Lennox two stage furnace w1/w2 question

[DeltaT]

I don't have model or serial number cause I could not find them, oddly enough.

Odd call yesterday on a customer where I repaired the A/C last summer. Now back to go through her gas furnace.

Short and stocky Army green upflow two stage Lennox gas furnace with variable speed blower motor. Installed by local Lennox dealer about 4 to 5 years ago. Very poor replacement installation with a ton of holes left open in the existing supply/return duct work which has now been sealed with duct tape.

She has complained to replacement company many times of increased heating/cooling bills but company does not respond, which is typical of this particular company.

In testing/looking at the system there is no heat signal going to w2. The Honeywell TStat is only connected to W1 so I turn it on and waited to see if heating system would go into second stage heat. After 10 minutes it did not.

So I jumpered w1 to w2 and second stage came on immediately. Did this 3 times to make sure.

Seems to me this w2 terminal needs to be involved in the heating signal and does not have a timing circuit as some two stage furnaces do.

Any educated guesses? I wish I has the model and serial but like I said, I could not find them. So your educated guesses would be appreciated.

[lynden]

DeltaT,
Depending on your model #, most Lennox units have the capability of selecting what type of thermostat Is being used (single, or multi-stage) in your dip switch settings. If single stage stat is selected, then second stage is timed on. If multi-stage stat is selected, then second stage is controlled by w2 signal. Hope this helps, if you find your model#, I might be able to be more of a help to you .

[syndicated]

I don't have model or serial number cause I could not find them, oddly enough.

Odd call yesterday on a customer where I repaired the A/C last summer. Now back to go through her gas furnace.

Short and stocky Army green upflow two stage Lennox gas furnace with variable speed blower motor. Installed by local Lennox dealer about 4 to 5 years ago. Very poor replacement installation with a ton of holes left open in the existing supply/return duct work which has now been sealed with duct tape.

She has complained to replacement company many times of increased heating/cooling bills but company does not respond, which is typical of this particular company.

In testing/looking at the system there is no heat signal going to w2. The Honeywell TStat is only connected to W1 so I turn it on and waited to see if heating system would go into second stage heat. After 10 minutes it did not.

So I jumpered w1 to w2 and second stage came on immediately. Did this 3 times to make sure.

Seems to me this w2 terminal needs to be involved in the heating signal and does not have a timing circuit as some two stage furnaces do.

Any educated guesses? I wish I has the model and serial but like I said, I could not find them. So your educated guesses would be appreciated.

Was the furnace painted? Every furnace made by Lennox in the past 6 years is dark grey..... Anyways, there is a dip switch cluster on the board. Switch one needs to be in the "up" position for 2 stage timer.
Or if you have a 59M01 control there is a jumper which is indicated on the control to make the change.

[rundawg]

The lennox G60 series is probably about that time frame, and I think it was army green.

Am I reading this correctly that you are using a single stage thermostat?

When using a single stage thermostat on this unit the dip switch settings are 10 mins delay for 2nd stage heat when the #2 dip switch was selected "OFF", and 15 min delay for 2nd stage heat when the #2 dip switch was selected "ON".

Moral of the story - as others have said, check the dip switch settings.

[DeltaT]

Thanks guys
That is exactly what I was looking for. I waited for 10 to 15 minutes and the system never went into high fire. Perhaps I counted too quickly. I'll go back and check again. The furnace is in a long, deep, dark crawl space where a contractor has just removed all the visquine due to ......... rats............yuk.

So my time counting might have been a little fast.

[pacnw]

I hate that Lennox did not put information on the unit, just install manual, about settings in the past.

As rundawg said, it is most likely set up as a single stage stat with timed on second stage. If you did not wait at least 15 minutes, that may have been the issue.

I have to double check every one we installed, especially, as the manuals are usually still in their sealed package and not set up properly.

I do not think jumping w1 & w2, when in timed mode, will engage second stage. I have tried and not been able to get it there. When I do service and CA on them, I have switched it into staged and then jumped it to fire both stages, just have to remember to switch it back.

All that being said, I do seem to recall some boards having a w2 but the unit not being 2 stage. Check the inducer motor for red and black wire as well as ground and neutral. If only black it is single stage, if both then 2 stage. You can verify which stage it is in by checking amp draw.

[carmon]

a jumper from w1 to w2 will make it go to second stage allright...you will have no low fire....move dip switch one..... all will be fine ...maybe...lol

[gravity]

forget the low fire and make it go into high fire at all times.

more proof that 2 stage furnaces waste money.

if it were my house it would be high fire at all times.

[DeltaT]

With this unit I did get a positive high fire reaction from stage one to stage two immeidately and that led me to question if it had been installed properly. I'm sure I only waited less than the required 15 minutes so maybe that is why it didn't go into high fire.

As soon as the contractor cleans up all the rat mess and puts down new plastic under the house I'll go back and give it a proper timing test.

I've used two stage funrnace as replacement a number of times and after two heating seasons I've converted all of them to a single stage and have had less temperature variation complaints from customers, which is why I switch them over to one stage of high fire.

Thanks again for all the info.

[gravity]

i bet when you convert to high fire, their energy bill goes down.

[carmon]

I dont believe your statement...... I went from a single stage to a 2 stage in my own home and my bill went down 12%..... gonna throw a modulating in for this winter for a test.....

[gravity]

did u replace like for like? seal anything?....etc..

[DeltaT]

I dont believe your statement...... I went from a single stage to a 2 stage in my own home and my bill went down 12%..... gonna throw a modulating in for this winter for a test.....

And I'm betting that in Winnipeg you are running on high for most of the heating system.

[syndicated]

And I'm betting that in Winnipeg you are running on high for most of the heating system.

Doubt it. Winnipeg isn't at the North Pole...
It's not much colder there than here in Calgary. Most units set up correctly here will run longer on low with more CPH unless coming off a setback.

[carmon]

some years maybe..last year warm winter ... only -20C

[DeltaT]

some years maybe..last year warm winter ... only -20C

Isn't that like minus 180 degrees or so?

[54regcab]

W1 is all that most furnaces need since they are so grossly oversized 90% of the time. Seriously, most furnaces are 2X the size they need. W2 would only be needed during recovery from setback.

[envisionservice12]

Ummm sounds like you need a 2 heat stat

[syndicated]

Isn't that like minus 180 degrees or so?

Lol. We saw -49c a couple years ago.
The antifreeze in my car froze and cracked the head.
My propane BBQ wouldn't light either. Before you ask, it was my birthday and I wanted a steak!

[carmon]

yep I hear ya... probably gonna be be minus 40 all winter this year...we got spoiled last year...