Lennox Pulse Question

[Gebo]

Had Lennox Tech come out to service my 1994 Lennox Pulse. Still working like a charm. He saw my marker dates where I had replaced my flapper every 4 years. He asked me if I replaced it or just cleaned it off. I told him I replaced it. He said that was unnecessary as all I had to to was wipe it clean.

Yes, I know he is a Lennox Tech and he loves the old Pulses. But, is it really ok to wipe the flapper clean? I thought it was some kind of filter???

 

[terry274]

What is a Lennox pulse?

 

[Gebo]

Lennox Pulse Gas Furnace

If you have to ask....LOL

Some people say it was the best gas furnace ever built. Sorta a cult following. Some say it was a piece of crap. I'm of the first persuasion...

 

[MrHorspwer]

I had no idea what a Lennox Pulse is, so I YouTubed it.

I found a video of a guy explaining how it worked (more or less, I'm not sure how knowledgeable he actually was) and running it (again, more or less) in his driveway.

So, um, yeah, that's what I saw.

Congrats to you though. Your post led me to probably the strangest thing I'll see all day, both the furnace and the rando running it in his driveway on Youtube.

 

[Gebo]

LOL. I guess I should say, "You are welcome!"

 

[bullwinkle]

I have one, a Pulse 21 from around '95 or so-you have to clean the flapper?? I've cleaned the secondary heat exchanger coil a few times, and replaced the ignition control module twice, but the old girl just keeps growling along, like there's a monster in my basement!

 

[WhyMe]

Very cool. never knew these existed. so its basically a pulse jet engine kinda .

 

[Dave9]

Even if it is a filter, why would it be a problem to wipe it clean if you get it clean, if it still seals if it needs to, and hasn't rusted out?

Used to be, it wasn't uncommon for furnaces to last 30 years, provided you cleaned them, lubed the motor bearings, and replaced each part in turn, and could either DIY or found an HVAC tech with reasonable rates so it seemed cost effective to keep repairing it.

That's more true today than ever. You can usually find parts on ebay or Amazon and DIY for a fraction of what a pro would charge you as long as you're able and safety minded. That era may soon be over with more complex and expensive electronic controls, thinner metal that rusts through faster. Then again, even 30 years ago the industry had mostly switched to using sealed, non-servicable motor bearings so if you wanted to lube them you have to take the motor apart. Fortunately that doesn't need to happen but once every 5 to 10 years as long as you don't wait till the bearings are chewing themselves up from running dry.

 

[LotI]

German pulse-jet technology(V-1 buzz bombs) with no moving parts. Still one of the most efficient furnaces ever. I have only had an issue with mine with the ignition system. There have been updates to the ignition and there are aftermarket parts available.

Several years ago I was having short cycling and the tech replaced a tan-colored board that was bad. I recently had a failure to ignite that so far was a fluke. Saturday afternoon I called the emergency number and as the tech answered it fired right up(of course)and has been working fine since. I was following the troubleshooting guide and asked him if it could be the spark plug and he said he's only replaced one in his career of over 20 years.

My neighbor complains about the exhaust noise but I told him it has both an intake and exhaust muffler.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by Dave9
Even if it is a filter, why would it be a problem to wipe it clean if you get it clean, if it still seals if it needs to, and hasn't rusted out?

Used to be, it wasn't uncommon for furnaces to last 30 years, provided you cleaned them, lubed the motor bearings, and replaced each part in turn, and could either DIY or found an HVAC tech with reasonable rates so it seemed cost effective to keep repairing it.

That's more true today than ever. You can usually find parts on ebay or Amazon and DIY for a fraction of what a pro would charge you as long as you're able and safety minded. That era may soon be over with more complex and expensive electronic controls, thinner metal that rusts through faster. Then again, even 30 years ago the industry had mostly switched to using sealed, non-servicable motor bearings so if you wanted to lube them you have to take the motor apart. Fortunately that doesn't need to happen but once every 5 to 10 years as long as you don't wait till the bearings are chewing themselves up from running dry.
HVAC contractors are the problem. A new system is more profitable for them so that's what they sell. Also, normies don't wrench and shop purely on price.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted by LotI
German pulse-jet technology(V-1 buzz bombs) with no moving parts. Still one of the most efficient furnaces ever. I have only had an issue with mine with the ignition system. There have been updates to the ignition and there are aftermarket parts available.

Several years ago I was having short cycling and the tech replaced a tan-colored board that was bad. I recently had a failure to ignite that so far was a fluke. Saturday afternoon I called the emergency number and as the tech answered it fired right up(of course)and has been working fine since. I was following the troubleshooting guide and asked him if it could be the spark plug and he said he's only replaced one in his career of over 20 years.

My neighbor complains about the exhaust noise but I told him it has both an intake and exhaust muffler.

Mine does that too, puffs of steam and rumbles when running-but fortunately my neighbor on that side is a retired transit bus mechanic, serviced a lot of DD 2-strokes-he's probably pretty deaf from that!