Timeline for Rust and ash in my AC/furnace - should I be concerned?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
17 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Dec 22, 2017 at 14:45 | history | edited | Bucket | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 274 characters in body
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| Dec 22, 2017 at 14:40 | comment | added | Bucket | @CactusCake - The inspector did not find anything actually broken, but the condition was concerning enough to replace it, and that it likely wouldn't be long before something broke. | |
| Dec 20, 2017 at 15:52 | comment | added | CactusCake | @Bucket, what did the inspector conclude? | |
| Nov 14, 2017 at 18:28 | comment | added | Bucket | @CactusCake - Ah, I understand, thank you for clarifying. That makes much more sense. I was assuming the air intact was supplying combustion air. For what it's worth, my furnace shares a very small room with the water heater, but there are so many gaps in the two (very small) doors to this room that I can only imagine there is sufficient combustion air. Could be wrong, though. Maintenance is sending an inspector over soon so hopefully I should get an answer - when I do, I'll update this post. | |
| Nov 14, 2017 at 17:07 | comment | added | CactusCake | The (main) blower motor is for moving warmed/cooled air through the duct work to and from rooms in your house. There are some installations where it can indirectly supply combustion air as well (for example, if there's an open register on the supply plenum in the furnace room itself), but usually the combustion air is supplied by natural draft or a separate motor, so your filter change schedule and blower efficiency wouldn't really help as far as I can tell. I'm not an HVAC engineer though so... | |
| Nov 14, 2017 at 16:38 | comment | added | Bucket | @CactusCake - Seems to get plenty of air as far as I'm aware. I've been pretty good about changing the air filters every month or so (I live alone with no pets), so the blower should be pulling enough air through the louvered vent. I changed the filter about two weeks before the pilot last went out. The symptoms line up with your backdrafting theory, so I'm wondering if the blower isn't able to work as efficiently as it should. | |
| Nov 14, 2017 at 16:15 | comment | added | CactusCake | Ah, ok. I assumed you'd been there longer. Nevertheless, is the unit getting enough combustion air (louvered doors, no blockages)? If it burns up all the oxygen its own space it'll pull air down the exhaust vent instead, the moisture in that air can cause the rust you see, and the lack of oxygen might explain why the pilot has gone out in the past. | |
| Nov 14, 2017 at 16:09 | comment | added | Bucket | @CactusCake - The rust has been present since I moved in in the summer of '16. It seems to steadily accumulate over time. I have not personally done anything to the furnace besides re-lighting the pilot and changing the air filter. Maintenance had to rebuild the motor last when it started making loud noises and broke down entirely. I will check for backdrafting when I return to my apartment today. | |
| Nov 11, 2017 at 16:32 | comment | added | CactusCake | According to this article, excessive rust can be a sign of backdrafting. Since you mentioned it wasn't present before the cool season, I'm inclined to ask - have you changed anything in the furnace location that would limit its air supply? | |
| Nov 10, 2017 at 17:32 | answer | added | blacksmith37 | timeline score: 0 | |
| Nov 10, 2017 at 13:02 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/StackDIY/status/928971182036193281 | ||
| Nov 10, 2017 at 11:19 | answer | added | d.george | timeline score: 1 | |
| Nov 9, 2017 at 22:01 | answer | added | Dotes | timeline score: 1 | |
| Nov 9, 2017 at 21:06 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | My first reaction is that your exhaust stack is leaky, and water ingress is rusting out your unit. That shouldn't happen, the exhaust stack should keep water out. (best argument ever for mini-splits!) | |
| Nov 9, 2017 at 21:06 | answer | added | computercarguy | timeline score: 4 | |
| Nov 9, 2017 at 20:54 | review | First posts | |||
| Nov 9, 2017 at 22:08 | |||||
| Nov 9, 2017 at 20:51 | history | asked | Bucket | CC BY-SA 3.0 |