Smart valve problems...again

[Bob_Loblaw]

In the last 4 days I have replaced two Honeywell SV9541 gas valves. Both were less than 3 years old. Both were under warranty, but not to me, so I charge a handling fee for sending a guy to the suppliers to get it, returning to the suppliers afterwards for the warranty paperwork, the initial call-out charge, and the labour to install it (Homeowners take note. So much for saving a ton of money by going with the cheapest bidder! ) Neither customer could get in contact with the installing company, but boy, did they get a good deal at the time of installation! One customer had rejected my price when bidding because I was $300 more expensive than the guy he eventually went with! LOL. Anyway, be prepared to change a lot of these new and "improved" smart valves. Thanks Honeywell !!

[gofish]

so what was the problem(s) with either or both? pin connectors? specific brands of equipment? bad batch of gas valves?

[Bob_Loblaw]

[e-mail] wrote

In both cases, the valve wasn't sending 110 volts to the ventor motor. Also ,the diagnostic light is steady on, which doesn't match any codes for it. Normal operation is a green "heartbeat". I suspect the causes for this will come to light eventually, but for now, I suspect a faulty internal relay. Diagnosing whether it's the valve or the board is real simple. Unplug the three connectors on the valve, and plug them into a new valve, and just let it hang there, then energize. The ventor should come with a call for heat. Bingo! Bad valve.

[Bubba]

If its in a 90%er check for condensation. Cold air comes in top, hits the hot burner, condensation occurs and drips on the gas valve. Sometimes takes a year but finally shorts out the valve. Causes erroneous code errors, erratic or no inducer operation. Good ol Honeywell. Bubba

[Bob_Loblaw]

Bubba wrote

I think you may be on to it. I saw some corrosion on the pins

[gofish]

so then its not a honeywell smartvalve problem, rather a problem of its placement in the furnace, exposing it to condensate drip.

[geoman]

What brand of equipment are you seeing this on? American Standard doesn't have the gas valve in the outside supply air chamber, and there are no breaks in the sheet metal to allow condensation to drip on the valve.

I would say its more of a furnace manufacturers design than Honeywell, I would suggest for your brand you caulk any place that has a potential drip point above the valve so it can't drip unto it?

Another issue, separate the exhaust from the intake, it sounds like your bringing back high concentrations of richly moist exhaust back into the furnace. The Relative humidity is too low to do what your saying its doing, that moisture is condensing from the re introduction of exhaust gases back into the furnace.

That is one reason the pipe within the pipe accessory for termination is so nice, it helps prevent this problem.

Rich

[Bob_Loblaw]

[e-mail] wrote

You could be right. We won't know for sure until someone does some testing on these. BTW, both were Keeprite furnaces, Model # N9MP2075 B12A2

[geoman]

This brand has a recall on their gas/electric units.

Electronic boards are catching on fire.

[Oscar_Lives]

This is Oscar_Lives.

Meybe you culd cut an olwd piece of tin and tape it in ther with duck tap to act as a rain sheeld like Junior Dickerson did with his grandpappy's ol dodge pickemup truck .

Or how bout rapping the valve in aluum foil or a pieace of an old plaztecc trash bagg? Doller Jeneral; has em on sail thes weakend for 2 dollers and fourteen cents, over in rowe 17 by tghe kondums..

Maybe jest spraying it goood weth sevral hevy cotes of polyurthane wood make it waterprufe.

Some fellers jest put a koffee can in ther to kach the drips. If yer soower stack is neerby, you coold yoose a peac of garten hose and run a drane to the suuerr stack.

Sometimes the "old ways" are much better than the newfangled northerner uppity stuck-up peoples ways. Now I no thet Paul Milercren well say the Sutherner Waze are not write, but he iz jest a soffwear salzman and hee aint gott no speriense in the reel wurld.

The EAP has regGulatd this to deth and ther aint know kode her in the cuntry

Them newfangeled thangs are dANGERus bekause Orrvall Smith put one on the karberator of his Shevy and it Blowd up an liked to kell him .

[Bubba]

Let me save you some time. I DID some testing. I found that it didnt matter if the furnace was an 80% or a 90%. I had ones with short length runs of pvc and long runs. I had some in conditioned basements and some in cooler basements. Some had the pvc vent pipes running through unconditioned spaces and others werent. It just really didnt seem to matter. I saw plenty of whitish streaks and rust marks from the top of the burner near the pvc intake fitting, down the burner tray, hitting the roll out switch, down on the gas valve and a mark running down the inducer onto the blower shelf. I finally broke open a couple gas valves and found that wonderful condensation white marks on the board inside the gas valve. Once again proving that electronics and moisture do NOT mix. Hell, prob the best was a Bryant var spd inducer that went bad. Took it apart and sure enough, the board got that same condensation from the intake above. Bryant fixed that problem though................the replacement inducer (var spd) actually had a little metal tray built above the inducer as an assembly (Bryant/Carrier loves "Kits" and "assemblies"). The tray had a slight angle so the condensation from the burner would hit the tray above the inducer, run down at an angle and hit the blower shelf.........missing the electronics. Laughed my ass off seeing that design. True "customer testing" at its finest. Gotta love those brilliant Engineers. The customer pays for everything..........including product testing. Bubba

[Zephyr]

Doesn't CARRIER own ICP?

[Bob_Loblaw]

"Oscar_Lives" wrote

I used all my aluminum foil for the inside of my hat...

[Bob_Loblaw]

Bubba wrote

streaks and rust marks from

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one, Bubba.

[Bubba]

Too bad. I was aiming for Todd H's head. Bubba :-)

[Bob_Loblaw]

"Zephyr" wrote in news:6cudneZ6kbh1FaTYnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

Close. ICP owns Carrier and Keeprite

[Zephyr]

Bob L;

Check out

; then take a look at ; then take a look at [will redirect to corp. website].

I believe, if I'm not mistaken the whole shoot'n match is owned by United Tech. Corp... actually.

[lp13-30]

Oscar, I got such a hoot out of your post that I am not going to send you a keyboard bill. I imagine you have already gotten a bunch of them, and I don't want you to get your minion insurance revoked, so I'll give you a break--- this time anyway. Thanks again - I'm still laughing. Larry