redkow97 Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 Out thermostat broke, and I was able to replace that for $30, so we dodged a bullet this time, but it got me thinking about the age of our furnace, and the high likelihood of failure in the next few years. My home was built in 1962, and I assume this is the second furnace. The house is only 1650 square feet, so I won't need a monster blower or anything. Anyone know 1) how long I can expect the dinosaur in my basement to last, and 2) how much I should have set aside to replace it this summer if I decide that better efficiency over the next 4-5 years justifies the cost?We do plan to move when my daughter is school-aged, so 5.5 more years in this house would be about the maximum. I would consider the furnace a selling point (as are our new roof, garage door, and AC), but I could let the next owner worry about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zx3vfr Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 If it keeps running keep it. Older furnaces are simple to work on and require very few parts to function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Yeah, but it's not efficient or reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thGix Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I have the original boiler from 1947 still kicking in my house. As long as I have fire and water I have heat. Is it efficient.... no. Does it start up every year without too much problems.....yes. I had a friends husband that does HVAC work come look at it once and told me to keep it till it rusts out. He told me in his experience he rarely has to do much work with older systems and is steadily having to fix newer furnaces. I guess the old saying applies "They don't make 'em like they used to". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zx3vfr Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Yeah, but it's not efficient or reliable.Is it justifiable to spend close to 5k to put a new furnace in? Are you going to save that in costs until you move out? Are you going to recoup that when you sell the place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojocho Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 New furnace will run you $2500-$3000. $4500 if you want the highest efficiency model. Ask me how I know. Cost goes up if you need any modifications to your duct work. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschoolsdime92 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I'm in the midst of connecting to natural gas, new furnace, new AC, new ductwork, the whole shibang. Lets just say, I could build a fantastic motorcycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gump Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Best thing I ever did concerning heating, was getting rid of the old oil burning furnace and put in a heat pump with a new air exchanger. The heat pump blew a capacitor the other day and I just kicked it onto emergency heat. It fires up heating elements in the exchanger as a backup. Cools great in the summer as well. I'm in the sticks so it's all electric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Best thing I ever did concerning heating, was getting rid of the old oil burning furnace and put in a heat pump with a new air exchanger. The heat pump blew a capacitor the other day and I just kicked it onto emergency heat. It fires up heating elements in the exchanger as a backup. Cools great in the summer as well. I'm in the sticks so it's all electric.I have an oil heater as well... What brand/model do you have? Oil prices are going to kill me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFlash Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Out thermostat broke, and I was able to replace that for $30... ...it got me thinking about the...high likelihood of failure in the next few years.We do plan to move when my daughter is school-aged, so 5.5 more years inthis house would be about the maximum. I would consider the furnace a sellingpoint (as are our new roof, garage door, and AC)... Yeah, but it's not efficient or reliable. Don't judge the furnace condition by a worn out thermostat.It's like judging the condition of your bike by the condition ofthe tires. If there are no other issues with your furnace, thenthe thermostat is a very minor and easily replaced part. Even if you are there for another 5 1/2 years, the cost of anew furnace is unlikely to be offset by any savings on yourheating bill from a more efficient unit, in that amount of time. As far as a newer unit being a selling point, a house isexpected to have an operating furnace. I would not expecta new furnace to carry much more weight in a sale than anoperating furnace. A furnace installed today will be 5.5 years old in 5.5 years,if you stay in your home that long. At that point you couldsay the furnace is only 5 1/2 years old, but a buyer couldstill say, but the furnace is almost six years old! stillbe wishing for a newer one, and not being happy with it. I would keep it until it dies. In less than 60 days it will nolonger be used until nearly the end of October. Parts are easily replaced and are a lot cheaper than a newfurnace. You have your selling points already. One morewill probably not make much more of a difference to abuyer. Is it justifiable to spend close to 5k to put a new furnace in? Are yougoing to save that in costs until you move out? Are you going to recoupthat when you sell the place? Exactly my point.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Fuel oil? Natural gas? Propane? Electric? What have you got? There are various points to consider with each. And various maintenance requirements. Fuel oil, for instance, should be inspected each heating season and a new jet installed as needed. I have an old school guy that is the only one to work on my furnace. It's a relationship I value, like having a doctor you can trust. If you were near me you could call D&L Heating and Cooling, but looks like you might be up North. Find a service you feel comfortable with (ie. someone who you don't feel is lying to you) and get their opinion. I wouldn't recommend screwing around with a furnace, bad things can happen or at least leave you without heat during a winter like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Natural gas, but I agree with those who questioned whether I will recoup $4k worth of efficiency over the next 5.5 years. That is why I was asking what the price tag would be. If it were $2k or even $2.5k, that's chump change in the grand scheme of home repairs... $4-5k, and I'm far less enthusiastic about laying out that much cash for something that isn't broken... I mentioned the furnace as a selling point because my house is a cookie-cutter floor-plan. There are literally 3-4 of "my" house for sale in my neighborhood right now. They are selling for $85-$95k. I would want more like $115k for ours, and the new garage door, new roof, new(er) AC unit, and a new furnace would really help me justify that price tag. Our house is in significantly better condition than the others on the market, but those are tangible things that I can point to and say, "hey look - you won't need a new roof for AT LEAST 20 years." First time buyers especially should be attracted to a home where the maintenance costs are built into their mortgage, rather than out-of-pocket expenses. It allows them to finance the furnace, roof, AC, etc. I think I will compromise and pay to have my ducts professionally cleaned, or take a stab at it myself when the weather is in that "butter" zone and I can change the thermostat to "off" for a few weeks. And I have my propane heater as a backup if the furnace dies while it's still cold. the propane unit doesn't heat the whole house, but it will make one room a sauna. Hell, between the portable heater and the oven, we had the first floor of my house close to 70 degrees before I got the new thermostat installed last week... For a minute, we weren't even sure it was working, because the furnace wasn't kicking on. turned out it was just too warm to click on. Edited March 3, 2014 by redkow97 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Sounds like you're prepared for unexpected issues. That's always a good thing... I'm skeptical that a new furnace will cost you 4-5K... We got a new, higher efficiency fuel oil furnace installed about 5 years ago. $1500. Shortly after that, the AC unit died. New outside unit and new coil in the furnace. $1500 also. If you don't need ducting, which you shouldn't, the only cost is the new unit and install. Install is a matter of a couple hours. Talk to others in your neighborhood, if you know them. Find out who works on their systems. Call around. Find a small company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Find a small company. That's probably what I'll do... A friend of mine is a sales engineer or sales manager for Carrier, but he focuses on industrial and commercial applications. Residential isn't even on his radar. I jog past a house where the guy parks his HVAC van on the street. I'll probably give him a call. The company sponsored a softball team in the area at some point as well. I've seen their name on the back of jerseys in thrift stores Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapesmuggler27 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 For 4-5k I can install a new high efficiency furnace and AC. I could do a 93% furnace for around $2500. Chris I can answer any questions you have. Call me 614-381-8413 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 At the prices quoted above it seems like this is a good idea to do. Our high efficiency furnace along with a decently efficient AC is saving us boatloads of money every month. It was actually very surprising how much it is saving us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks. Knowing that the furnace would be $2.5k is huge. I'll give you a call if we go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapesmuggler27 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I have a 25/15 rule. If repairs are 25% of a new unit and unit is 15+ years or older I recommend a new unit. Older units will nickel and dime you to death once parts start breaking. Im not a salesman im a service tech. As far as oil burner go I recommend doing a duel fuel system. Heat pump with oil burner back up. Heat pumps are only efficient down to about 30 degrees, with a duel fuel kit you can set up the system to run how ever you want normally heat pump only until 35 degrees and oil (or any secondary heat electric, gas, oil....) at 30 degree. With a heat pump system added to your oil you would save a minimum 30% on your oil bill a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapesmuggler27 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Look at it this a 80% furnace inputs 80% of total BTU into the house, so if you have a 100000 BTU furnace only 80,000 is being input in the house and 20,000 is going outside unused. A 92% is the same way except your using 92,000 of the 100000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gump Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I have an oil heater as well... What brand/model do you have? Oil prices are going to kill me...The air exchanger is Comfort-Aire, model HAG48-00-1A.The heat/ac pump is Amana, Model ASZ140421AF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdonn Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Heat pump... There are tons of choices Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gump Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Why is called a heat pump when it also makes cold air? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrome Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Let me know if you are interested in getting a quote for a new one. I work for lowes and we install new hvac units. Depending on where your located I'll come out and take a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrome Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) Double post. Edited March 4, 2014 by Chrome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBBaron Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Why is called a heat pump when it also makes cold air?Because it pumps heat from outside to inside, or from inside to out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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