Trane XV80 Chimney Question

[Lou]

I live in the Chicago area and have a Trane XV80 Furnace that was installed about 3 years ago. This Winter I heard ice chunks clinking down the chimney and it appears that the ice came all the way down to the furnace where the chimney pipe connects. I have a metal chimney that has a plentiful amount of louvres in the cap of the chimney itself. I never had any chimney ice problems before I had this XV80 installed and I am wondering if this furnace needs to be vented out the side of the house and not up the chimney? I am having a roofer come over thru insurance since I also had some ceiling water mark damage in the area that is right next to the chimney. Maybe there are too many vent openings in my chimney cap and that is creating a moisture problem? My insurance said we may also have to involve the HVAC person that installed the unit depending on whe is found. The metal chimney is about 6 years old now and my previous furnace was a Lennox Pulse that was vented out the side of the house and only the water heater was being vented up the chimney flue. Anyone else have an icing problem with their Trane XV80 using a metal chimney?

Thanks in advance for any input to this problem. Lou

[Noon-Air]

Make sure the vent pipe is correctly sized for that particular furnace....what was correct for the Lennox is probably not the right size for the trane.....the trane probably needs a smaller one

[Lou Leciejewski]

"Noon-Air" wrote in news:wqSdnVJqjYR6n0HanZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

Thanks for your input ... my Lennox Pulse had 2 vent PVC Pipes going out the side of the house and not up the chimney. The metal pipe that is on the XV80 is sized for that opening that is on top of the front of the furnace so I think I am ok. When the insurance people come out and the roofer we may even have to call in the HVAC company that did the installation too. I wonder if perhaps the chimney housing cap on the roof has too many openings (louvres) and that is causing condensation to build into ice and it only happens on days with temps from like 0 to 20 degrees out. Or, there may be a leak in the roof too.

Thanks Lou

[JamesGangNC]

[e-mail]:

Sounds like you maybe need to not vent that thing out the chimney. Is there a fireplace on it too? Newer units are more efficient and that's a problem with older chimney installs. The exhaust gas from the furnace is not hot enough to keep the water from condensing out inside the chimney. That would explain your ice problem. And water condensed from the furnace inside the chimney will damage it.

[Lou Leciejewski]

Do they vent the Trane XV80 ever outside on the side of the house?