Goodman Furnace Problem - please help my kids are cold.

[mikeS94523]

The Power Venter (also known as Heat Inducer and Draft Inducer) will not start.

FURNACE:
Made by: Goodman
Model #: GMPN080-4

THE POWER VENTER (this is what the Goodman manual calls it but other websites refer to this as the Heat or Draft Inducer):
Made by: FASCO Industries 70219565
Type: U218
Volts: 115
RPM3400
Customer Part #: B2833001S

I have been troubleshooting this all day and this is what I have learned:

The Thermostat is ok.
The Indoor Blower (Main Blower) is ok. I can turn on just the fan from the thermostat and it turns on.
Everything was working fine and then something happened. I have not moved any wires or made any changes.

Here are the sequence of events:

I turn on the heat from the thermostat.
The Thermostat clicks telling the furnace to turn on the heat.

The furnace has a humming sound coming from it. This is the Power Venter/Heat Inducer trying to turn on. The indicator light blinks three times. The panel explains that this means:

"Pressure switch failure to close. check venter, pressure switch, vent blockage"

The humming sound will stop and then begin again but nothing happens. Also during this time a burning smell is coming from the power venter. It smells like burnt plastic but I am not sure what it is.

I attempted to move the fan blades on the Power Vetner with a screw driver but the fan blades are not accessible.

My next step is to remove the Power Venter, open it up and clean it.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[Jay11J]

Undo the metal exhaust pipe on top of the furnace and make sure there is no bird or anything in there to stop the fan.

If it's clear, then try to reach in there with a long stick and see if you can spin the fan.

If the fan sticks, then you may have to remove the fan assembly to check into it further.

[mikeS94523]

I solved it! Thanks for the feedback.

The problem was that the fan was stuck. I uninstalled the power venter and stuck my finger into the fan and dislodged whatever made the fan stick. It took quite a bit of pressure. After that it spun freely. I have no idea what was causing the fan to be stuck so hard. I reinstalled the power venter and everything works. Does anyone know what would cause the fan to be stuck?

[Grady]

This is a very common problem. Usually we can free the fan from the motor end but sometimes not. The easiest way to prevent this problem is to fire the furnace at least once a week all year long. It only has to run a minute or two.

[mikeS94523]

I thought I did but the problem continues to exist. This time I removed the power venter and the fan is rubbing against the case therefore there is some friction which is preventing its from spinning freely. There is enough friction to not allow it to start spinning when the thermostat asks for heat.

Any ideas how I can fix this? Can I take it somewhere and have them repair the fan. The motor and everything else is fine.

[maintelect]

Originally Posted by mikeS94523

I thought I did but the problem continues to exist. This time I removed the power venter and the fan is rubbing against the case therefore there is some friction which is preventing its from spinning freely. There is enough friction to not allow it to start spinning when the thermostat asks for heat.

Any ideas how I can fix this? Can I take it somewhere and have them repair the fan. The motor and everything else is fine.

much has i hate to say this. IT IS TIME TO CALL IN HELP.
there has to be a good deal of a problem for this to keep giving you trouble. You have kids to keep warm if you tale me what part of the town you are i might be able to give you a few suggestions on to who to call

[mikeS94523]

I live in Boston.

I am looking for a new power venter.

When I search the web for with the Part Number sometimes I get just the motor, other times I get the motor with Fan and Fan Casing.

Why would these be sold separately? I can't remove the motor from the fan. It is welding together.