What's wrong with my furnace?

mkirsch1 · 2007-11-26T18:38:47+00:00

Apologies if this was double-posted.My furnace seems to be running way too often, upwards of 30 minutesevery 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter how cold it gets outside,it's always the same.One thing that bothers me is, with the system "professionally"balanced, the temperature at the registers was in the low 70's usingan infrared thermometer. I've since closed off the vents to allunoccupied/unused rooms in the house, and even with just the livingroom and main hallway heated, the vent temperature is still only inthe upper 80's. My understanding is that it should be around 100degrees.I think all the heat is going up the chimney. The exhaust pipe on thefurnace is RIPPING hot, can't even put my hand near it. It's puttingout a clean blue flame. Changing the filter didn't help. Pros say thefurnace is in perfect working order.The furnace itself is a 1999 Amana, but I can't tell which modelbecause the labels are all in French (I'm in upstate NY, not Quebec)and apparently use technical terms that the online translators can'tdeal with. It's either a 48,000 or 65,000 BTU unit, depending on whichpart of the label you read.Mostly, I'm sick of being cold and listening to the furnace fan howlall the time. I've got plenty of insulation (R38 batts over R19 in theceiliing joists). Walls are R11 with an extra inch of styrofoam andhousewrap under the siding. Windows are all double-pane vinyl units.It's a pretty tight house, as I can't feel any drafts or hear anywhistles in high winds.