I feel better Asked: When should gas burners in a furnace be replaced?

I have an Amana GUCA 070AX30. 90% efficient. Purchased in 2000. I live is So. Wi. and the heating season runs from Oct-May. The repair man was out today because the furnace would cut off before it got up to the set temp. of 6 degrees higher than the room temp. And now that I think of it I don't think he gave it a good 5-6 degree continous increase test.
But he recommended replacing the burners for $350. The furnace has only been used for 11 seasons. Thanks for your input.

david Asked: Is it worth it to go get HVAC/R training after graduating engineering college?

I am a recent graduate from a not particularly prestigious engineering school with a mechanical and energy engineering degree and mathematics minor. I ended up with a 2.8 GPA. I plan on passing the FE/EIT exam at the end of October. No internships.. Seems like I'm stuck in the 'need experience to get experience' catch 22. I am not getting many call backs from my application. I was wondering if getting my HVAC/R technicians license(and maybe later a contractors license) would be worth it. Would I only get low paying technical jobs which make graduating college useless? Would engineering employers be impressed?

Is there a faster way to get my license since I have an engineering degree?

thanks for reading!

KatieKat Asked: AC Unit Running, but No Air from Vents in House?

I had a brand new A/C unit installed last month. Everything was working fine. However, two days ago air stopped coming out of the vents in the house. (I did not close any vents they are open.)

The unit outside is running fine but I realize that has little to do with pushing air into the house, but I have no idea what would actually control that.

I have an furnace that is almost 2 years old. I just changed the air filter on it about a half a month ago.

I did open the door to the furnace and noticed the enclosed fan looking object was not moving at all. I walked around to the other side of the furnace and felt cold air coming out of the side of it somehow?

Is my furnace what pushes air through the house and if so is that smallish black fan not moving the cause of no air coming into the vents?

What could cause that fan to stop running?

I did notice there was liquid leaking from the AC unit outside, but figured that was normal.

Also what is a ballpark estimate of repair costs because I have no money I spent it all installed the new unit.

I can try to provide more info if need be.

Viurre Asked: Is there a better way? Pressing reset button on furnace to get hot water in Summer?

I have looked all over my basement. I do not have a water tank, only an expansion tank. I believe my water is heated by the furnace, and when it doesn't come on in the Summer and I need hot water, I have to go into the basement and press the reset button and the furnace runs for about 15-20 minutes and then I have hot water. It is awfully annoying to have to do this every time I need hot water, and several people have told me they never heard of this kind of setup, and one person told me it could be bad for the furnace if I keep having to do this. This past week I used the reset button every other day and last night when I hit it, it ran for 2 seconds and then stopped, and I tried to hit reset and it would not go in, as if you can only hit it so often. So I had no hot water. I called the furnace guys today, because I may also be out of oil from doing this and they don't deliver in the Summer. I am waiting for their call back. In the meantime, it has been suggested I get new furnace guys if they can't fix this. I purchased this older home 7 years ago, and it has been this way from the get go. My questions are, Does anyone else have this kind of system? Is it normal? Is there an easy fix no one is attending to? Should I be suggesting something to my furnace repair guys they are overlooking? Is it bad to hit the reset button every other day or every day if the heat is not coming on at all in the Summer?

Alec Asked: Furnace Repair Pressure Switch?

I have a Trane furnace. The diagnostic light blinks 3 times seemingly indicating a pressure switch error. The heat will not come on, however the fan spins. Can I fix this?

Timothy Asked: I have a new home and when it got extremely humid we had water in the ceiling. Is this a defect of s

We purchased the home less than a year ago and noticed water in the ceiling on the main level (Two story house).We contacted our builder who sent out the HVAC contractor.The Contractor suggested that is was likely caused by outside air getting into the ceiling around the duct work causing it to sweat and leak on to the ceiling.The builder contends that this was caused by the high humidity and that there wasn't a problem and that there is nothing they can do.I believe high humidity was a factor but that there is likely an issue causing this.We keep the home at 70 degrees all the time with the AC. Bottom line, we have a brand new home with water stains in the ceiling which could likely occur again.Any suggestions on causes and how to address?

Jeff Asked: Undecided Question: Is there anything wrong with an electrician working for $5 an hour?

Is it OK for an HVAC contractor to hire an electrician for $5 an hour to do all the electrical work involved when installing a new furnace and air conditioner, as well as installing a new outdoor outlet on the back of the house?

I'm an electrician, and this past Saturday, I worked with the HVAC guy, and was at the house the entire 12 hours it took him and his tech to install the HVAC equipment. I had $65 in electrical materials myself, and he paid me $125. That's $60 for 12 hours of my time, so $5 an hour.

I wasn't actually working the entire time; much of it was waiting for the HVAC tech to finish certain parts of his job so that I can do my job.

Jeff Asked: Is there anything wrong with an electrician working for $5 an hour?

Is it OK for an HVAC contractor to hire an electrician for $5 an hour to do all the electrical work involved when installing a new furnace and air conditioner, as well as installing a new outdoor outlet on the back of the house?

I'm an electrician, and this past Saturday, I worked with the HVAC guy, and was at the house the entire 12 hours it took him and his tech to install the HVAC equipment. I had $65 in electrical materials myself, and he paid me $125. That's $60 for 12 hours of my time, so $5 an hour.

I wasn't actually working the entire time; much of it was waiting for the HVAC tech to finish certain parts of his job so that I can do my job.

aeseeke Asked: my AC isn’t giving cold air?

My air conditioning seems to be giving tepid air at best. Usually I have it on 78-80 degrees and it stays on there but now it's just a few degrees warmer. So it's not really an emergency, it's sort of working but I was wondering what could cause it. Could I be low on Freon or something?

Sarah Asked: Better to keep a/c on or have windows open during the day?

I have currently renting a house and am looking for ways to cut down money wise. I live in good weather where it is mid to lower 70s where I could leave the windows open and turn of the air conditioning. Is that actually wasting more money by opening the windows all day and turning on the air conditioning to 74/75 at night?