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Thread: Furnace Updates & Changes

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    Default Furnace Updates & Changes

    Made a post here https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/364...68#post4918768 but since it will probably entail a few things to happen figured I'd just create a new thread.

    Basically what has happened is I have discovered the lack of a proper humidifier in this house which I will be fixing soon as wall as an issue with a lot of cold air coming through the vents in the basement.

    Also as @Nufy asked the furnace is from 1999 original to the house and according to the tag crappy on the efficiency scale

    Here is what I have discovered...

    This part dumps a ton of cold air into the room and was suggested to put into a bucket and leave room for circulation so that is simple.


    Then you can see from this picture three ducts going and they are in order (closest to furthest)..


    1) Recirc fan - It would seem at some point this was installed to pull air from INSIDE to outside the house but really doesn't feel like it doesn't much
    2) 1st black duct - This is running into the return and the source of cold air into the ducting and probably where the cold air is being fed from. It does have a damper lever on it.. but don't see a point in that.
    3) 2nd black duct - This is the duct of which I will feed into a bucket to help keep cold air out of the room

    And this is our wonderful not working and no humidistat humidifier That is installed on the supply side not return side.

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    #2 you can close the damper in the winter but you may want to pull off the duct and look at the flap, its probably cut in half. Fortunately a new flap, handle, spring and wing nut (kit) is like $1 at Home Depot.

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    [QUOTE=Darell_n;4918822]#2 you can close the damper in the winter but you may want to pull off the duct and look at the flap, its probably cut in half. Fortunately a new flap, handle, spring and wing nut (kit) is like $1 at Home Depot.[/QUOTEh]

    Why is it ok to close in the winter? I assume the one I will put in a bucket will provide air needed for the furnace and such?

    Will look into it tomorrow.

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    [QUOTE=firebane;4918827]
    Quote Originally Posted by Darell_n View Post
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    #2 you can close the damper in the winter but you may want to pull off the duct and look at the flap, its probably cut in half. Fortunately a new flap, handle, spring and wing nut (kit) is like $1 at Home Depot.[/QUOTEh]

    Why is it ok to close in the winter? I assume the one I will put in a bucket will provide air needed for the furnace and such?

    Will look into it tomorrow.
    The cold air bucket feeds the furnace and hot water tank, the volume of cold air in goes back up the flue after combustion. #2 provides the minimum fresh air into the home to stop the air from becoming unhealthy, usually designed for 10% of air moved through the furnace.

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    I would get a Hoyme Air Damper (I have one, made a huge difference).

    https://www.amazon.ca/Hoyme-Manufact...4KMAKG006KKMDK

    Replaces that big can and basically only opens when furnace fires up, so the cold air only comes in when it's needed and isn't constantly open. They are pricey but I think well worth it. I found mine used on Kijiji a few years back, it's awesome.

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    Quote Originally Posted by eblend View Post
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    I would get a Hoyme Air Damper (I have one, made a huge difference).

    https://www.amazon.ca/Hoyme-Manufact...4KMAKG006KKMDK

    Replaces that big can and basically only opens when furnace fires up, so the cold air only comes in when it's needed and isn't constantly open. They are pricey but I think well worth it. I found mine used on Kijiji a few years back, it's awesome.
    Does it open when the hot water tank ignites as well? Or does the hot water tank typically not use this ?

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    You can wire it to do so, i don't. Mine just opens on furnace. Been running for good 3-4 years and no issues.

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    Quote Originally Posted by eblend View Post
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    You can wire it to do so, i don't. Mine just opens on furnace. Been running for good 3-4 years and no issues.
    Most tanks have no power, won't be able to connect anything to it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Darell_n View Post
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    Most tanks have no power, won't be able to connect anything to it.
    Is it still safe to use then? Don't want to get in to a situation where noxious air is hanging out in the basement instead of cold air.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 94CoRd View Post
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    Is it still safe to use then? Don't want to get in to a situation where noxious air is hanging out in the basement instead of cold air.
    Yup this was sort of one of my concerns with it..

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    Quote Originally Posted by 94CoRd View Post
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    Is it still safe to use then? Don't want to get in to a situation where noxious air is hanging out in the basement instead of cold air.
    I personally wouldn't use one. The device will certainly increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, particularly with a gravity vented hot water heater. Any negative building pressure will dump the burner exhaust directly into the basement. Tankless and power vented water heaters won't have an issue, but in the case of power vented it will just suck in cold air through all the cracks in your windows and doors instead of getting cold air right beside it.

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    I highly doubt a water heater will suck up all the air in the house and kill you all. Before I got the damper, my air inlet was like 80 percent blocked. I had a bad gas valve on my furnace that would stick so I started looking at every possible reason why my furnace was acting funny, and realized that the pipe that was supposed to let air into the house was almost completely crushed between the floor joists and the concrete of the foundation. I felt no air coming in at all from the pipe (it's a flexible plastic pipe with insulation around it). My house was build in 2006 and had two old people living here for 4 years with no air intake at all to furnace or water heater, and then I lived here for 7 more years after that in the same situation until I found the issue. Once I realized my fresh air inlet pipe was practically crushed, I cut out a section of the floor joist (it was a useless overhang) and instantly I could feel the cold air on the room. On the days when it was like -20 the furnace room felt like a freezer as the air was freely flowing, before that it was no different than the rest of the basement.

    Anyways, this cold ass room was the reason I got the hoyme thing, and i am sure it saved me a ton over the years in house heating alone.

    Moral of the story, house was badly constructed since 2006, people lived in it for like 11 years without proper fresh air intake for furnace or water heater, and everyone is alive and well. So with that said, you can make your own decision.

    Should also note, it's a simple flat piece of tin against a tin tipe, no rubber seal or anything, i am sure it still lets some air through all the time, just isn't wide open like the standard setup.

    Anyways, there is a two heating appliance model as well, i know you can wire it in some way to work with the water heater, I looked it up before, so research if you are interested.

    https://www.amazon.ca/Hoyme-Manufact...35&s=hi&sr=1-1
    Last edited by eblend; 11-13-2020 at 12:33 AM.

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    I'm in the process of developing the basement, so I'll probably see if just walling off the mechanical room will help with basement temperatures. On a similar topic, the flexible tubing that comes in from the side of the house, wrapped in insulation. Is there a way to put that through the joists? Currently, it's just strapped to the joists, so unless I can somehow tuck it away, I'll have to drop my ceiling quite a few inches.

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    Ok so I'm about to purchase the humidifier as its getting REALLY bad in the house with this weather.

    I am looking at the Desert Spring https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/d...5160p.html#srp which comes with the auto flush but no humidistat so it would add another $100 or so onto the cost coming out to close to $400.

    The other option is to pick up an Aprilaire https://www.amazon.ca/Aprilaire-Auto...5304246&sr=8-1 which comes with the humidistat but no autoflush and just uses a normal drain.

    Thoughts?

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    Quote Originally Posted by firebane View Post
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    Ok so I'm about to purchase the humidifier as its getting REALLY bad in the house with this weather.

    I am looking at the Desert Spring https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/d...5160p.html#srp which comes with the auto flush but no humidistat so it would add another $100 or so onto the cost coming out to close to $400.

    The other option is to pick up an Aprilaire https://www.amazon.ca/Aprilaire-Auto...5304246&sr=8-1 which comes with the humidistat but no autoflush and just uses a normal drain.

    Thoughts?
    I would just listen to what our resident HVAC expert said in the other thread. Drum are over-rated and disgusting, get the a regular pad-based one with a humidistat. Bonus points if you have a smart thermostat and extra conductors available in your wiring from your utility room which means you can control humidity from the main smart thermostat.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sabad66 View Post
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    I would just listen to what our resident HVAC expert said in the other thread. Drum are over-rated and disgusting, get the a regular pad-based one with a humidistat. Bonus points if you have a smart thermostat and extra conductors available in your wiring from your utility room which means you can control humidity from the main smart thermostat.
    This. I got one of these, control it right from my smart thermostat


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    Quote Originally Posted by eblend View Post
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    This. I got one of these, control it right from my smart thermostat

    What thermostat are you using? I just have a crappy normal one right now but running new wire won't be an issue as long as the thermostat isn't like $2-300.

    That model is also a bit cheaper.

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    Quote Originally Posted by firebane View Post
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    Ok so I'm about to purchase the humidifier as its getting REALLY bad in the house with this weather.

    I am looking at the Desert Spring https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/d...5160p.html#srp which comes with the auto flush but no humidistat so it would add another $100 or so onto the cost coming out to close to $400.
    It might not be mentioned on the box but it comes with a manual humidistat. Any brand should come with one you don't want to run these full blast all the time...


    Quote Originally Posted by eblend View Post
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    This. I got one of these, control it right from my smart thermostat
    I had this one and the solenoid clogged up after a couple of years (after we bought the house).
    Originally posted by Xtrema
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    Quote Originally Posted by ipeefreely View Post
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    It might not be mentioned on the box but it comes with a manual humidistat. Any brand should come with one you don't want to run these full blast all the time...
    Looks like it comes to in two variations with one that does and doesn't.

    I think for the $50 more I'd buy the Aprilaire one and get the digital humidistat.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ipeefreely View Post
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    ...

    I had this one and the solenoid clogged up after a couple of years (after we bought the house).
    The solenoids are terrible, particularly the Honeywell ones. But it's also a symptom of hard Calgary water that is at too high a pressure.

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