Furnace blowing black out of exhaust & smells

[rob1977]

I have a Quatro true blue 90 furnace that is approx 10 years old. I kept smelling gas so i called the gas provider out they came and did leak test and found that it was all good , but they found that the smell was coming from the exhaust vent and there was black stuff in pipe . I have noticed that my heat from vents doesnt feel very war and the furnace seems to run a lot . I also have used more propane then i think i should have. Now i had HVAC guy come out and he is telling me that my heat exchanger is bad and that only 4 of my burners are lighting. He is also telling me that he cant get parts and i should just put a new furnace in. I found parts online through Texas furnace . I guess my question is does this sound right and should i fix the furnace or put new one in ? Thanks for any input.

[wahoo]

Most 90% furnaces made in the last 15 years also come with lifetime heat exchanger warranties. I'd get in touch with the manufacturer and see if they recommend a local contractor as I'm thinking you're getting "sold" with the present contractor. If you can find the parts, he can find the parts so he's simply lying to you! If in fact the heat exchanger is NOT under warranty (some are shortened due to 2nd owner), then I'd simply change it out as most heat exchangers are nearly as much as the furnace. Are you on propane? If so, then make sure you are dealing with a contractor who is certified to service Propane furnaces and has experience and the proper tools to set them up!

[rob1977]

The company that made this furnace is out of business but a company named Texas Furnace has the parts . I am waiting on price. Yes im on LP .

[Senior Tech]

Did he tell you specifically what was wrong with the heat exchanger?

Sounds like sooting problem due to ignition issues.

We would need much more info.

[tiger man]

The company that made this furnace is out of business but a company named Texas Furnace has the parts . I am waiting on price. Yes im on LP .

Heat exchangers are sooted without a doubt, a combustion test would reveal high co ppm, but could read high enough to damage the sensor in the co analyzer. Weve had three sooted furnaces in the last week, all fifteen years and newer

[firecontrol]

Change the furnace, get new warranty. Make sure the new one is setup properly and that it's serviced every year.

Wait till you see the price on replacement heat exchangers for you 10 year old furnace!

[martyinlincoln]

A sooted up heat exchanger isn't going to be covered for a part warranty and you'll still need to fix the cause. New furnace might end up being cheaper.

[mark beiser]

No such thing as a warranty on a Consolidated brand furnace anyway, just replace it.

[ga-hvac-tech]

Propane is a DIRTY fuel... it needs filtering before entering the furnace (a moisture trap would be a good idea).

I agree with the others... get the new furnace; be SURE it is converted to LP, and have it serviced annually.

[hearthman]

If you have soot in the vent and are smelling something, it is probably aldehydes, which means it is also producing carbon monoxide in quantity. Based on what you've told us, I'd shut it down and have it replaced ASAP. Then get yourself a low level unlisted CO monitor so you can be sure to wake up in the morning. Look for a contractor certified in carbon monoxide and combustion analysis

[rob1977]

I spoke with a few contracters . I actually spoke with the contracter that installed the furnace . He said that he installed a dozen or so of these units 15years ago . He has replaced 10 in the last few years because of the same problem . He is coming Thursday to install a new HEIL 95% eff 100k btu unit it has lifetime heat exchanger warranty and 10 year parts warranty. He actually gave me a very good price i think because the company went out of business and all , Or thats what he is telling me that he is givin me deal for. I had another contracter qoute and he was just over $$$$ higher for the same unit different brand.


Pricing isn't allowed

[pacnw]

he was just over $$$$ higher for the same unit different brand.

was it the same unit or not?

you do get what you pay for, so the lowest bid is NOT necessarily the one to go with!!

[tiger man]

I spoke with a few contracters . I actually spoke with the contracter that installed the furnace . He said that he installed a dozen or so of these units 15years ago . He has replaced 10 in the last few years because of the same problem . He is coming Thursday to install a new HEIL 95% eff 100k btu unit it has lifetime heat exchanger warranty and 10 year parts warranty. He actually gave me a very good price i think because the company went out of business and all , Or thats what he is telling me that he is givin me deal for. I had another contracter qoute and he was just over $$$$ higher for the same unit different brand.


Pricing isn't allowed

You had better have one big house to warrant a 100,000 btuhr furnace. We joke up here that you should have to get a permit to buy a funace over 80,000 btuhr. Didthe contractor perform a heat calculation?