Goodman furnace "pressure switch stuck open"

[sirwired]

Had service out yesterday to work on the furnace. No heat, trouble light said "Pressure Switch Stuck Open." He replaced the pressure switch and also fixed some wires leading to it that had bizarrely got charred. (Not near the burner, not near a furnace panel, very strange.) In any case, it's still not working right. Power cycling the unit from the breaker panel seems to clear the condition (until it happens again.) Control board? Ghosts? Voodoo curse?

Also, is there some kind of guarantee policy on HVAC service work? Do I get a credit on the original 1hr labor charge for the 2nd visit, or what?

SirWired

[Tech23]

All companies are differnt...if we were out yesterday and it is still not working right then we consider it a Call Back and go back for free to do a correct dianosis and when we figured out the correct problem then we would work out pricing or refund or whatever the case might be.

Good idea to ask this when having a company out.

[mrbenz7]

I've had nothing but problems with Goodmans. Unfortunately you just may have to bite the bullet and pay the piper to troubleshoot your unit because even though Goodmans have a labour warranty if you buy into it when you purchase a unit from them, it is hard for any tech or company to get reimbursed for time spent troubleshooting defective Goodman units. Been there and done that!

I don't know what to tell you here. Goodmans are full of chinese parts that don't play well together and them being branded as "Designed, Engineered and Assembled in the USA" is a total joke since they are made mostly out of chinese parts.

How old is this furnace? The installer should be the one looking at it. Charred wiring scares me but then so do Goodmans.

[martyinlincoln]

Call backs don't cost the customer anything if the problem was improperly diagnosed.

If the pressure switch truely failed and another componet now is acting up then it's not a call back. If the pressure switch was doing it's job and the tech didn't test it correctly then it is a call back.

[just_opinion]

I've had nothing but problems with Goodmans. Unfortunately you just may have to bite the bullet and pay the piper to troubleshoot your unit because even though Goodmans have a labour warranty if you buy into it when you purchase a unit from them, it is hard for any tech or company to get reimbursed for time spent troubleshooting defective Goodman units. Been there and done that!

I don't know what to tell you here. Goodmans are full of chinese parts that don't play well together and them being branded as "Designed, Engineered and Assembled in the USA" is a total joke since they are made mostly out of chinese parts.

How old is this furnace? The installer should be the one looking at it. Charred wiring scares me but then so do Goodmans.

Look around your house. How many items are made in china. Item you use to put in your mouth to the item you wipe your azzz with.
Get used to it.

[beshvac]

Call backs don't cost the customer anything if the problem was improperly diagnosed.

If the pressure switch truely failed and another componet now is acting up then it's not a call back. If the pressure switch was doing it's job and the tech didn't test it correctly then it is a call back.

Every job is different and in the original post "Charred" wires were replaced and therefore NEEDED to be done...i.e. no refund for work that needed to be done: However,

As stated before, call them back out because it's still not working right and they will probably make adjustments if necessary.

[sirwired]

Well, I figured out the problem (caught it in the act of refusing to start before it gave up and posted the trouble light)... induction blower doesn't want to start without "percussive encouragement" (a.k.a. my MagLite.) It just sits there and hums and doesn't turn the blower wheel.

*sigh* And the service place doesn't work weekends, so I'll just shepherd it through the next couple of days.

SirWired

P.S. This particular motor is Made in Italy.

[cehs]

Goodman units have 5 or 10 yr PARTS warranty.
How old is this unit?
Was it registered with Goodman?
Can you tell us the mod # ?
INTERMITTENT problems ARE sometimes difficult to diagnose.

I have installed MANY Goodman units with less than 1% WARRANTY failures.
The installation may be contributing to the failure of the part...

[Oldschoolmetal]

The company I work for installs Goodman. Like any other equipment I have installed they all have there problems. Over all they are not that bad if installed properly.

[2old2rock]

Typical - tech sees pressure swith is open - IT MUST BE A BAD SWITCH! Not.
You probably won't like the price on the new inducer. I would get the model and serial number, and check warranty status.

[Mr Bill]

I've had nothing but problems with Goodmans. Unfortunately you just may have to bite the bullet and pay the piper to troubleshoot your unit because even though Goodmans have a labour warranty if you buy into it when you purchase a unit from them, it is hard for any tech or company to get reimbursed for time spent troubleshooting defective Goodman units. Been there and done that!

I don't know what to tell you here. Goodmans are full of chinese parts that don't play well together and them being branded as "Designed, Engineered and Assembled in the USA" is a total joke since they are made mostly out of chinese parts.

How old is this furnace? The installer should be the one looking at it. Charred wiring scares me but then so do Goodmans.

You see all those places were you have the word "Goodman"? you could place any other brand name in that slot, and it would make no difference.

[2old2rock]

Once again, Mr. Bill hits the nail on the head.
Goodman is no different from any other brand. Apologies to the Goodman, (or any other brand) bashers.

[yucan2]

Typical - tech sees pressure swith is open - IT MUST BE A BAD SWITCH! Not.
You probably won't like the price on the new inducer. I would get the model and serial number, and check warranty status.

If the pressure switch is open and there is no blockage and upon replacing the pressure switch, unit works fine, who looks further?

[2old2rock]

Who looks further? The guy that doesn't like to do call backs.

[Tech23]

If the pressure switch is open and there is no blockage and upon replacing the pressure switch, unit works fine, who looks further?

Maybe if it had just been the switch...but there was another issue, the charred wires. I don't know if the tech looked for a cause or not, but to answer your question...many techs would have looked past the switch in this case.

Me and my guys would have looked further in this case, because of the charred wires...we would have wanted to know the cause of the charred wires. We would have been worried that if we just repaired the wires and not found the cause that we might have to go back.

Kind of like replacing a blown fuse and not looking for a cause that might have blown the fuse.

[sirwired]

Well, the furnace was here when I bought the house, so I have no idea exactly how old it is, if it was registered, etc. It looks pretty new, and the servicer said that the dark-grey cabinet units were all fairly recent.

Can somebody here help me out? The Goodman website can find the unit, but doesn't give me any other information.

Model GMS80453ANA
Serial 0409768867

Thanks,
SirWired

[thermofridge]

Thats a single stage, 80%, 45,000 BTU, with a 3 ton drive, built in September 2004. Overall, a decent furnace.

[madh8r]

I would be concerned about the charred wires indicating roll out from a cracked heat exchanger. Make sure to get it checked as soon as possible.

[yucan2]

Maybe if it had just been the switch...but there was another issue, the charred wires. I don't know if the tech looked for a cause or not, but to answer your question...many techs would have looked past the switch in this case.

Me and my guys would have looked further in this case, because of the charred wires...we would have wanted to know the cause of the charred wires. We would have been worried that if we just repaired the wires and not found the cause that we might have to go back.

Kind of like replacing a blown fuse and not looking for a cause that might have blown the fuse.

Very good explanation. I had completely forgotten about the charred conductors.

[mrbenz7]

You see all those places were you have the word "Goodman"? you could place any other brand name in that slot, and it would make no difference.

We got it the 1st time. You do not like Goodman. But you are painting with a broad brand-bashing brush. Stay specific to the questions and save the slamming for the thread for in the Pub.