Brand New Rheem RGPS Gas Furnace Short Cycling........ WHY ??

[Labrat0116]

I guarantee he has enough duct leakage to amount to an 8" supply or two and an 8" return.

Yea, I was thinking that myself! LMAO!

[Labrat0116]

I should mention also we have (3) CO2 detectors running. One in the crawl space (not far from the furnace), 1st and 2nd floors. None have ever gone off.

Here's some old scary pics of the old furnace setup when we bought the place (17) years ago.

http://katmanduonline.net/pics/ACFURNACEPics/index.html

Note the copper pipe running from the AC condensor to the back corner. No drain pipes available. Talk about a damp, moldy mess! I fabricated a piece of PVC out to a 5 gallon bucket that had a sump pump in it. We would have to empty it every few hours when the AC was running. Crude yes, but it WORKED!

Part of the new install will be to fabricate a new automatic sump pump to the furnace/coil. That will be done when the come back in the springtime to recharge the AC.

BTW, the old duct work that was done on this new install was the 2-12" flexible hose connections and the new plenum before the filter. Nothing else was done to the existing duct work.

[catmanacman]

why did the not install a filter rack with a door .that job looks low bidder to me and will perform like it .if the reused the coil hope they cleaned it also would want it reconnected and recharged before paying as if they are competent it could be done

[jmac00]

You mean in the red box area ? BELOW

This was original duct work from who knows how long ago. ?

Attachment 351351

It's a pretty bizarre setup. That particular run goes into a very large diameter duct (maybe 12" x 12") and runs about 35 feet under the house. Believe it or not, it only feeds to small registers. The air is luke warm by the time it gets to them.

More can be seen here.....

Attachment 351361

ya, thats completely messed up. jtrammel was right, thats a butcher job, that needs to be changed. It looks like someone took a piece of trunk and laid it in the top of a supply plenum. The company that installed your furnace did not do you any favors by leaving it like that.
They could have done a couple of different things. 1) they could have installed a box plenum that went to the floor joists, come off the back with a start collar into a short way 45, then into a long way 90. or 2) used a radius plenum

either one will make for MUCH better air flow.

[Labrat0116]

Did he bend it so it sat like the one in the pic? It should have the diaphragm vertical, not horizontal like the pic.

No. It was installed vertically, but it was at such an angle it was touching the outer metal cabinet. The Tech bent it back a bit so it is vertically straight up and down.

That is the ONLY thing the Tech touched and now the furnace appears to be working ok.

I find it very odd that that part touching the cabinet was causing the furnace to not turn ON.

Why would the orientation of the pressure diaphram make any difference to the pressure readings ?

[Labrat0116]

why did the not install a filter rack with a door .that job looks low bidder to me and will perform like it .if the reused the coil hope they cleaned it also would want it reconnected and recharged before paying as if they are competent it could be done

I don't know about the filter door.... ??

The AC coil was actually very clean when they pulled it out.

They are coming back when the weather warms up (they said above 50 degrees) to recharge the AC and also install the automated sump pump setup.

[Labrat0116]

They could have done a couple of different things. 1) they could have installed a box plenum that went to the floor joists, come off the back with a start collar into a short way 45, then into a long way 90. or 2) used a radius plenum

either one will make for MUCH better air flow.

Ok, I got ya now. Actually, those runs have very decent air flow, the only complaint is the long one (35' or so) puts out luke warm air by the time it gets to the register.

The run we really have a problem (very low air flow), is the one in the pic below circled in GREEN. That run feeds (2) registers and has very low output.

Perhaps if the point of junction was moved higher (like the others), it would get more air pressure and flow. ??

[jmac00]

well, I know what I would do, but I can't help you from here.

and unless your going to be a tin knocker in the next few day? your going to have to rely on your contractor.

[jtrammel]

Like jmac said, it would Prob be easier to install a new plenum than connect to what's there. I understand trying to get a job done quickly so labor doesn't eat up your profit but a good tin knocker could knock a new supply and return plenum up in an hour and it would be beneficial for airflow and life of the unit. It looks like the contractor bid low to get the job and quality suffered due to that. All of the duct needs mastic sealed and insulated but your return would be severely insufficient if it was sealed.

[Labrat0116]

Thank you all for your very helpful input. I really do appreciate.

It was a low bid job....$. The next lowest was double that!

One thing I would like to do is move the connection point of the GREEN junction to get better air flow out that particular run.

[jmac00]

Thank you all for your very helpful input. I really do appreciate.

It was a low bid job....$. The next lowest was double that!

One thing I would like to do is move the connection point of the GREEN junction to get better air flow out that particular run.

you might wan to either put a duct damper at "blue" and "Red" or move the green pipe up towards the top of the supply plenum

[Labrat0116]

It shouldn't have to be reset, if it happens again I would dig a little deeper if not it could've been a fluke (power surge, power flicker etc)

Well, I found the culprit that was causing the furnace to NOT come ON fully. It was turning ON the inducer fan, burners firing and when the blower would go to START up the whole furnace would shut DOWN.

The furnace is wired into a plug-in outlet. Probably not to Code, but that's they way it's been since we bought the house in 1995.

Turns out, the plug was LOOSE! Therefore not making a FULL connection.

I was down there investigating the situation. When I saw the plug was loose as soon as I pushed it in sooner, the furnace fired right on up and has been running great ever since!

[wahoo]

Make sure your furnace is electrically grounded well. Most newer furnaces will not work properly if not grounded well.

[Labrat0116]

Make sure your furnace is electrically grounded well. Most newer furnaces will not work properly if not grounded well.

The plug is a (3) pronged type. Will that suffice ?

[wahoo]

If you've got an older home, built before 1975 or so, then you've probably not gotten three wire high voltage wiring (two insulated and one ground). That means someone installed "three prong outlets" without the much needed bare ground wire so you may be plugging into an outlet that is not actually grounded. I'm pretty sure that an outlet is not an accepted method of connecting a furnace as it's not a portable appliance. But to be sure I'd add an external wire from furnace ground to a grounded connection of some kind. If in doubt, contact a licensed electrician and they can do it. Ungrounded newer furnaces will have a lot of nuisance lockouts and erratic operation.

[Labrat0116]

If you've got an older home, built before 1975 or so, then you've probably not gotten three wire high voltage wiring (two insulated and one ground). That means someone installed "three prong outlets" without the much needed bare ground wire so you may be plugging into an outlet that is not actually grounded.

The house does have updated (3 wire) wiring. Also, the furnace line is a dedicated run straight off the circuit panel box.

I agree that a weak (no ground) connection will cause nuisance lockouts.

BTW, the Tech was VERY rude to my wife saying he did not like nuisance call-outs such as this! Well, we don't like the nuisance of a no heat in 10 degree weather from a brand new furnace!

This company will get low ratings from us as a result of his extreme rudeness.

[beshvac]

Thank you all for your very helpful input. I really do appreciate.

It was a low bid job....$. The next lowest was double that!

One thing I would like to do is move the connection point of the GREEN junction to get better air flow out that particular run.

Then you got what you paid for.

[Joehvac25]

Then you got what you paid for.

And it usually never pays in the long run

[jmac00]

BTW, the Tech was VERY rude to my wife saying he did not like nuisance call-outs such as this! Well, we don't like the nuisance of a no heat in 10 degree weather from a brand new furnace!

We (us tech's) don't like Nuisance calls either, thats why we try and fix them the first time. if the clown was annoyed, maybe he should have figured out what was wrong and fixed it.

gezz, as a business owner that statement just makes me mad,

[Labrat0116]

We (us tech's) don't like Nuisance calls either, thats why we try and fix them the first time. if the clown was annoyed, maybe he should have figured out what was wrong and fixed it.

gezz, as a business owner that statement just makes me mad,

It was they manner in which he expressed his displeasure. VERY unprofessional. Had I been present when he said that to my wife in that manner, he would he left without a few teeth......but I guess he thought it was ok since she was just a WOMAN.

Again, he was just very unprofessional and yes, I got what I paid for.

Overall, we're very satisfied with the product and the amount spent on it. Being a Rheem, I'm sure it will be fine for many years to come. Should it ever need serviced, it will not be with this company. That's for sure!

Again, I thank each and every one of you for your input! This is a great forum!