But then again, it'll be 16 years old tomorrow. Don't need headaches now.


If you pay for the test and it fails, you could save a much a two lease payments on a new Jag! :D

[Retired Guy]

There isn't another dealer to use that I trust.
SWMBO just reminded me it's Newy Years Eve

Happy New Year to all.

[Retired Guy]

Believe it or not, a few years ago my brother won a two year lease on a Jag. If he owned it he would have shot it. Two years of misery - and he lived 70 miles from a jag dealer! He needed the three cars that he had.

[HeyBob]

Believe it or not, a few years ago my brother won a two year lease on a Jag. If he owned it he would have shot it. Two years of misery - and he lived 70 miles from a jag dealer! He needed the three cars that he had.

Possibly assembled by the guy that built your pulse and then was fired and found a job in the Jag factory? LOL:eek:

Guys, I am outta here! Boss lady is reminding me also what tonite is!

[lolson]

the lennox pulse is only a piece of crap to those that dont know how to repair them, but for us pros that has installed them, understand, and repaired them there a great unit.

the only ones that can download a service manual is a dealer.
heres a link to find a dealer in your area
http://www.lennox.com/residential/
but spend your money the way you wont:confused:

[slctech]

This is one of those enticing moments that if I lived in your area, I would drop by your place for free, just to see where everyone is going wrong. I was born and raised around the pulse and find them a delight to work on. If you were to buy me round trip tickets from Salt Lake City and lodging, you will have yourself a free pressure check and if that passes a well tuned, happy pulse......LOL.

[troyorr]

Will Lennox give you the rebate if you install a different brand? Probably not. After you decide what unit/ brand to buy and have it installed, don't wait 12 years to have it serviced like you did with your old unit. A lot of homeowners run their equipment till it fails and then bad mouth the equipment. Try not to do that with your new unit. Did you try calling the tech that replaced your water heater? Sounds like they knew what they were doing.

[troyorr]

What specifically were the mechanical/electrical problems you encountered? What did the water heater tech do to fix the problems noticed?

[slctech]

Going back through your invoices, does it ever state that they replaced the air flapper or diaghram? Did they inspect the gas flapper or diaghram? Has the drain and vent piping been checked for proper installation or build up of possible clogging and/or debris? Rarely an issue, but any notations of them inspecting the spark plug and flame sensor?

The most important maintenance issue with a pulse is the bi-annual replacement of the air flapper.....this is a must! This little bastard will cause alot of the erratic behavior that you are currently experiencing. Then again, pressure testing is a must on these furnaces, too. No matter how you look at it your kind of stuck with forking out more dough to have this done right, then again, who knows whom in your area could do it right.

And if you are dead set on a new furnace then by all means take the time to research out all of your options. This is a 20 year investment. Like buying a Jaguar or that Ford, there is alot if research and test driving involved before you fork over the cha-ching and get those keys. I am not that experienced with Tranes. As a technician I don't find them the most technician friendly as some other makes, but any furnace is only as good as the install.

I would spend some time searching this sight, you will find a thousand people have asked the same questions you have and there are a million right and wrong answers. You seem like a very educated and mechanically minded individual, take your research and put the prospective sales reps that comes to your home to the test. Heat/Cooling loads (Manual J) should be performed when they come by. Be very cautious of those reps that do not attempt to due this. That is your first clue to a bad install waiting to happen.

I have found that a incompetent sales rep equals incompetent installers.

Good Luck,

Like I said earlier, if I was in your area, I'd be more than happy to drop by and kick that gremblin right in the ars.

Happy New Years

[falkenater]

as you are having on-going issues, what is the Lennox rep's position at this stage?

I agree, that the Lennox Pulse furnace was a premier furnace available on the market and the concept is still head and shoulders above anything else that has been made available.

Guess what? The Jaguar / Mercedes dealership near me has a BIG service department. How can that be? You mean these top-of-the-line autos need service? ;)

Get my point?

all the best, Irish

Hey Irish, This is my only problem with Lennox, It may be a great furnace but if customers don't have access to a good Lennox dealer their SOL! Thats what happened in our area. Whats the point of making a system so complex and expensive when others are making theirs just as efficient and more reliable?

[dillon2]

I know that most techs in the last ten years don't like the pulse (another tech at my co hates them) but after you understand how they work, they ahve to be one of the simplest hi efficent furnaces I've ever worked on. As long as the ignition modual has been upgraded as yours was. Two other things. Make sure that the tech has replaced the air flapper valve if it is a few years old and that the drain trap mounted on the exhaust vent is clean. The trap especialy can be a head ache of a problem because they rarely plug completely. What they will do is partialy plug causing a slow drain. If the furnace has to run hard like after the night set back, the furnace will make more water than the restricted drain can handle and the furnace will trip out on a blocked vent.

[Retired Guy]

At this point I'd have to agree that it is probably the drain leg. However the service techs that were here never noticed it - never looked at it - This company has been with Lennox for decades. The furnace probably is fine if we could find reliable service. It may just need some work but I can't go through the process getting answers here and then of educating repairmen every time there is an issue. As I said before, we went 12 years without servicing because every time someone worked on it we had and problems for months. The flapper was replaced 12 years ago. New furnace is going in Tuesday.

[dillon2]

Well either way it sounds like you have solved your problem. I'm sorry to hear you could'nt get good service for your lennox but at least now you have a warranty.

[Retired Guy]

The new two stage furnace is in and what a difference. Even temp in the house and quiet as a churchmouse. Interestingly, the 92% two stage was just about the same price in 2008 dollars as the pulse was in 1993 money.

Thanks to all who helped.

[greaseyfingers]

No DIY is allowed here. Please read forum rules before further posting.

[hetrola]

can you explain how to check my 1988 60,000 BTU lennox pulse natural gas pressure regulator valve to see if it's within proper specifications.. I want to check these adjustments, vent in, vent out, gas in, and gas out..

would you have a spare ignition control upgrade module, that you might wanna sell cheap..

I was going to try and take the cap off the bottom of my lennox pulse's drain leg.. so, I could clean it out.. but, the furnace's drain leg cap won't come off.. I'm thinking, maybe, the furnace installers glued it on.. or, how is this drain leg cap suppose to come off..

I was gonna try and oil my lennox pulse's blower fan motor.. but, it doesn't seem like I'll be able to reach in there for doing it..

does the blower fan motor have to be taken out to oil it.. or, isn't it necessary to oil it.. what kind of bearings does the furnace's blower fan motor have.. are they bushings or lubricated bearings on the blower fan motor...

We can(know how) But won't forum rules no DIY