HVAC supply house???

[Landon]

I have a pressure switch in my furnance the has stopped working twice now. Both time I have been able to get it working again, but its time to replace it before it leaves me without heat. I can replace it myself, I just don't know where to go in the Indy area to get the part. The furnance is a Westinghouse, but from searching for the switch online it appears it used on several different brands.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Eprobertson1]

I have a pressure switch in my furnance the has stopped working twice now. Both time I have been able to get it working again, but its time to replace it before it leaves me without heat. I can replace it myself, I just don't know where to go in the Indy area to get the part. The furnance is a Westinghouse, but from searching for the switch online it appears it used on several different brands.

Thanks for any help!

Try: Johnstone Supply | Wholesale Distributor to the HVAC, Refrigeration and Property Maintenance Industries
or Welcome to Lee Supply! also have a location in Carmel.
or United Refrigeration, Inc. also have a location in Zionsville.
or even try Grainger Industrial Supply - MRO Supplies, MRO Equipment, Tools & Solutions.

These are wholesale supply, but they sometimes will sell to the guy off the street.
If you can not get the part you need, I have a guy that I know that should be abel to help.

 

[danil]

I go to Locations | Bell Parts Supply | Bell Parts they have a location in our town and have been priced well. If they don't have it, I check with http://www.ferguson.com-- they too have a local branch here.

 

[rotortech]

Shorty's HVAC parts http://shortyshvac.com/

Located in West Newton (near Camby ie Bradis). Nice guy, decent pricing.

 

[karl77]

+1 on bell parts.
some hvac dealers will sell parts off the street. there is a hvac wholesaler near me. they will not sell anything, unless you have an hvac license.

 

[Landon]

Thanks all. I will check them out.

 

[Rookie]

Make sure you get one that has the same water column or it won't work.

 

[Landon]

Make sure you get one that has the same water column or it won't work.

Thanks. I am not sold on the fact that the pressure switch is actually the cause. If I replace it, it would be the second time in 2 years its been replaced and the furnance was installed 2 years ago. Not sure I don't have a venting issue.

 

[Scutter01]

Superior Distribution on Shadeland just north of I-70, on Indy's east side. They are a wholesaler for HVAC installation companies, but I have walked in and bought parts before.

 

[Rookie]

Thanks. I am not sold on the fact that the pressure switch is actually the cause. If I replace it, it would be the second time in 2 years its been replaced and the furnance was installed 2 years ago. Not sure I don't have a venting issue.

Yeah, I'd be thinking the same. Next time it happens, disconnect the vent pipe and see if it will fire up. Of course, you could be in my boat. Every sign pointed to the pressure switch anditwas actually the Cicircuit board.

 

[Landon]

When it happens I cut the power, then remove the vent line from the fan to the pressure switch and use pressure and vacuum on the line to toggle the pressure switch a couple of times and then reconnect the vent line and turn on the power and it fires right up and works.

 

[qwerty]

When it happens I cut the power, then remove the vent line from the fan to the pressure switch and use pressure and vacuum on the line to toggle the pressure switch a couple of times and then reconnect the vent line and turn on the power and it fires right up and works.

When you cut the power you are resetting the board and module, so it could be more than the pressure switch.....

Because of the design of the purge system, it is not uncommon to get moisture in the system from condensation, so check and make sure that the drains are clear and there is no standing water in the purge system. If is is a fresh air purge, pull the tube out of the bottom of the stack and use a clothes hanger or something to make sure there is not a blockage of wet goop causing the system to sense a false reading. Also check the line (nipple) leading into the fan housing.....

If it is the pressure switch, the ignitor would not glow or spark(depending on what kind of furnace you have). Basically the purge fan would start and just run until the system went off in alarm.

Sorry if I am explaining stuff you all ready know or tried....

 

[Landon]

When you cut the power you are resetting the board and module, so it could be more than the pressure switch.....

Because of the design of the purge system, it is not uncommon to get moisture in the system from condensation, so check and make sure that the drains are clear and there is no standing water in the purge system. If is is a fresh air purge, pull the tube out of the bottom of the stack and use a clothes hanger or something to make sure there is not a blockage of wet goop causing the system to sense a false reading. Also check the line (nipple) leading into the fan housing.....

If it is the pressure switch, the ignitor would not glow or spark(depending on what kind of furnace you have). Basically the purge fan would start and just run until the system went off in alarm.

Sorry if I am explaining stuff you all ready know or tried....

Nope, your explaining stuff I have no clue about. The purge fan(I assume) kicks on and runs for what I would guess to be about 45 seconds (never actually timed it), then the furnance shuts down. Ignitor does not glow. I guess if it happens agian I just need to disconnect the vent line from the pressure switch to the van and see it if works?

I hate to call a tech out when it might be something simple I can fix on my own.

 

[Rookie]

The line on the pressure switch is a vacuum line. Disconnect it, and your pressure switch won't work. Furnaces will try more than once to cycle before it goes into lock out mode. When you kill the power, you clear the faults, so it doesn't remember why it shut down. Try to catch it at the first fault and disconnect your vent and see if it kicks on. If it does, you more than likely do have vent issues.

80% or higher? What's the efficiency rating?

 

[Landon]

The line on the pressure switch is a vacuum line. Disconnect it, and your pressure switch won't work. Furnaces will try more than once to cycle before it goes into lock out mode. When you kill the power, you clear the faults, so it doesn't remember why it shut down. Try to catch it at the first fault and disconnect your vent and see if it kicks on. If it does, you more than likely do have vent issues.

80% or higher? What's the efficiency rating?

Its a 92%. I am not home right now, but I think the vent (exhaust) is PVC, I am not real sure how I would go about disconnecting it. It may be easy to disconnect, I am just not there to look at it right now. Are you referring the the exhause vent or another vent?

 

[Rookie]

I was referring to an 80% when I said to disconnect. Are the pipes vertical or horizontal?

 

[qwerty]

Nope, your explaining stuff I have no clue about. The Purge fan kicks on and runs for what I would guess to be about 45 seconds (never actually timed it), then the shuts down. Ignitor does not glow. I guess if it happens agian I just need to disconnect the vent line from the pressure switch to the van and see it if works?

I hate to call a tech out when it might be something simple I can fix on my own.

Then you are on the right track with the pressure switch or that system.

Check where the hoses for the pressure switch enter the furnace components and check that they are not obstructed (insert a piece of wire or something). Water and gunk is a common cause, check if there is anything on the wire or it is wet when you do this. The pressure is so low, even the slightest obstruction can cause an issue. Make sure the tubes are clear and not crimped in any way.

Disconnecting the hose will not bypass the switch since it is still getting atmospheric pressure. If you have a multimeter, check the ohms on the pressure switch, should be 0 or pretty close.

Pressure switches are easy to replace, some furnaces have more than one. Just make sure it is the same pressure/WC but need to determine there is not a ligimitate reason that it is not sensing the purge.

It will fire after you cycle the switch a few times, right? Just want to make sure that you have seen the ignitor glowing.

 

[Landon]

I was referring to an 80% when I said to disconnect. Are the pipes vertical or horizontal?

The Furnance is in the garage and the pipes are vertical and go straight up through the attic and out the roof.

 

[Landon]

It will fire after you cycle the switch a few times, right? Just want to make sure that you have seen the ignitor glowing.

Yes. It quit working on Dec. 26th and I disconnected the vacuum line between the switch and the fan (I believe) and blew and sucked air through the line to make sure it would cycle and nothing was obstructing it. Once I did that and connect the vacuum line back up and turned the power switch back on and the fan ran for 45 seconds or so and the ignitors lite up and the blower kicked on. It worked fine until last night and we woke up to a cold house this morning. I went out and did the same process as I did on the 26th and the furnace started working again.

 

[churchmouse]

Does the hose to the switch have a good seal or a hole in it. Is the draft inducer fan noisy or not up to speed. I have seen both issues cause problems as you describe. Does the circuit board have a red light on it. If so does it pulse when you are having this issue. There should be a small sight hole that allows you to see the circuit board and count the number of pulses. There will be a chart with the codes for each failure the board can see and they relate to the pulse number. Do not shut off the power as it will cancel the code. Look first and see what the board is telling you. This could be something else and you cycling the power resets everything. PM if you need more info. HVAC tech by trade.