We returned home from a holiday to discover water at the foot of our forced-air natural gas furnace and a ring of ice around the pipes that lead into the cooling coils in the plenum on top of the furnace. We also discovered that the furnace fan will no longer run on the continuous, low speed. My belief is that the fan failed, allowing frost to build up on the coils and seize up the whole system. If this theory is correct, does it mean that the air conditioning system itself has suffered major damage? Also, is it possible to buy a system that will automatically shut down in the event of a fan malfunction. Our system is a Bryant unit; at least five years old. Any advice much appreciated.
Ted Fairhurst Toronto.