Does anyone make 'em like this any more?

[Jon J]

I had my fall furnace inspection/tuneup yesterday and the tech pronounced it "good to go" for another heating season. The unit is a Bryant Plus 90 110,000 BTU natural gas furnace installed in May 1986. About 8 years ago I replaced the inducer motor because the bearings started screaming. No other failed parts or repairs.

It is paired with a York A/C unit outside that was installed/attached in 1988. Since installation I've replaced the contactor and runtime capacator. No other failures or repairs.

Again my question...does anyone make 'em like this any more?



- Jon

[lolson]

having your HVAC system serviced annually is helping a lot

as far as the york goes, these things happen to all HVAC equipment. and I'm not sticking up for york

[Shophound]

Your post tells more why that system is still living...a fall furnace inspection/tuneup sounds like you take care of your equipment. Equipment that is manufactured today, installed correctly, and maintained well, likely will be in a good position to see the endurance you've experienced with your 1986/88 system. The small failures you've experienced with your system are not out of the ordinary...contactors wear out over time and inducer motor bearings live in a hot environment. I will admit they don't make capacitors like they used to, sadly.

[Wild]

I had my fall furnace inspection/tuneup yesterday and the tech pronounced it "good to go" for another heating season. The unit is a Bryant Plus 90 110,000 BTU natural gas furnace installed in May 1986. About 8 years ago I replaced the inducer motor because the bearings started screaming. No other failed parts or repairs.

It is paired with a York A/C unit outside that was installed/attached in 1988. Since installation I've replaced the contactor and runtime capacator. No other failures or repairs.

Again my question...does anyone make 'em like this any more?



- Jon

Just curious but when the inspection/tuneup took place did they do combustion analysis? Or give you any documentation stating what the CO, O2, flue temp, and flue draft were?

[Lash]

Same furnace here....installed in 1987.....'good to go' as well.

Previous owner gave me service records for every year.

[Jon J]

Just curious but when the inspection/tuneup took place did they do combustion analysis? Or give you any documentation stating what the CO, O2, flue temp, and flue draft were?

Don't know exactly what tests were done with the equipment he hauled in. I think one of them was a fiber-optic inspection device to look at the heat exchanger. He didn't leave me any written results of the tests.

[BaldLoonie]

For every one like this that doesn't give trouble, there's one that does. That model was known for plugged secondary heat exchangers. Also very complicated with special gas valve, special pilot, spark box, fan board, inducer board... so consider yourself lucky you did so well.

Nothing today is built that well except a ThermoPride but last I knew it had the same Mexican White-Rodgers controls everyone else has. So while the cabinet and heat exchanger will last 50 years, the rest of the furnace comes from 3rd world countries and probably will be troublesome.

[bobk4000]

My 1985 Bryant Plus 90 passed it's fall tune up/inspection this year so I'm hoping for another winter of comfort in the house. Seems there are a few Bryant's that are hanging in there.

I won't say my 66K Plus 90 has been trouble free - over the years it has required a few repairs (inducer motor and fan, pilot switch and a drain cover at the base of the heat exchanger) but it's been reliable and kept me warm when I needed it. Techs who have worked on my furnace have told me that I've had the "usual" parts replaced on the furnace over the years, including two that were caused by using metal parts in the acidic exhaust. (The replacement inducer fan is plastic instead of the original metal, along with a plastic drain cover to replace the leaking metal one that the furnace came with.)

What will force a replacement of my Bryant will either be an expensive part failing (heat exchanger, blower motor) or my 22 year old A/C will give up and I'll replace both units at the same time.

Bob

[Jon J]

What will force a replacement of my Bryant will either be an expensive part failing (heat exchanger, blower motor) or my 22 year old A/C will give up and I'll replace both units at the same time.

I suppose I'm in the same boat. I was prepared for the bad news and expected to ease part of the pain with the tax credit which expires 12/31.

Since I don't seem to need a new furnace, I'll look at a tankless water heater to take advantage of part of the tax credit.

[aruddick]

That version Bryant/Carrier furnace is An excellent machine.
Very reliable, a nightmare for young techs that have trouble with wiring diagrams. When I started as a service tech the dealer i worked for installed a ton of those. I remember cuttin my teeth on those.