Bird Nest in vent pipe
Dear FIT
Q.I tried to turn on my gas furnace yesterday for the first time this season, and the hot surface igniter did not ignite, even though it looks fine. I checked the pressure switch, and it read 26 volts at one terminal and 0 volts at the other. I pulled the tube from the leading pressure switch that comes from the draft inducer and felt no suction with the inducer running. I got an "error code 31."
This morning I checked the vents, which are located on the house sidewall, and I found bird nesting material packed in one of the vents. The vent makes a 90 degree turn. Any tips for cleaning nesting material from the vent? Is the pressure switch remaining in the wrong position because the nesting material is restricting air flow?
Jim
Dear Jim.
A: Yes. When a bird builds a nest, your furnace can't vent out the harmful gases so the pressure switch gets a message that all's not well and shuts the furnace down. After the nest is dislodged from the pipe, you need to reset the furnace by disconnecting the power source to the furnace. Wait a few minutes for the board to reset and then plug the furnace back in. This should reset your furnace and start the inducer motor back up As far as the pipe obstruction goes, if the bird's nest is close enough to the end of the pvc pipe, take a stiff thin object, like a metal coat hanger, and fish it out. If the bird built the nest too far in, simply cut the 90 degree elbow off and make sure all debris is clear. Then glue a new 90 in the upward direction, add a small piece of pvc pipe, and put an E-CAP on it. The E-CAP will prevent the return of debris clogging the vent pipe.
Q.I tried to turn on my gas furnace yesterday for the first time this season, and the hot surface igniter did not ignite, even though it looks fine. I checked the pressure switch, and it read 26 volts at one terminal and 0 volts at the other. I pulled the tube from the leading pressure switch that comes from the draft inducer and felt no suction with the inducer running. I got an "error code 31."
This morning I checked the vents, which are located on the house sidewall, and I found bird nesting material packed in one of the vents. The vent makes a 90 degree turn. Any tips for cleaning nesting material from the vent? Is the pressure switch remaining in the wrong position because the nesting material is restricting air flow?
Jim
Dear Jim.
A: Yes. When a bird builds a nest, your furnace can't vent out the harmful gases so the pressure switch gets a message that all's not well and shuts the furnace down. After the nest is dislodged from the pipe, you need to reset the furnace by disconnecting the power source to the furnace. Wait a few minutes for the board to reset and then plug the furnace back in. This should reset your furnace and start the inducer motor back up As far as the pipe obstruction goes, if the bird's nest is close enough to the end of the pvc pipe, take a stiff thin object, like a metal coat hanger, and fish it out. If the bird built the nest too far in, simply cut the 90 degree elbow off and make sure all debris is clear. Then glue a new 90 in the upward direction, add a small piece of pvc pipe, and put an E-CAP on it. The E-CAP will prevent the return of debris clogging the vent pipe.
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