Furnace/duct problem
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:59 pm
My mother in law just bought an older MH ('72). The furnace was replaced in '98 with a Coleman... don't know the model. She's been having really high PGE bills and thinks a lot of it is due to heating (she likes a warm house). Just last week the furnace started acting up... it just wouldn't fire up. The primary ignition worked fine but the secondary would light and then shut down a few seconds later. It was a sporadic problem and would usually resolve itself after turning the thermostat on/off a couple of times. So this problem persisted for several days and she called her home warranty company to send someone out.
The HVAC guy comes out and determines that there are two contributing issues. First, the return air duct is just sucking air from the crawlspace, not from the return air vents. Second, the ignition air vent is not pulling air entirely from the roof vent, but from the attic space as well. The insurance company won't cover the repairs because they say it was a "pre-existing" condition and won't revisit her furnace startup problem until we get everything else fixed. So question for the experts... How are return air ducts usually run in MH's? I could find no sign of any traditional duct work while I was under the house. Most of the underside is sealed up, but I can plainly see the furnace return through a large hole in the membrane. I didn't see any flex-tube ducting at all. Do the metal beams running the length of the home and the membrane act as the duct??? As for the ignition air vent, is it ok to open up into the attic space? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric
The HVAC guy comes out and determines that there are two contributing issues. First, the return air duct is just sucking air from the crawlspace, not from the return air vents. Second, the ignition air vent is not pulling air entirely from the roof vent, but from the attic space as well. The insurance company won't cover the repairs because they say it was a "pre-existing" condition and won't revisit her furnace startup problem until we get everything else fixed. So question for the experts... How are return air ducts usually run in MH's? I could find no sign of any traditional duct work while I was under the house. Most of the underside is sealed up, but I can plainly see the furnace return through a large hole in the membrane. I didn't see any flex-tube ducting at all. Do the metal beams running the length of the home and the membrane act as the duct??? As for the ignition air vent, is it ok to open up into the attic space? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric