# american standard freedom 90 comfort-r maintenance, mine isn't working (PICS)



## jason_jm

hello all

my unit over the last few months started to blow cold air instead of hot sometimes.

this got more and more frequent.

now it only blows cold air.

I tried to find a manual online but had no luck.

What parts of the unit should I try cleaning and where are they?

I read something about the flame sensor with a steel scrub, but not sure that applies to my unit.

pics included below.


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## Tator1076

Turn it back on and let it cycle. That board has diagnostic lights. Just read the flash count. Also some were on blower door is wire diagram. It will have the codes for the lights


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## harleyrider

jason_jm said:


> hello all
> 
> my unit over the last few months started to blow cold air instead of hot sometimes.
> 
> this got more and more frequent.
> 
> now it only blows cold air.
> 
> I tried to find a manual online but had no luck.
> 
> What parts of the unit should I try cleaning and where are they?
> 
> I read something about the flame sensor with a steel scrub, but not sure that applies to my unit.
> 
> pics included below.


Thank you.....i love post with pictures......i have worked on hundred of furnaces just like yours, maybe thousands. 2 areas to pay particular attention to are 1. the flame sensor, it is located on the left side of the burner rack, it is a L shaped steel rod with a white porcelain base, do not mistake the ignitor for the flame sensor !!!!! the ignitor is on the right the flame sensor is on the left. the flame sensor should be removed and cleaned every year before heating season.
the second area is the condensate trap and the lines leading to it. the lines and trap should be removed and cleaned with a hot water and bleach solution, these lines are prone to fungal growth, the bleach will kill it. Of course keep your filters maintained, cant tell from the photos what kind of filters you use.


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## jason_jm

VIDEO: 

here is what happens when i turn this thing on

http://youtu.be/a0d2qRiAfhg

video might take a few minutes for youtube to convert, looks to me like red light flashes twice, spaced by three seconds

repeat 3 times.

thanks for all help everyone


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## harleyrider

is there a ledgend any were on the back side of the furnace doors that say what those sequence of flashes means?


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## Houston204

2 flashes is system lockout (page 39). It almost looks like the light came on before the door switch was depressed.


the manual...
http://www.trane.com/CPS/Uploads/UserFiles/DXUnitarySystems/Split%20Systems/Gas%20Furnace/18-CD29D1-5_07012011.pdf


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## jason_jm

excuse my ignorance but this is the first time I have ever looked inside of a heating unit.

where should I looked for this flame sensor? I just cant seem to figure it out

can someone isolate it by the numbers I have posted on the picture, which number it is closed to?

also does the flame sensor look like picture 2?


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## harleyrider

behind the burner door at the toop of the furnace........were the little round window is......sounded in that video like its full of condensate.....may be a plugged trap


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## jason_jm

this is the air filter i think

A few weeks ago i found the manual for that and took a long time cleaning it

im pretty sure that thing is clean


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## Houston204

*It does sound like water is moving around. Should be 3 flashes. Power off for more than 30 seconds to reset and try again.


RED LED - LitePort​TM DATA - 1 FLASH EVERY 20 SECONDS​2 Flashes --- RETRIES OR RECYCLES EXCEEDED​3 Flashes --- INDUCER OR PRESSURE SWITCH ERROR​4 Flashes --- OPEN LIMIT OR ROLLOUT SWITCH​5 Flashes --- FLAME SENSED WHEN NO FLAME SHOULD BE PRESENT
6 Flashes --- LINE REVERSE POLARITY
7 Flashes --- GAS VALVE CIRCUIT ERROR
8 Flashes --- WEAK FLAME
9 Flashes --- OPEN INDUCER LIMIT ERROR​GREEN LED - STATUS​Slow Flash NORMAL, NO CALL FOR HEAT
Fast Flash NORMAL, CALL FOR HEAT PRESENT
GREEN and RED
LED's on Continuously FUSE OPEN OR INTERNAL CONTROL FAILURE​*


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## jason_jm

i think you guys found problem!

the water pump thing looks disgusting

clogged with mould and stuff and definitely not moving any water out there

makes a bad noise too

check video

http://youtu.be/hjFjo1ksb0c

what do I do? disconnect it, take it out the garden, try pull it apart, clean it, reassemble and put back in basement?


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## jason_jm

is this below picture where i get to the flame sensor?

I remove the three screws to get under that cover with the glass portal, then find the flame sensor, and clean it?


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## Tator1076

There is a 1/4 screw undo that and wire to sensor and pull. Make sure remember how u got it out. It can be hard put back in for the first time


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## Houston204

Definitely clean that condensate pump. They usually have 2 screws to separate the pan frm the top portion.

I was referring to the ptrap (number 11) in your picture as the water problem.


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## jason_jm

ok well i cleaned everything, and still no luck

cleaned all the water parts

cleaned the flame sensor

still 2 red lights


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## jason_jm

seems like this unit has never worked right even for 5 years

it seems to struggle to do something, not sure

listen to sound in video

http://youtu.be/b2fYT0TnCPI

keeps doing that cycle for 5 minutes

usually between 1 and 3 minutes it would eventually blow heat, but sometimes it would blow cold

now it only blows cold, never heat


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## harleyrider

looks like its time to call out a pro..........sorry


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## jason_jm

yep i think it was busted since day 1

thanks for all the help though


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## Doc Holliday

is the ignitor coming on and if so is it staying hot until the gas valve opens? You'll hear a click from the gas valve when it does open. 

I see you have some tools, you have a meter? Amps?


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## jason_jm

ill put camera right next to it and record sounds.....

and no to meter and amps, my tools are more for pulling things apart


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## Doc Holliday

A minute (pronounced my-knewt) crack in the ignitor will still allow it to glow if the baord is telling it come on BUT that not visible to the naked eye crack will interfere with the ignitors ability to stay on. I have recently come across this problem. 

What you do is check amp draw on the wire of the ignitor as it glows and see if the amperage drops out even a split second before the gas valve opens. I fit does then that is why your system is not lighting, tries and tries again and then locks itself out. 

And ignitors don't get better once cracked, they get worse.


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## Doc Holliday

the reason the ignitors, ones with very small cracks which still allow them to turn on and get hot, drop out just before the gas gets to it is that as they get hotter once lit the crack expands, breaking continuity. 

I'm betting this is your problem only because it was American Standard furnace that this problem occured on. :laughing: I called an American Standard supply house technical support and they guided me through that diagnosis and fix!


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## jason_jm

yah i have a pro scheduled 8am

lets see what he says

thanks


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## Houston204

7. RESET AFTER LOCKOUT
When the integrated control module has shut the
system down and gone into lockout, the system
must be manually reset before the unit will restart.
To reset, turn the system power off, then on, then
off and then on again within 30 seconds. This may
be done at the unit’s power source or at the thermostat.​_The system will not reset unless the procedure
off-on-off-on is completed within 30 seconds.​_


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## hvactech126

put everything back together and either post another video or describe in detail the sequence of events that happen with a call for heat. We know that there is a 2 flash but that could be due to a few things.


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## Tator1076

Sorry Im late on the post again but the flute pipe has water trap in it. It maybe not a good slop back to the furnace or plugged up . I can hear it on the video.


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## Tator1076

It maybe even be that black hose off draft motor plugged up.


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## jason_jm

Main circuit board bad replaced under warranty 

then 2nd problem water not being pumped out properly 

all seems good now

was good crash course in furnaces for me

thx all hopefully someone else will find this thread useful down the line.


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## Houston204

I hope the tech new how to reset the board and didn't replace a perfectly good control board when the problem was only backed up condensation.


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## jason_jm

Houston204 said:


> I hope the tech new how to reset the board and didn't replace a perfectly good control board when the problem was only backed up condensation.


no, he did a lot of tests with voltages, and issuing the board direct commands, and it was not responding correctly, i watched him.

when the new board went in, all the tests passed, then he dealt with the condensation problem


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## Houston204

No meter required to reset the board. Just turn power off and back on twice in less than 30 seconds.


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## qbert

That model may vary the voltage to the ignitor. They can be trouble some if you have circuit grounding issues.


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## jason_jm

Houston204 said:


> No meter required to reset the board. Just turn power off and back on twice in less than 30 seconds.



i tried resetting the old board no less than 20 times, every combo possible (including your above instructions at least 6 to 8 times, some with the power cord and the control panel)

I am a computer engineer by trade, so I am pretty familiar with reset procedures for circuit boards, but no matter what i did the old board would not reset

immediately 2 red flashes when powered on


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