Insulation inside of furnace

[BurghRocks]

Hello all,

Hoping someone can tell me where I can find replacement insulation for inside the furnace, where the heating element is. My furnace is a Coleman that is a couple of years old. When I take the cover off, on each side is a sheet of reflective insulation where it is a silver color on the side that faces in and then the outside is brown, almost like a paper bag. Sandwiched in between is a thin bit of yellow insulation. When the furnace was installed, a hole was left open but was covered up by the insulation. My cat found out that he liked to scratch the insulation away so now I just have a hole there. I'm attaching a couple of pics, one from the outside and one from the inside to hopefully better explain what I am talking about. Just want to know where to find the same replacement insulation (Lowe's didn't have it) and if it does not violate the no DIY questions policy, can I just cover up that hole so that the cat does not scratch out the replacement insulation when I put it in?

Thanks,
Burgh

[toocoolforschool]

Keep your cat out of it tape over it and stop overreacting it is no big deal. I would be more worried about that name brand than anything else. JMO.

[ADillon]

Keep your cat out of it tape over it and stop overreacting it is no big deal. I would be more worried about that name brand than anything else. JMO.

What's the matter with the name brand? It isn't professional or respectful to brand bash in the AOP section, especially when you don;t know what you're talking about.

[toocoolforschool]

What's the matter with the name brand? It isn't professional or respectful to brand bash in the AOP section, especially when you don;t know what you're talking about.

JMO = just my opinon, did not bash or even type anything against the brand just stated my opinion.
You obviously do know what you are talking about. Thanks for your opinion.

[ADillon]

JMO = just my opinon, did not bash or even type anything against the brand just stated my opinion.
You obviously do know what you are talking about. Thanks for your opinion.

So there is nothing wrong with the brand? It's just your opinion that is sucks? And that is something worth sharing with a homeowner who may well have paid good money for the appliance? And you call yourself a professional? The point is that you didn't address their question and you bashed a brand that you don't seem to know anything about and you came of like a douche and it's all justified by you tacking 'JMO' at the end? I must have missed where the OP asked for uneducated people's opinion in the brand, my fault.

[ADillon]

There should be a removable plug that goes back in there. Not a big deal on some furnaces but this one uses the entire upper compartment as it sealed combustion box. with that plug knocked out, the unit will pull combustion air from the space instead of the pipe that is leading outside. This could cause unsafe operating conditions and premature equipment failure, especially if you keep chemicals, cleaning products, bleach, paint, etc. in the basement. The insulation is less a concern than simply sealing the hole. On the upside, a restricted intake isn't gonna cause you a no heat call

[beshvac]

Where is your furnace located? From the pic, it looks like a utility room in the house?

[BurghRocks]

Thanks for the replies. I'm sure I don't have the plug but I will figure something out. As long as its cool to cover it then I have no worries. The furnace is in the laundry room/utility room. Not sure of any issues with the brand, I heard Coleman was made by someone else anyways and its worked just fine for us.

Thanks again, very helpful.

Burgh

[beshvac]

If its in conditioned space, I wouldn't worry about the insulation.