[Per]

Al, that is the optional “low-flow” option. Very rare…

[Dick]

My story isn’t as easy as a simple picture.

A couple of years ago in December we had to get a new GFWA furnace as it was over 20 years old had outlived its usefulness. I went with the 98% efficiency on the recommendation of the HVAC contractor who has a modest sized operation.

I went to work right after the two guys arrived for the install and my wife said “Warren” (the owner of the business) stopped over mid-morning, went down in the basement, and there was a heated discussion about things going so slow. I guess that happens. Came home from work, everything looked good, looked like a good install, no junk or tools left lying around, manual in a nice plastic holder sheet metal screwed to the cold air return. All was good, or so we thought.

Then it turned cold. Cathie and I would be gone at work during the day and the thermostat was set to set back from 72 while we’re home to 62 during the day while we’re gone and then back to 72 about 4:30pm. I’d get home at 5:30 and it was still not 72 in the house. Took until like 7:30 or 8 to reach 72. Emailed contractor, he responded that it will take a few days for the computer in the furnance to “learn the house”. OK I thought.

Went a week, still the same. So I started to record house temps, time, outside air temps in the evenings for a few days. Was taking forever for the house to warm up. Made a spreadsheet, sent it to the contractor, and he immediately called me and said his #1 guy would be at the house at 7:30am the next morning, “Something isn’t right.”

The guy was thorough. Checked all the electrical connections, examined the thermostat, checked gas pressures, etc. Jumpered connections bypassing the little computer in the furnace. Finally said, “That flame should be higher, this doesn’t make sense.”

He shut the furnace down, turned off the gas, broke the gas connection to the furnace, and started to poke around in the gas piping with an awl and a flashlight. Then I heard, “WTF! What is this s***.” He reached into the gas line into the furnace with a long nosed pliers and pulled out a crushed plastic insert that had been factory installed to protect the gas line in the furnace from contamination. I started to laugh, knowing what had happened. The tech was really P/O’d. Asked me to describe the guys who did the work. He just shook his head in disgust.

When I came home from work that night the house was up to 72 before 5:30pm and we had the most humble, embarrassed, contrite apology on the voice mail from the owner of the HVAC business.