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Trane xe80 gas furnace comes with premium materials, time-tested designs and true craftsmanship. Every Trane 80 furnace delivers an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) of up to 80%, exceeding government standards for new furnace efficiency.
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Trane makes gas and electric furnaces as well as air-conditioning equipment for central heating, vent and air-conditioning systems in the home. The Trane XR80, a single-stage gas furnace, is controlled by a thermostat and attached to HVAC ducting in your home. You should have at least one cold-air return on the furnace or ducting that contains a filter and recirculates the home’s air back through it for heating. As with all home HVAC systems, you’ll run into issues or problems with your furnace that you can troubleshoot and sometimes fix yourself before having to call a technician.
Failure to Operate
One of the most common problems that occur on a Trane XR80 gas furnace is its failure to operate. When this happens, the thermostat display may read as active, but turning the heater on does nothing. Trane’s gas furnaces are equipped when a sending unit attached to the blower door of the furnace. When this unit is not thoroughly engaged -- the door isn’t all the way shut -- the gas furnace will fail to operate. Open and close the door until the small flashing red light comes back on to indicate a sealed connection.
No Power to Thermostat
When the display screen of the thermostat is blank or the unit has no power to it, double check the circuit breaker. Under modern building codes, a furnace must be on its own circuit. Gas furnaces use gas to heat the home but electricity to power the fan and the thermostat and to turn the ignitors on to light the gas. Check the circuit breaker by first flipping it off – as tripped circuit breakers may not appear tripped by visual inspection – and turning it back on. Call a technician if this doesn’t fix the problem and the blower door is fully engaged.
Insufficient Heating or Air Flow
All furnaces require at least a once-a-year inspection or maintenance to ensure adequate operation when you need it most. Part of this process involves removing, cleaning or replacing the air filters inside the cold air return. The cold air return may be a screen on the wall in your home or the filters may be just inside the blower part of the furnace. Remove the screens and clean or replace them. Permanent, plastic-type filter screens can be cleaned, while the paper-framed ones require replacement. Check filters at least every 90 days while the furnace is being used.
No Heat
Verify the gas valve is turned on, as without the gas, the furnace won’t generate heat. If the igniter fails to light the burners inside the furnace, it won’t produce any heat at all. Depending on your skill level, you may be able to replace the ignitor yourself, but replace it if you have experience, otherwise have a professional handle the repair. Igniters have a limited life, especially in furnaces that are used regularly. You can expect to replace them at least once every three to five years depending on whether you live in a dry climate, sooner in humid environments.
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As a native Californian, artist, journalist and published author, Laurie Brenner began writing professionally in 1975. She has written for newspapers, magazines, online publications and sites. Brenner graduated from San Diego's Coleman College.
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Many people don't need an owner's manual to go into “panic mode” -- when their Trane XE80 furnace goes on the fritz, it's often a natural reaction. However, many heating and air conditioning professionals say furnace issues often can be resolved by going through some simple troubleshooting steps; a quick tweak or adjustment might be all that's required. So put your sense of panic on the back burner and shore up your confidence by grabbing your Trane owner's manual to get started. At the very least, you'll save yourself the expense of a service call.
The Basics
It's easy to overlook the basics, especially if your furnace is not producing enough heat or isn't turning on at all. But many furnace technicians begin with the basics, and you should, too. First, ensure that your gas is turned on. Check the gas valve at the gas company's meter. Then check the shutoff valve on your furnace. Second, verify that your thermostat is set to “heat.” Then check the room temperature and the set temperature. Your furnace will not turn on if the room temperature is already higher than the set temperature. If the room temperature is lower, try setting the temperature a few degrees higher than usual, and wait for the furnace to turn on. Third, check the furnace's circuit breaker on your home's circuit breaker box and reset it, if necessary. The circuit breaker for your furnace should be clearly marked to guide your best efforts in circumstances like these. If it's not, now is a good time to identify it with a permanent marker or masking tape.
The All-Important Filter
Your furnace is more dependent on a clean filter than you might realize. One that is choked with dust, dirt and other debris can impugn your furnace's efficiency, cause it to overheat and even shut it down. So slide the filter out of your furnace and hold it up to a light or shine a flashlight behind it. If you can't see light shining through it, replace the filter with a new one. Check your filter every month, although you might have to replace it only once every three months. Since a furnace is often out of sight and therefore out of mind, check the filter right after paying your gas bill. Always keep an extra filter on hand.
House Factors
Closed or blocked registers can undermine your furnace too. So go room to room in your home and check the registers. They should be open and unobstructed by furniture, window treatments or other objects. If you close registers in unused rooms, try to stick to the 20 percent rule -- closing no more than 20 percent of all the registers in your home. Closing more could place stress on your furnace and the ducts.
The Furnace Itself
If your troubleshooting efforts are failing to produce results at this point, press the furnace reset button on your furnace. If the furnace still doesn't start, wait 30 minutes and press the button again.
Service Call
Try not to think of making a service call as a cop-out; it could be a blessing in disguise, especially if your furnace hasn't been tuned up in more than one year. Furnaces require regular cleaning and lubricating to ensure their smooth and reliable operation and longevity. An annual furnace tune-up also can expose minor problems before they balloon into bigger, more expensive repairs.
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About the Author
With education, health care and small business marketing as her core interests, M.T. Wroblewski has penned pieces for Woman's Day, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal and many newspapers and magazines. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University.
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