Field Note-Before Using Furnace The First Time This Fall...

[Guest RJ Kanary_old]

Those of you that have heating plants with draft inducers might want to add one more item to the "Remove And Inspect List". With the upswing in the stink bug population, especially in the East,these mostly harmless creatures can perform their own sort of devilment.

I just removed the draft inducer from my Tempstar {Inter City} NTC 5100BTC1 gas furnace because of the noise emanating from it at start up.Removal and inspection of the centrifugal blower revealed about half a cup full of stink bugs, in various stages of disassembly.Not a pretty sight, and not too savory of an odor, either.

I don't know if they entered through the combustion chamber air intake, or if they rappelled down the flue. Either way,the quantity they are available in can have a negative effect on inducer efficiency.Another item for the "Before Use " list.

[Bullstok]

stupid asian beetles (the ones that look like ladybugs) were especially bad a few years back here in northern indiana and caused the same sort of problems.

[telefunkenu47]

Acorns! Damned squirrels...

[kdog]

Could always leave 'em there to roast over the open fire next week ...........

[RegUS_PatOff]

Could always leave 'em there to roast over the open fire next week ...........

[Alcamo]

All these are bad, but my vote for the worse goes for nesting field mice.  Nothing like the pungent snap you neck back stench of mouse urine and GKW blasting out when you turn the unit on.

[jb8103]

I usually get a handful of bugs out of an 80% furnace, the ones with a metal flue going to a chimney. Never a mouse (yet) but once got a bat.