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Originally Posted by kirwinjd

I don't know if it was my statement about the baffles on a Lennox pulse you are asking about. I was wrong about that. My apologies. Many years ago I had to replace the flapper valves on a Pulse furnace. I remember at what a pain it was. I also remember how much effort we put into trying to reduce the amount of noise from the furnace. We heavily insulated the entire closet to no avail. Customer was still unhappy. I also had to make extensive repairs on a Payne Plus 90 the same day which was a breeze.

Replacing air flappers are a ten minute job tops, not sure why you found it a pain.

I don't know if it was my statement about the baffles on a Lennox pulse you are asking about. I was wrong about that. My apologies. Many years ago I had to replace the flapper valves on a Pulse furnace. I remember at what a pain it was. I also remember how much effort we put into trying to reduce the amount of noise from the furnace. We heavily insulated the entire closet to no avail. Customer was still unhappy. I also had to make extensive repairs on a Payne Plus 90 the same day which was a breeze.

Originally Posted by timebuilder

This is why I like Commercial.

The L series is a piece of cake.

indeed.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

This is why I like Commercial.

The L series is a piece of cake.

Originally Posted by chuckcrj

What baffles are you babbling about? The pulse has to be one of the simplest furnaces out there. Guys that aren't familiar with them bash them simply because they can't or don't want to understand them.

what baffles are you referring to?

Originally Posted by jamessnevets

How can someone obtain the wrench if Lennox suppliers won't sell it to you (as punishment for not selling Lennox crap). Is there another way to remove the plug and flame sensor without the special wrench?

In 6 years I have only replaced one spark plug and one flame sensor, we have 1100 or so Pulse units. I used normal socket and wrench for this, maybe even a wobble joint adapter, I can't remember but it is in my Lennox service box.

OK. I can understand frustration. We all get that sometimes.

Ok. In all fairness I'm going to modify my earlier statement about 8 out of 10 mechanics not Lennox equipment. In MY OPINON, there are more mechanics who dislike working on Lennox units than those that do. I spoke out of frustration from a service call I did last week on a Lennox.

Yeah. Just read all the posts from experienced mechanics from all around the country.

Originally Posted by Glennhvac

I guess my initial dislike began years ago before I went on my own. The coated duracurves cracking in warranty over and over. Had Lennox rep at the homeowners house after the second failure in about 5 years. He's telling her it's just in the coating. After that I cut out a cross section about 5" x4" and kept it in my truck.
I never did find the reason they were prone to cracking so quickly but have to think it was the heat or whatever they did to apply that coating since it was the same exchanger as the non coated.

Yes, they all cracked. Even the non coated ones.

I guess my initial dislike began years ago before I went on my own. The coated duracurves cracking in warranty over and over. Had Lennox rep at the homeowners house after the second failure in about 5 years. He's telling her it's just in the coating. After that I cut out a cross section about 5" x4" and kept it in my truck.
I never did find the reason they were prone to cracking so quickly but have to think it was the heat or whatever they did to apply that coating since it was the same exchanger as the non coated.

There are a few around here that hate them. But that is true of any brand.

Originally Posted by kirwinjd

Final point: 8 out of 10 mechanics hate working on them. We can't all be wrong.

Have any proof?

Bottom line is that special training and the right tools is not the issue with Lennox. You shouldn't need either one if your an experienced mechanic. The issue is how the units are designed and the placement of the parts. All the training and tools in the world won't make the replacement of parts any easier if you have to split the unit from neck to nuts to gain access to them. The Lennox designers don't understand the difference between the assembly line at the factory and repairing the unit once it's all together and located in some poorly lit, tight location. Final point: 8 out of 10 mechanics hate working on them. We can't all be wrong.

Common sense

I too have often thought that all these design engineers should have to spend time in the field or at least after the initial design servicing the equipment. Here is a simple case in point involving two lowly sheet metal screws.

Years ago before Amana began their IMHO slide I used to install them almost exclusively. One of the reasons was ease of service (OK don't get started on the HTM's). The other day I had a sealed combustion 90 I installed 20 years ago. I wanted to pull and clean the flame sensor. To do that you have to pull a shield that sits at a 45 above the burners. Four screws. They had the common sense to install the two rear ones doing nothing more than acting as guides knowing that to remove one would require pulling out the exhaust PVC! This simple act saved probably an hour extra work.

I thought the Lennox Pulse had an Exterior baffle on them to cut down on the discharge noise, and they were a Pita to install in a masonary wall. Yes, I worked on them when they first came out.

Originally Posted by hawkeyehvac

Glad to see I am not the only ones to hate these things. Had to change out the inducer motor on one and had to dang near remove everything from the cabinet to get to the last screw. They really need to make it a point to make the engineers go out and do some installs and service work on these to get them to change their ways. Boeing did it on their 777, why cant the furnace manufactures.

Carrier/Bryant/Payne did just that, and it shows in the latest models
Lennox engineers seem to get more idiotic as time passes. It seems like they enjoy punishing field techs. The most recent Signature Series I repaired required me to remove the inducer and exhaust boot just to get access to the flame sensor, and then the parts didn't want to go back in happily either.

Wait times on their 800 number have gone way down the last few months. I used to wait 45 minutes waiting to talk to someoe to order parts. Not any more!!! They pick up by the 2nd ring. Their customer service is MUCH better now!!!!

Lennox:
1-800-453-6669

Glad to see I am not the only ones to hate these things. Had to change out the inducer motor on one and had to dang near remove everything from the cabinet to get to the last screw. They really need to make it a point to make the engineers go out and do some installs and service work on these to get them to change their ways. Boeing did it on their 777, why cant the furnace manufactures.

The Utility hates my Lennox when it's running. I hate it when it breaks. Lennox parts distributor will not sell to me, even after proving I have a Masters License, and the unit is my home unit. I end up having to get the parts on line, for big $$$$