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jimhokie926

Furnace blower won't start....coldest night so far.

jimhokie
16 years ago

I have a 15-year old Carrier gas furnace model 58DFA. Yesterday we noticed a burning smell and traced it to the furnace in the garage that was hot to the touch on the side of it. It appears that it just tried to enter a heating cycle where the burner cut on, but the fan did not, so the burner shut itself off. I tested the fan in manual mode and can hear a click sound inside the unit, but the fan would not turn on in in manual mode either. I verified that the burner does ignite also, but did not leave it on long enough to watch it shut itself off.

I called the HVAC company that originally installed it to check it out, but after about 5 minutes tops, he just said it was either an unfunctional draft inducer or board. He said this could be repaired but it would be very expensive and not cost effective, recommending replacement of the furnace instead. While this may all be true, and I do intend to replace my whole HVAC system in the spring with current high efficiency units, I wonder if there isn't a chance that it may be something relatively simple that could be the problem--don't think he really did much once he saw how old the unit was.

One internet site said my symptoms may indicate a blown fuse or bad blower motor. Where might this fuse be and how can I test the motor? If it is a bad motor, is this a cost effective repair for the moment? I'd like to take time to decide on a good investment efficiency-wise if I can just get my heat running for the moment, rather than be forced to spend thousands off the cuff, which I figure will still not have us heat for a couple days or more. We do have a ventless fireplace and an open floor plan that helps keep the chill off.

FWIW, a few years ago the blower stopped working during the summer after a thunderstorm and I traced it to the control board. I noticed a burned looking solder connection and resoldered it fixing the problem. No thunderstorm this time.

Anything ideas I can check for a possible quick fix will be greatly appreciated!

Jim

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