Is not the liquid going from the furnace to the condensate pump simply H2O?

" Condensate from air conditioners or A/C is essentially distilled water, and is low in mineral content, but it may contain bacteria. Air conditioning cwater can amplify Legionella bacteria and other airborne bacteria, and it has been shown to be the source of outbreaks in hospitals, motels, and cruise ships."

AND

"Acidic condensate occurs when flue gases within the furnaces cool down below the dew points of acidic gases, which upon condensation, combine with water vapor to produce acidic solutions. The acidic condensate causes serious corrosion and fouling problems in natural gas condensing furnaces."

He said it contains something other than water. No idea.... looks like water to me.

1. Should the inducer motor be replaced right away? The noise doesn't bother us since we can't hear it in the living areas of the house. I know we don't know when it will conk out and I know we should replace it sooner than later but just wondering how soon.

Motor is beginning to fail. It is a matter of time before it fails completely. No one can predict how many more hours of run time are left. You could wait but then you run the risk of having no heat on a cold weekend night.

2. Are flame sensors and/or igniters usually replaced preventatively?

Flame sensors are cleaned are part of preventative maintenance. Ignitors can be visually inspected. Neither need to be replaced because they are 5 years old. When I hear suggestions like this I get worried about the intentions of your new HVAC company. You stated you signed a contract for preventative maintenance. What do you get out of this contract arrangement and how much will it cost you to do an annual preventative maintenance?

3. Should we replace the copper tubing from the furnace to the condensate pump?

Installing an expensive copper tubing instead of inexpensive PVC pipe or tubing seems highly unusual. Are you sure it is copper? Can you post a photo of this drain line.

4. Should we replace the current condensate pump with a neutralizing pump?

What type of drain pipes do you have? If there are made of PVC then you don't need a neutralizing pump. If they are made of brass or it into a cast iron drain, I still think it is unnecessary. Post a photo of the where the condensate pump drains into the house plumbing.

Put your ear next to the inducer motor. It should make a whirring noise. If it's screaching, its about to die and needs replacing.

The rest of his recommendations are rubbish.

Thank you all. I appreciate all this information.

To answer some questions:

1. Our maintenance contract is the going rate for these things in my area. Cost is $200 for furnace-fall visit and $200 for A/C-spring visit. Same as I have paid in the past. What I get out of it - preferred place in line for emergency calls, discount on labor (although still astronomical but not out of line with others in my area).

2. Yes, it is a copper drain pipe from the furnace to the condensate pump. Attaching pic.

3. Condensate line from pump goes to our old cast iron laundry sink.

I just spoke to my rep at the company inquiring about the sensor and igniter. She spoke to the foreman of the service dept. and he confirmed that they suggest replacing the sensor every 3-5 years and the ignitor every 5-7 years. Not sure what to think about this. I asked her to send a proposal with just the inducer motor. It lowered the estimate by a whopping $75.

I suppose I should make some calls to other companies to price out inducer motor replacement, with and without the sensor and igniter.

At this point, I know I have do do the inducer motor, I will see about the sensor and igniter, and definitely not doing condensate pump.

Let me know if you have any other thoughts/suggestions. Thank you!

The copper drain line is interesting. I recommend you leave it as is.

I have three Carrier Infinity furnaces installed in 2009. They are similar to your Bryant Evolution 986T furnace. The flame sensors are the original and are cleaned every two years. The ignitors are also original. If I was using your company to do the preventative maintenance I would have replaced all the sensors and ignitors twice in my furnaces.

I am leery of companies who uses the tactic of a signed contract to offer lower prices and faster service. I also don't think preventative maintenance is need every year. I alternate the maintenance service on the furnaces and condensers each year.

If your condensate is draining to a sink that is connected to a septic system, I'd recommend a condensate neutralizer. If it discharges to a municipal sewer, check with your municipality to see what their requirements are for draining furnace condensate to their system. And don't use condensate from your air conditioner as a substitute for distilled water; it's anything but.

Thank you all.

Mike, I understand about being leery of companies with contracts, etc, but we aren't adept at doing this ourselves so leaving it to others (hopefully professionals!) is peace of mind for us. As for the igniter and sensor, if we go with this company for the motor, we will probably do it all since it is only $75. I am going to make some calls on Monday and maybe get some quotes on motor cost and labor to see if this company is in the ballpark.

Charles, we have municipal sewer. Definitely not recycling our condensate!