Tappan Furnace Problem


Last season I had a Tappan furnace installed in my shore home.. during the winter I set the temp at 55 when I'm not there & when I come down I set it at 70... the furnace kicks off around 62 & I need to reset the system. The contractor has replaced the reset buttons & installed a kit which was supposed to solve the problem... no luck yet... Tappan has yet to admit that there is a problem (it's been going on for 10 months)... the contractor has about 5 other units with the same problem... is there a solution or should I demand another unit? Defective furnace or installation problem
Augie T

If the system is shutting down due to too high of internal temperatures, your duct system could be either too small or restricted. If hot air cannot leave the furnace quick enough, the internal safety could cause it to shut off. Question, after the house has achieved a temperature, does the system stay on? If you go from 55 to 70 degrees you are asking a lot from the system. Test your return air ducts by removing the blower door and tape the door safety switch in the down position. With the blower operating, does the furnace suck the blower door closed? If it rips it from your hands, you just discovered that there is not enough return air coming back to the furnace. If it just pulls lightly against your grip, the air flow is good but you may not have enough hot air registers to get all that hot air out of the furnace.

As the system is running and the blower door back in place, check te temperature of the ductwork. One duct should be warm to the touch and the other cool. If you cannot hold your hand on the duct because it is way too hot, you again have an airflow issue. You may be able to increase the blower speed to compensate for it however the real issue here is duct size.

You could try a programmable thermostat that allows you to call into your seasonal home and slowly increase the temperature to compensate for the large demand for heat when you first arrive, or just bite the bullet and get your ducts in a row!