Sort of a "Check Engine" light for a Lennox System

[BladerunnerKC]

I have a Lennox G61MPV and a heat pump.
I am getting error codes that I need to pass on to my installer. Unfortunately, I have no easy way to know that the furnace is taking an error unless I stand in front of my furnace and watch the blinking lights.
I want my installer to install something like a "Check Engine" car light by my thermostat so I can run downstairs to see the error code in the furnace.
Is there a connector on the furnace system board that would trigger such a light?
Also, I noticed a connector called "E-COM" (3 pins). Is this a communication connector that he can buy and install and I can even have the error code displayed upstairs!
I am getting tired of running downstairs to see error codes.....
Thanks,
PS. It's hard to believe the board can blink an LED to tell me an error code but there's no way to get that info off the board for remote notification.

[orion242]

1. This is a commercial controls forum, see the resi forum
2. This is not for DYI info
3. Check the manual, it just may have the answers you desire.
4. If your HP has that many errors what you just may have is a hack install and you need someone else to look at the system.

[Chris_Worthington]

orion242,

Should you see a post that needs to be relocated or that needs our attention, just use the triangle in the upper right to report it and we will be right on it :D

Moving the thread Thread to the residential section.....

[big sky hvac]

I have a Lennox G61MPV and a heat pump.
I am getting error codes that I need to pass on to my installer. Unfortunately, I have no easy way to know that the furnace is taking an error unless I stand in front of my furnace and watch the blinking lights.
I want my installer to install something like a "Check Engine" car light by my thermostat so I can run downstairs to see the error code in the furnace.
Is there a connector on the furnace system board that would trigger such a light?
Also, I noticed a connector called "E-COM" (3 pins). Is this a communication connector that he can buy and install and I can even have the error code displayed upstairs!
I am getting tired of running downstairs to see error codes.....
Thanks,
PS. It's hard to believe the board can blink an LED to tell me an error code but there's no way to get that info off the board for remote notification.

Depending on how old the furnace is, it may have the newer circuit board that allows the last 10 fault codes to be retrieved. The best thing you can do is make a note of what fault codes you're seeing and what's going on when the fault codes are displayed. Then relay this to the service tech and he should be able to figure it out and make any repairs/adjustments needed. If you post the full model and serial number, we can tell you whether or not it has the newer circuit board.

[BladerunnerKC]

1. This is a commercial controls forum, see the resi forum
2. This is not for DYI info
3. Check the manual, it just may have the answers you desire.
4. If your HP has that many errors what you just may have is a hack install and you need someone else to look at the system.

1. Sorry, was trying to ask a control question and didn't see a residential control section. Missed it.
2. I am not DYIing this. If I DYI this, I won't have a warranty or service company to use. I am seeking info to pass back to the company that installed the system.
3. I have read the installation manual and located a service manual but have not found reference to the info.
4. I don't know if it's a 'hack' install. I do have a concern that I have ongoing errors and need to address them. I am getting really tired of bending over in front of a Lennox furnace to look through a site window to watch one little LED for some clue as to what's going on. I have spent much time watching this LED and tracking the heat output of the furnace and thermostat signals to the furnace. I have talked to Lennox consumer support and it sounds like they installed 2 inch vent piping but ran it 28 equiv feet when the installation manual said max 26. I have to know what to tell the service company that I have found so I can get them to address it. So, if there was a way to know that the furnace was having an error without bending over to watch an LED I would like to know that and have something installed to make this easier. As a consumer that paid a lot of money for this, it gets pretty frustrating to deal with these issues in such difficult circumstances.

[BladerunnerKC]

Depending on how old the furnace is, it may have the newer circuit board that allows the last 10 fault codes to be retrieved. The best thing you can do is make a note of what fault codes you're seeing and what's going on when the fault codes are displayed. Then relay this to the service tech and he should be able to figure it out and make any repairs/adjustments needed. If you post the full model and serial number, we can tell you whether or not it has the newer circuit board.

The furnace and heat pump were installed in June of 2010.
The furnace model is G61MPV-60C-091-12 Serial 5910E07010.
The heat pump model is XP14-042-230-02 Serial 5810B10349

While looking for model numbers, serial number, board numbers etc, I noticed a connector P4 on the furnace control board called E-COM. There is a green LED called E-COM that indicates that communications are taking place. This is just next to the status LED. Maybe that E-COM connector allows a Lennox box to be connected to it and display codes. It's really hard to believe that they build a furnace that has no communications capabilities. Even my RadioShack weather radio at $29 has a contact closure for external devices......

I just want to be able to see upstairs that there's an error going on so I can go check it out. Or even better if it could display the codes upstairs. How the heck else does a consumer know there's a problem? Wait until they are freezing cold and call the service company to wait a couple more days.....

I wish my service company was as knowledgeable about this and I could ask them the questions but they just don't seem to be there. I had to call Lennox and get help picking out the furnace features I wanted. Yeah, maybe I should have gone elsewhere. But the company I used had serviced my equipment for 20 years and had provided prompt and satisfactory service. I also didn't know that the dad that started the company had retired and the son took over. Maybe something changed there.

[pacnw]

to my knowledge, there is no way to make this happen with your particular set up.

Lennox has made a habit of putting "...the ability to do things in the future..." features on their equipment and then abandoning it.

the new iComfort thermostat does just that,but is not backwards compatible with your system.

as has been stated, if you know of multiple codes then provide them as best as possible. also, there may be some lack of proper installation there too, but some of that depends on the codes.

[martyinlincoln]

Most furnaces do not have the ability to communicate error codes to the thermostat. The G61 is not one of the few that has that feature.

[BladerunnerKC]

martyinlincoln, pacnw
Thanks for the reply. Now I at least know.
It's incredible to think that there is no method to get notification that a device as critical as the heating source for your house may be experiencing a serious error. Imagine if every car had to fail on the road before we were aware there was a subsystem faulting that could result in catastrophic failure.
At least if they had not used the same LED to flash errors as to indicate a heartbeat, it would have been possible to read when errors were occuring and do something, and not mistake it for just a heartbeat. \
Steve