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Thread: Furnace replacement recommendations

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by benyl View Post
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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    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.
    Originally posted by InRich
    I think it should be a MINIMUM payment of 20% across the board for any kinda house. Who can't save 20% nowadays, just stop eating out, drive a japanese shit box, and save, its not hard.. have some fucking discipline. Half you niggers shouldn't even be in the houses you live in now.

    we can't all drive X5Ms

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    Quote Originally Posted by 71/454 View Post
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    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.

  4. #24
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    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....ired#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.
    Too loud for Aspen

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    Quote Originally Posted by Darell_n View Post
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    I love being asked to install a/c in a house when there is a boiler and no duct work.
    Mini split?
    Originally posted by InRich
    I think it should be a MINIMUM payment of 20% across the board for any kinda house. Who can't save 20% nowadays, just stop eating out, drive a japanese shit box, and save, its not hard.. have some fucking discipline. Half you niggers shouldn't even be in the houses you live in now.

    we can't all drive X5Ms

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    Quote Originally Posted by 71/454 View Post
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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 71/454 View Post
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    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.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by The_Penguin View Post
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    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.

  9. #29
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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 71/454 View Post
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    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.
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

    If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
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    fact.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yolobimmer View Post
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by msommers View Post
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    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.

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    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.
    My Karma ran over your Dogma

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    Quote Originally Posted by Darell_n View Post
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    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.
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by benyl View Post
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    So, I am still working through this with my HVAC company.

    I have 3 zones in a 5 level split.

    .
    Thanks for the info.

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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BerserkerCatSplat View Post
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    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.
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

  17. #37
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    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.

  18. #38
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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster View Post
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    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.

  20. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by rage2 View Post
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    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.

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