MSU Red Cedar Message Board

If you have gas heating and go with some of the newer high efficiency units, the exhaust will run so cool that corrosives will condense out in the furnace vent line for which PVC venting will be needed. This is usually a very short distance line and the cost will be well worth the energy savings you will experience. There should be no reason to have to change the main air vents in your home.

Two other things to check. Remove the panel to look at your cooling coils. if they are covered with ice then you may be low on refrigerant and you furnace has interlocked itself off.

Also check any ground fault interuptors connectected to your furnace fan or condensate pumps. These are known to go bad sometimes or they may simply have tripped.

If this is the fan motor in the furnace, could be any number of things.

The older units (and the newer cheaper units) typically have 2 speeds, one for heat and one for AC. See if turning the heat on gets the motor going. That will tell you where to start. If not, see if you can move the squirrel cage (power off first) by hand. If it is the starter capacitor, you may or may not have to do some soldering to replace it but be sure to google "draining a capacitor" before you start.

I replaced the motor in my 20+-year-old builder's grade furnace a few years ago. I knew it was the motor because you could tell it was struggling to start, would sometimes spin for a bit but then give up. Wasn't hard, look for a DIY hvac store at the closest major city and they'll figure out what motor you need based on the model and year of the furnace. Just keep in mind that the motor may not necessarily be the problem though. For me, changing the motor revealed a problem with the thermal something-or-other which I also replaced (twice, first time I installed it backwards and torched it.). Looking back, it was probably not worth the effort and we ended up replacing the thing a couple of years later anyway.

If you have someone come out, be prepared for them to tell you it's probably not worth fixing which may or may not be bullshit.

Not sure if any of this helps.