Bryant 398AAV Furnace Intermittent

fiedlerh

This is for a relative who recently bought her grandpa's house. The Bryant is one of the 90% units and is probably less than 10 years old and looks to be in good shape.
Last month I was there I did a quick check on it and the furnace worked fine.

Recently the furnace began working intermittently. HVAC guy come out and says she needs a new furnace for $3500 because:

"The April Aire humidifier was installed wrong."
(Last month I told her the installation looked sloppy, but it wasn't hurting anything and I would look into it this spring.)

"The furnace fan motor bearings are shot." (Last month I told her they needed to be oiled but the impeller spun just fine.)

"The heat exchanger leaked water into the electrical compartment." This is apparently what was causing the intermittent operation. There were vague references about a part outside being installed wrong.

Without a parts diagram I don't know about this last one and thus I am asking your insight. I told her repairs should be way less than $3500 and a new furnace was not needed.

Another HVAC guy told her furnaces should be replaced every 6-7 years!

HVAC Doc

I would check out that secondary HE on the furnace. The AAV is the cousin to Carriers SX series furnace in which we have been finding alot of bad secondaries. Pull the blower and and look up into the secondary compartment and look for water trails/corrosion. You can also look into the drain areas and see if you find chunks of plastic/pvc. Were either of these contractors Bryant dealers? If not, I would find a Factory Authorized Dealer for Bryant and have them inspect the system. If they were Factory Dealers, I would be calling Bryants (800) 428-4326 number to their consumer affairs dept. and get a little better service/explanation from that/those company(s).

fiedlerh

Your advice sounds good. I'll have her call an authorized Bryant dealer. Hopefully, if it is the heat exchanger, it will be under warranty, which would get me out of having to work on it . Got the furnace paperwork coming tonite so I can see who installed it and when.

NickTech

a common problem with a poorly installed humidifier is that there can be water leaks. Moisture is a notorius killer of furnace modules. wether it is due to a leaking humidifier or a damp basemaent etc. an intermittent attitude from the furnace can mean a bad module. Have it tested and replaced. anyone who says a new furnace is needed every 6-7 yrs is a complete jackass and an embarrrassment to the hvac industry. :Thumbs:

btophat00

more than likely you have a rotted out collector box. this is at the back of the inducer fan motor.

tinner73

i'm in Schaumburg........nuthaus5@comcast.net