Furnace replacement recommendations

[cidley69]

In the market to replace my 34 year old furnace.

Anyone replaced their furnace lately and can comment on installation company or brand?

From my limited research sounds like should go with:

2 stage
Variable speed fan


Not sure if it's worth the extra cost to get a gas modulating one, thoughts on these?

A1 Chesney quoted me a Lennox 99% efficiency one, cost roughly $10k. This seems to be several 1000 more than a 96% efficient furnace. What's the payback period on saving 3% on gas burning, is it worth the extra cost?

Zone systems seem crazy expensive, anyone have comments on these?

[bjstare]

Cheap and simple > expensive and complicated. I have a 96% efficient run of the mill Goodman furnace and it’s been reasonably good. The guys at W&J said the higher end ones (higher eff, variable fan, etc) have significantly higher failure rates.

Unless the 34 year old one is broken, I’d probably stick with that one. My first house had a furnace from the 80s and it was the best furnace I’ve had.

[ExtraSlow]

Most reliable will ha e fewest features.
Payback on more complex systems is never, because you'll have more repairs. That being said, variable fan and 2 stage gas do make a lot of sense.
I don't know what I'll do when I need to replace this furnace.

[Darell_n]

Everybody has summed it up correctly. Don’t replace your furnace to save money in the long run, because the long run is twice the lifespan of the new furnace. Ignoring the high initial cost, one breakdown will cost you 50 years of energy savings.

[SJW]

I just replaced my furnace and my AC with trane products. Installed by peter the plumber. Fantastic service. My furnace was 25 years old and my AC was 15 years old. Guess what the lifespan of each is?

Cost was about 14.5K.

[Darell_n]

End of life for a furnace is generally when the heat exchanger cracks, all the other components are easily repairable. For A/C end of life, I’d say when any 2 failures occur at once of indoor coil leaking, outdoor coil leaking or compressor failure. Obviously it’s done when your drunk neighbour runs the outdoor unit over in the winter or a crackhead steals it for copper.

[killramos]

So does anyone make a “don’t be poor” level of furnace that doesn’t require major service in 18 months.

[SJW]

So does anyone make a “don’t be poor” level of furnace that doesn’t require major service in 18 months.

Learn to service yourself. Don't follow that health and safety shit.

[ExtraSlow]

So does anyone make a “don’t be poor” level of furnace that doesn’t require major service in 18 months.

If there is a brand made with legitimately better components, I think it would be worth considering. Seems that different brands are just different types of shitty. Was once told that "goodman" was all made in the USA from thicker gauge materials so it was at least mechanically better, but I think that either was never true, or isn't now. They advertise that they do QC in the USA.

[Darell_n]

So does anyone make a “don’t be poor” level of furnace that doesn’t require major service in 18 months.

None that I’m aware of. Just be eternally and humbly grateful that Trudeau still allows his peasants to burn gas for warmth at -30°. Although electric heat is comically simple and reliable.

[suntan]

Well other than there's probably not enough copper on earth to do that.

[ExtraSlow]

Doesn't stop many jurisdictions making natural gas heat illegal.

[g-m]

2 stage is really nice and a DC blower fan is apparently more reliable and quieter spin up my plumber said. He also said your furnace will last a lot longer and in particular the heat exchanger if you regularly get the gas pressure valve adjusted. He said a common reason for heat exchanger cracking was the furnace running too hot because the valve would let too much gas out for too long and the exchanger was having to deal with more heat than design. I trust him because he's a good friend and that does make sense.

Apparently the mid efficiency furnaces are the best and most reliable but king trudeau won't let you buy them or buy heat exchangers for them.

[msommers]

Yeah if you have a mid-efficiency, repair that sucker for as long as you can!

[MOB68]

I just had a 40 year-old Lennox replaced with a 96% efficient 60,000 BTU Trane with 2-stage burner and ECM motor. It cost me $5,310+gst installed by PTP a couple months ago.
Very happy with the work which included installing new PVC/ABS pipes out the side of my basement. My house temperature is much more moderate now since it heats on a low setting once it reaches the set point.
Also good to no longer have a fresh air pipe dumping icy cold air into my basement all the time.

Warranty terms:
12.5 year parts and labour warranty on furnace or A/C as long as customer
purchases maintenance package ($1200 for the furnace or $600 for the AC) OR has
equipment maintained by a certified technician annually for furnace and every 2
years for A/C. If equipment isn’t maintained, warranty may be void.
Warranty can be transferred if home is sold but reverts to 10 years from date of
install

[schurchill39]

After having a Lennox furnace in my last house I don't think I'd ever want to have one again. Troubleshooting was a pain in the dick and getting some of the bigger parts sucked because Lennox will only sell to plumbing and HVAC companies.

[mr2mike]

Pic of the furnace you're wanting to replace?
Might know a buyer. Those never die.

[Tik-Tok]

So, we can't buy mid-efficient furnaces in Canada, but is it illegal to import one from the US and install it? They still seem to make them without problematic PCB's etc.

[benyl]

Do not get a zoned system. Better to get two furnaces than a zoned system. I regret that choice.

[ThePenIsMightier]

So, we can't buy mid-efficient furnaces in Canada, but is it illegal to import one from the US and install it? They still seem to make them without problematic PCB's etc.

There's possibly a weird rule about CSA certification on its electrical system that might prevent its import.

[The_Penguin]

Do not get a zoned system. Better to get two furnaces than a zoned system. I regret that choice.

Please elaborate. Not that I'm eager to replace our 2 1999 Lennox furnaces, but if we did, I'd think about a single zoned one. Would love to hear more deets.

[71/454]

So does anyone make a “don’t be poor” level of furnace that doesn’t require major service in 18 months.

Get a boiler.
For new construction skip the furnace and get radiant heat. A good quality boiler should last 25 years or more.
For existing house retrofits get a boiler and modify the old furnace by replacing the heat exchanger with a fan coil supplied by hot water from the boiler and use an indirect hot water tank for domestic hot water.
However none of that is cheap.

[Darell_n]

Get a boiler.
For new construction skip the furnace and get radiant heat. A good quality boiler should last 25 years or more.
For existing house retrofits get a boiler and modify the old furnace by replacing the heat exchanger with a fan coil supplied by hot water from the boiler and use an indirect hot water tank for domestic hot water.
However none of that is cheap.

I love being asked to install a/c in a house when there is a boiler and no duct work.

[Maxt]

There is an old style furnace available that is legal and can still be bought here. Engineered air XE series.
https://www.engineeredair.com/index.php/our_products/category/indirect-fired#xe-series
It's really for makeup air applications, but can be used as a replacement for a mid-efficient furnace. This is a revised version of the
old Flame master furnaces. They aren't cheap, but these have their place, especially in larger BTU applications instead of trying to twin a couple of high efficiencies together, or when high amounts of fresh air are used.
Get one of these with stainless exchanger option and you'd have the appliance for life. They use pretty standard components, if I was doing a replacement out in boonyville, it would be my choice.
I've seen some pretty bush league high efficiency retrofits with PVC pipe running across the family room ceiling over the wet bar hung with plumbers strap with incorrect to no grading on the pipe, because otherwise they would be in for drywall work and moving windows to meet venting code. An XE would have been the right choice for that kind of retrofit. It might be fine for current owner, but try selling a house like that.
I still get to work on flamemasters from the late 70's early 80's every now and then, rock solid simple furnaces.

[71/454]

I love being asked to install a/c in a house when there is a boiler and no duct work.

Mini split?

[ThePenIsMightier]

Mini split?

I imagine he'd have to do that octopus thing where the unit lives in your attic and all these holes get cut in your ceiling to pump AC air in.

[Darell_n]

Mini split?

Yes. (Multizones for big money). I installed 40 or 50 the first year when we opened up our new shop in Calgary years ago. You will pay all your new home construction savings then.

[benyl]

Please elaborate. Not that I'm eager to replace our 2 1999 Lennox furnaces, but if we did, I'd think about a single zoned one. Would love to hear more deets.

So, I am still working through this with my HVAC company.

I have 3 zones in a 5 level split.

The dampers don't actually close fully, so while you call for heat in a far away zone, the closest zone gets indirectly heated. So the one zone never calls because it gets heat when the other two call. So much so that it will be 2-3C higher than the other zones.

Who knows, maybe I got a shitty COVID install. The guy doing the duct work hated my house. He didn't know I was the home owner and complained about not being able to run bulk heads (I have floor trusses with raceways). He also did a shitty tape job on the ducts, so they leak in the crawlspace.

If I had to do it over again, I would do 2 furnaces. Simple, straight forward. Also, one is a back up for the other. I'm lucky as I have infloor in the basement and can keep my house warm if the furnace dies.

The cost was the same. Two furnaces I think was $6K per unit and the zone system was $13K with one furnace.

[ExtraSlow]

Two furnaces is sweet for a 2 story house.
Nice to have backup for emergencies. And can run circulation fan on one only, or AC on one only etc.

[killramos]

Get a boiler.
For new construction skip the furnace and get radiant heat. A good quality boiler should last 25 years or more.
For existing house retrofits get a boiler and modify the old furnace by replacing the heat exchanger with a fan coil supplied by hot water from the boiler and use an indirect hot water tank for domestic hot water.
However none of that is cheap.

This is essentially what I have and I like it.

Boiler runs 4 radiant heat zones throughout the house, 2 hydronic forced air zones, and my hot water heater.

I have AC and humidifiers on each of the 2 forced air zones as well.

It’s very effective, I let the radiant take care of 80%+ of heating, and intentionally run that just a hit weak to ensure the forced air comes on enough to fill out the cooler rooms and cycle the air.

Seems pretty efficient too considering the sqftage.

I think there are some gains that could be had with better controls and sensors, but it would be at the margin.

[Xtrema]

Yeah if you have a mid-efficiency, repair that sucker for as long as you can!

Just had my 25 year old Carrier checked and it's still in excellent shape. Ain't touching that for a while.

My sis has a 2011 built $1M+ home and that system just has too many failure point and maintenance item that totally offset whatever efficiency saving you are suppose to have.

[cidley69]

Had a few furnace install companies out to provide quotes. Seems a lot like dealing with car salesmen. They all try to sell service contracts along with the furnace, and some say the warranty is only valid if you do an annual service using only their company. Not a fun shopping experience dealing with them. There must be a huge markup on furnaces, as a common theme is: book the instal for next week and we can shave off minimum of $1000 off the quote. I wish there was the equivalent to True Car Cost like websites for furnaces!

Based on their house evaluations we need roughly a nominal 83K BTU unit, or after efficiency loss a 100K BTU is the best fit.

[rage2]

End of life for a furnace is generally when the heat exchanger cracks, all the other components are easily repairable.
I was so sad when this happened to me. Had no choice but to upgrade. I lose heat once a year during cold snaps for a different reason and needs service to fix. This year is failing flame rod giving inconsistent performance. I miss the old furnace.

[The_Penguin]

So, I am still working through this with my HVAC company.

I have 3 zones in a 5 level split.

.

Thanks for the info.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

How do you usually find out your exchanger is cracked? I really don't want to replace our mid-efficiency but it's a model known for exchanger cracking issues.

[rage2]

How do you usually find out your exchanger is cracked? I really don't want to replace our mid-efficiency but it's a model known for exchanger cracking issues.
Had issues with furnace not producing enough heat, and they came in and used IR camera to show how much it's leaking. They helped me try to get warranty on the heat exchanger as there was some sort of recall, but ours wasn't part of it. They refused to work on it at that point.

[Buster]

I've got a boiler for in-floor heating in the basement, and two furnaces for forced air.

I've been considering one giant boiler to run hot water tanks, the in floor heating, and installing hydronic (I think they are called?) furnaces to replace the existing gas-fired ones. Can also install heat pumps instead of AC into the furnaces to heat the house in shoulder seasons.

[R-Audi]

Replaced my furnace with a Napoleon unit last year. Had a Lennox before and the installer did nothing but bitch about Lennox, particularly in pricing and availability of parts as they are based on Texas I believe. Mentioned several part comparisons where they were 40%+ higher than other brands.

[Xtrema]

I've got a boiler for in-floor heating in the basement, and two furnaces for forced air.

I've been considering one giant boiler to run hot water tanks, the in floor heating, and installing hydronic (I think they are called?) furnaces to replace the existing gas-fired ones. Can also install heat pumps instead of AC into the furnaces to heat the house in shoulder seasons.

Subscribed. If I'm replacing my furnace, heat pump will definitely part of the equation.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Had issues with furnace not producing enough heat, and they came in and used IR camera to show how much it's leaking. They helped me try to get warranty on the heat exchanger as there was some sort of recall, but ours wasn't part of it. They refused to work on it at that point.

Huh, we don't have any obvious symptoms but I guess it's time for a furnace checkup come spring. I can replace heat exchanger cells easily enough but it's a ~$1000 repair in parts alone, ugh.

[Buster]

Subscribed. If I'm replacing my furnace, heat pump will definitely part of the equation.

heatpumps are eligible for the canadian green homes grant as well, if you havent maxed that out. AC obviously is not.

[sabad66]

Huh, we don't have any obvious symptoms but I guess it's time for a furnace checkup come spring. I can replace heat exchanger cells easily enough but it's a ~$1000 repair in parts alone, ugh.

Atco will check heat exchangers as part of their free inspection program. I get them to check mine once a year. But they are probably extremely busy now, doubt you’ll get an appt in 2022 if you sign up now

[benyl]

I've got a boiler for in-floor heating in the basement, and two furnaces for forced air.

I've been considering one giant boiler to run hot water tanks, the in floor heating, and installing hydronic (I think they are called?) furnaces to replace the existing gas-fired ones. Can also install heat pumps instead of AC into the furnaces to heat the house in shoulder seasons.

My boiler runs the floors in the basement, garage and the bathrooms. Also heats DHW. It basically allows for unlimited hotwater and it heats so fucking fast. We have had 3 showers going at the same time and the water stayed hot.

The only reason I didn't run hydronic heat off the boiler through the furnace is that I wanted redundancy. You boiler becomes your single point of failure and in -30, there isn't a heat pump that works at that temp. Sure, you can have resistive heat as backup, but it just adds to the cost.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Atco will check heat exchangers as part of their free inspection program. I get them to check mine once a year. But they are probably extremely busy now, doubt you’ll get an appt in 2022 if you sign up now

Thanks, that's good to know! I wasn't planning to get into it until spring anyway - I don't want to have to screw around with furnace repairs in the winter and for now it doesn't have any obvious symptoms of a major exchanger failure.

[killramos]

My boiler runs the floors in the basement, garage and the bathrooms. Also heats DHW. It basically allows for unlimited hotwater and it heats so fucking fast. We have had 3 showers going at the same time and the water stayed hot.

The only reason I didn't run hydronic heat off the boiler through the furnace is that I wanted redundancy. You boiler becomes your single point of failure and in -30, there isn't a heat pump that works at that temp. Sure, you can have resistive heat as backup, but it just adds to the cost.

I figure my 2 gas fireplaces, with blowers, will keep the pipes from bursting.

[Buster]

I figure my 2 gas fireplaces, with blowers, will keep the pipes from bursting.

i think he was saying that with my plan, your boiler goes down, you are pooched...which is true.

[killramos]

Yea aside from the heat pumps your plan is exactly what I have.

And ya, if my boiler craps out my house gets cold.

[benyl]

I figure my 2 gas fireplaces, with blowers, will keep the pipes from bursting.

Totally.

My brother's boiler went down. We actually had to go and get two 220v heaters from Lowes as he doesn't have a fireplace. Many things will work in a pinch.

[Maxt]

My there isn't a heat pump that works at that temp.

Mitsubishi hyper heat/Zuba. Have that wallet ready.

[benyl]

Mitsubishi hyper heat/Zuba. Have that wallet ready.

Can you even get it in Calgary? I was looking to do it, but in early 2021, it wasn't available.

[ExtraSlow]

Don't those systems use electric heat to melt the ice off the coils? Seems wildly inefficient in cold weather.

[benyl]

Don't those systems use electric heat to melt the ice off the coils? Seems wildly inefficient in cold weather.

The focus isn't really the efficiency, but more to get off gas. push emissions down the line to the coal fired power plant. :)

[tonytiger55]

My girlfriend replaced her furnace with the Daikin brand. Paid $6k for it.

[Buster]

Everyone I ever hear talking about Pete the Plumber raves about them. Seems that they are pretty legit in terms of customer service.

[killramos]

I have used them several times and haven’t been unhappy.

They probably aren’t the cheapest in town, but they show up on time do what you ask them to and do it all right.

[SJW]

Everyone I ever hear talking about Pete the Plumber raves about them. Seems that they are pretty legit in terms of customer service.

They did my furnace and AC. Came over and sat with me, didn't treat me like a complete moron with the quote. I compared it to two others and they were cheaper. Did a great job. My house is warm AF and the two stage is sweet.

Would recommend to you beyond lunatics.

[suntan]

They replaced my hot water tank years ago, guy was also kind enough to fix a couple of leaky pex quick connects for me for the grand sum of like $20.

[The_Penguin]

Everyone I ever hear talking about Pete the Plumber raves about them. Seems that they are pretty legit in terms of customer service.

Mrs. Penguin booked them to do 2 water heaters and add a softener. I was .... a bit concerned due to the cheesy ads, but I was quite impressed with the work, and price.

[rage2]

They're not cheap, but they're not bad.

I do have a co-worker who's the only one I know who's not happy with them. They suggested to him to change from normal hot water tank to instant one and nothing but problems. They wiped their hands clean of the mess after a few years. Poor recommendation/upsell and just a nightmare afterwards.

[ExtraSlow]

They're not cheap, but they're not bad.

I do have a co-worker who's the only one I know who's not happy with them. They suggested to him to change from normal hot water tank to instant one and nothing but problems. They wiped their hands clean of the mess after a few years. Poor recommendation/upsell and just a nightmare afterwards.
suntan read this.

[suntan]

Yeah, I live with three females, that's why I take showers at the gym.

[SJW]

Yeah, I live with three females, that's why I take showers at the gym.

Jack Tripper up in here in the house.

[g-m]

I love my Navian tankless, can have 2 showers and be filling the bathtub at the same time. No issues but I'm only on year 2 now.

So is there no possible way to get a replacement mid efficiently heat exchanger?

[Darell_n]

I love my Navian tankless, can have 2 showers and be filling the bathtub at the same time. No issues but I'm only on year 2 now.

So is there no possible way to get a replacement mid efficiently heat exchanger?

Buy used. Stock ran out on them 20 years ago.

[rage2]

So is there no possible way to get a replacement mid efficiently heat exchanger?
You can, but nobody stocks it so it's a long wait, and it costs almost as much as a new high efficiency furnace. It's quite the racket.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

So is there no possible way to get a replacement mid efficiently heat exchanger?

Depends on the model. For my Carrier, to get a heat exchanger cell is $150-330 USD. My furnace takes four cells, so I'd be creeping up near the price of a new furnace.

Some models have cells that cost $50, others you can't buy for love or money. It's a bit of a crap shoot.

[Tik-Tok]

so I'd be creeping up near the price of a new furnace.



But you'd be set for another 30+ years, unlike a high efficiency.

[suntan]

We need a 3d metal printer.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

But you'd be set for another 30+ years, unlike a high efficiency.

And I assure you that's the primary reason I'm looking at doing the exchangers and upgrading to an ECM motor. Keep this thing ticking as long as possible.

[rage2]

And I assure you that's the primary reason I'm looking at doing the exchangers and upgrading to an ECM motor. Keep this thing ticking as long as possible.
Will the control board last that long, and will you be able to find a replacement? Those boards are like high school electronics class etched boards, so troubleshooting shouldn't be too bad. But that's another dice roll there. What if that unlabelled IC goes bad? That was my question peeking at the guts of my furnace before I said fuck it and went new furnace. The yearly issues with the new unit is fucking annoying tho so there's a bit of regret not taking a chance!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Yeah, that's the question isn't it? Could spend a bunch making it like new only to have the electronics shit the bed. Ugh.

[Maxt]

Can you even get it in Calgary? I was looking to do it, but in early 2021, it wasn't available.


Don't those systems use electric heat to melt the ice off the coils? Seems wildly inefficient in cold weather.

I've installed the ductless hyper-heats and quoted some zuba stuff and have never been told it's not available. It's bigger dollar stuff so some of it may have to be brought in.

The defrost method is reverse cycle.

Interestingly a Samsung I installed a year ago that's rated down to -25c was doing pretty good at -30 the other day. The customer thought it wasn't working, but they weren't giving it enough time to preheat the indoor coil before the fan would operate. Because it had no fan after 30 seconds they thought it was dead, but the mini splits likes to avoid blowing cold drafty air so it it takes a bit for the fan to come on.

Some of the high efficiency brands have 20 year heat exchanger but they get into pretty ratty condition quickly when the condensate leaks through the furnace for a short amount of time because it's so acidic. Some of these stepper motor gas valves off warranty are just silly in price, sometimes a double hit when they have upgraded the gas valve and it requires a new board with it.

[The_Penguin]

How do you usually find out your exchanger is cracked? I really don't want to replace our mid-efficiency but it's a model known for exchanger cracking issues.

Here's an easy test. Maybe not conclusive, but a fairly good indicator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WABAnzUthAg

[Darell_n]

I’ve worked on a few WaterFurnace ground source heat pumps in the past that will operate at any temperature, provided the fish pond is deep enough to not freeze solid in the winter. I hated them 20 years ago, but their complexity is a lot more palatable these days and it’s likely they’ve made vast improvements since then.

[ThePenIsMightier]

I thought the key indicator of a cracked HX was dying of CO poisoning.

More of a lagging indicator, I suppose...

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Here's an easy test. Maybe not conclusive, but a fairly good indicator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WABAnzUthAg

Good tip, thanks! I've already checked for flame rollout and didn't notice anything obvious but the match test should be more sensitive.




I thought the key indicator of a cracked HX was dying of CO poisoning.

More of a lagging indicator, I suppose...

Realistically, that's more or less a myth. Think about the candle test linked above - it works because when the blower is running, it blows air into the exchanger, not the other way around. And when the burners are running, so is the venter motor - which puts the exchanger under negative pressure to draw the flame in from the burner and the exhaust gases out the flue. There's really not many realistic ways to get combustion products out of the exchanger and into the air stream.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Good tip, thanks! I've already checked for flame rollout and didn't notice anything obvious but the match test should be more sensitive.





Realistically, that's more or less a myth. Think about the candle test linked above - it works because when the blower is running, it blows air into the exchanger, not the other way around. And when the burners are running, so is the venter motor - which puts the exchanger under negative pressure to draw the flame in from the burner and the exhaust gases out the flue. There's really not many realistic ways to get combustion products out of the exchanger and into the air stream.

Good!
I hadn't clicked the candle link test but I figured there must be more safety involved.

[Maxt]

I’ve worked on a few WaterFurnace ground source heat pumps in the past that will operate at any temperature, provided the fish pond is deep enough to not freeze solid in the winter. I hated them 20 years ago, but their complexity is a lot more palatable these days and it’s likely they’ve made vast improvements since then.

Now they have a fancy app to tell you it's fucked.

[SilverRex]

How do you usually find out your exchanger is cracked? I really don't want to replace our mid-efficiency but it's a model known for exchanger cracking issues.

for me it was the duct cleaning service where they include opening up and inspecting the furnace.

[ThePenIsMightier]

for me it was the duct cleaning service where they include opening up and inspecting the furnace.

"Hey guys, we are a family owned business... Just need a few more orders to fill up our truck for our December deals!"

-Half of Facebook Group posts

[Rocket1k78]

How do you usually find out your exchanger is cracked? I really don't want to replace our mid-efficiency but it's a model known for exchanger cracking issues.
Carrier? if yes that was what i replaced due to the heat exchanger. 12 year old unit and the first deep freeze in the new to us house it would shut off. Had a guy come and gave me the bad news



You can, but nobody stocks it so it's a long wait, and it costs almost as much as a new high efficiency furnace. It's quite the racket.
Bingo. Heat exchanger was 2400 and a whole new furnace was 3800(december 2020).

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Carrier? if yes that was what i replaced due to the heat exchanger. 12 year old unit and the first deep freeze in the new to us house it would shut off. Had a guy come and gave me the bad news


Yessir, Carrier 58PAV. As mentioned, I've looked for any flame rollout and don't see any, so I'm hopeful. Will try the match test sometime.

[RX_EVOLV]

bump!

My parent's 10+ year old furnace needs replacing. Apparently the heat exchanger is gone and it's better to just replace the unit than to attempt the repair.

Any beyond recommendations?

[ExtraSlow]

mid-efficient.

[suntan]

Smuggle heat exchanger.

[cidley69]

After getting quotes from 12 different HVAC companies, most of teh bigger name recognition ones included, believe a winner has been found.

Leaning towards a York 98% modulating (YP9C) 100 BTU model.

Internet reviewf of furnaces are hard to find, but I can't find anythign negative online, which might be a good sign.

Anyone have experience with this brand?

[cancer man]

3 weeks ago i got 80000 btu bookman 10 year warranty. Replaced my lenox of 50 years old that damn near killed us with monoxide. 5445.00 all in including two electrical heaters to keep some rooms heated. 96% efficient plus did upgrades to the hot water tank lined the chimney. ALL day project.He said you won't notice a difference in the gas bill but your electrical you will notice a difference. 2 new detectors .

[Rocket1k78]

3 weeks ago i got 80000 btu bookman 10 year warranty. Replaced my lenox of 50 years old that damn near killed us with monoxide. 5445.00 all in including two electrical heaters to keep some rooms heated. 96% efficient plus did upgrades to the hot water tank lined the chimney. ALL day project.He said you won't notice a difference in the gas bill but your electrical you will notice a difference. 2 new detectors .

You cant be mad at the furnace for 50 years of service lol Mine was only 13 years old and wouldve dumped carbon monoxide like a mofo too had we not caught the problem. These new furnaces are a fucking joke. I had one in another house that was 32 years old and not 1 issue.

[Tik-Tok]

With all this furnace talk, I figured I should check my old ass 40 year old one. Looks like it's finally time to retire it from the house. Heat exchanger definitely has a small crack that wasn't there last time I check it (with the match method). Not bad enough to have to immediately replace it though, so I think I'll wait until April and have AC installed as well.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Any suggestions for a company to do a tune up on a 12 year old Goodman? It started having problems starting this weekend showing a failed gas solenoid code, but after I cycled the switch on the gas solenoid (Honeywell) and checked all the connectors seems to be working fine now. Looks like the last service was in 2014, long before we bought the house.

[thinmyster]

hogg home services did our replacement. Would recommend them. They were suggested by the large furnace parts place in calgary

[msommers]

Decided we need to have someone take a look at our venting system, seem if the humidifier and HRV are working correctly etc. I saw Pete the Plumber mentioned a few times. Anyone else?

Along the same vein, is there a way to check the 'health' of a hot water tank? Read some horror stories of it just leaking a crazy amount as the only sign it needed to be replaced... It's aging sure but still seems to work perfectly fine, we never have a shortage of hot water.

[suntan]

Contact Lancelot Furnace. He’s very honest.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Along the same vein, is there a way to check the 'health' of a hot water tank? Read some horror stories of it just leaking a crazy amount as the only sign it needed to be replaced... It's aging sure but still seems to work perfectly fine, we never have a shortage of hot water.

Not that I know of. How old is it, and when was the last time the anode rod was replaced?


Speaking of furnaces, ours passed the match test with no problems so I'm more confident it will last for a while. Ordered a Mars 10860 ECM motor to retrofit as I'd like to run the blower motor 24/7 to even out the basement temp a bit better without it costing a fortune.

[ExtraSlow]

ECM motor is a very worthwhile upgrade. I didn't get the mars, as I needed it asap and could only find evergreen on a Saturday. Still quite happy, but wish I had the mars with programmer for recreational tweaking.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

ECM motor is a very worthwhile upgrade. I didn't get the mars, as I needed it asap and could only find evergreen on a Saturday. Still quite happy, but wish I had the mars with programmer for recreational tweaking.

Nice, good to hear! Did you install it yourself?

[ExtraSlow]

Yes. It was not complex, but I had issues with the. Umber and colors of thermostat wires which I dealt with. My hours wktwing was completely fixxored

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Yes. It was not complex, but I had issues with the. Umber and colors of thermostat wires which I dealt with. My hours wktwing was completely fixxored

Bruh it's too early to be this drunk.

But good to hear it's not super tough. I did the last PCM replacement on this furnace so this should be ok.

[msommers]

Not that I know of. How old is it, and when was the last time the anode rod was replaced?

It's the original unit from a 2012 build. So it's right in that age-bracket to consider replacing before something happens. Any brands to stick to? I know zero things about hot water tanks (not going tankless is all I know).

[suntan]

If it's fine see if you can just change the anode rod.

If you want to replace go Rheem. Pete the Plumber can do it. No one can seem to match their prices.