The heat is off (sort of)

[devans0]

My choice was to go for a higher efficiency furnace and use the fuel savings to pay for the furnace. It is a balmy 0 degrees right now, (or minus something in Celsius years), so your meterage may vary.

For the record, my deterred gratification clamps were implanted by my wife's insistence. Where she w()rI<$, the line is that it's better to ask for forgiveness later, than to ask for permission. They don't know DW very well....

 

[eytonxav]

I'd like to second what Walt was saying about the heat exchanger on a unit this old. Have it examined closely for cracks. I've actually seen one so bad that the burner flames were blown sideways when the fan kicked on. Quite a fire hazard.

Best of luck

Dittoe Walt's/Avalons comments. At 42 yo, I'd prepare yourself for a replacement. Do you have the unit serviced yearly, as I be surprised they didn't recommend a replacement long ago?

 

[redduck]

OK, the heating guy came and eventually left. It seems like the fan motor had a short in it (and now it doesn't). The heating guy inspected what ever needed to be inspected (re: the furnace) and put in a new filter. We have the heat back up to 68 degrees. So, Bestwifeever, if you want to come over and experience the warmth of a furnace at 68 degrees, you are more than welcome.

He also said that the furnace probably was put in when the house was built: 1962. He said that it really doesn't have to be replaced, but if it were replaced he'd suggest a 5-ton (5-tonne?) furnace.

Time to put the electric space heaters back into the garage.

Thanks for the concerns and suggestions.

 

[redduck]

I just called the repair guy, and, yes, the heat exchanger is the first thing they check and it did check out just fine. We will have it serviced once a year from now on.

 

[NW-Bound]

This is a trick question, because we all know doesn't get below 64 degrees in L.A.!

Heck, the OP needs no doggone "deferred gratification clamps". All he needs to do is to turn off the furnace and let the inside temperature drop to match the outside, which is what? 62 deg?

Our home in the high country (7000 ft) has the heat pump thermostat fixed at 45deg. Would have set lower, but then that is about as low as it goes, plus do not want the pipe to freeze. The average low is 23F, and the record low is -19F.

There, try that out as "the clamps".

 

[Midpack]

That's amazing, good for you. I'd never expect a furnace, AC or any major applicance/home system to last more than about 20 years. I think I'll find the builder who did my house and sue him since the original furnace died after about 20 years - yeah, that's the ticket.

I'll need you to testify on my behalf OK?

 

[TromboneAl]

Good news. How much was the service call?

I once thought I'd use the fan-only mode to distribute the wood stove heat throughout the house. However, not only does it not work well, but the fan draws 500 watts.

 

[Nords]

So, assuming you are correct about the set of failures in the control systems, does that mean a new furnace is the reasonable solution?

OK, the heating guy came and eventually left.
He also said that the furnace probably was put in when the house was built: 1962. He said that it really doesn't have to be replaced, but if it were replaced he'd suggest a 5-ton (5-tonne?) furnace.

Furnace guys would much rather replace the gear during the week between Christmas & New Years, when their service calls are worth triple overtime, instead of when the weather is only getting warmer...

Another situation is ending up replacing the furnace because you're putting the house up for sale, and no buyer would ever sign a contract for a house with its original furnace. Nothing more annoying than primping a house into perfect condition and then not being able to enjoy any of the improvements.

How much would you save if you bought a high-efficiency furnace? In other words, what's your payback?

 

[samclem]

redduck,
I'd recommend you get at least one good carbon monoxide detector for your house if you don't have one already. By "good" I mean a name brand that has a digital readout of the CO level. Anyone with combustion appliances in their home should have one of these anyway, but if you're going to try to squeeze a few more years out of a very old heat exchanger, it's an especially good investment.

 

[Koolau]

OK, Bestwifeever...This is a man thing (minus Redduck). Don't you have a cake to bake or something? Actually, "man thing" doesn't sound quite right, sorry.

Yup, back in the mid 70's, when propane went from $.17/gal to $1.20/gal within a couple of years, DW often accused me of being a "man thing" when I tried to set the temp. lower than 70. She broke out the thermal underwear AND the hunting underwear. Even used to wear my snowmobile jump-suit occasionally. Finally installed a Jotul wood stove. Much more romantic to sit in front of a fireplace/stove than huddle with a woman in 3 layers of underwear. YMMV

 

[redduck]

That's amazing, good for you. I'd never expect a furnace, AC or any major applicance/home system to last more than about 20 years. I think I'll find the builder who did my house and sue him since the original furnace died after about 20 years - yeah, that's the ticket.

I'll need you to testify on my behalf OK?

I've only testified twice in court and a few times in depositions. You really, really don't want me testifying on your side. Trust me.

And, I've always been dismissed from jury duty. The last time was when I told the attorney representing a major car company, who was interviewing me as a potential juror, that I was going to vote for the plaintiff (the guy suing the car company). BTW, I was being completely truthful. I'm not sure what the case was about.

 

[redduck]

Good news. How much was the service call?

I once thought I'd use the fan-only mode to distribute the wood stove heat throughout the house. However, not only does it not work well, but the fan draws 500 watts.

The service call cost a total of $233.22 (which includes $2.50 +$0.22tax) for a filter. They charge $98 per hr. Much of the cost involved travel time. Anyhow, they told us upfront re: the travel time and costs and we were OK with it.

 

[meierlde]

OK, the heating guy came and eventually left. It seems like the fan motor had a short in it (and now it doesn't). The heating guy inspected what ever needed to be inspected (re: the furnace) and put in a new filter. We have the heat back up to 68 degrees. So, Bestwifeever, if you want to come over and experience the warmth of a furnace at 68 degrees, you are more than welcome.

He also said that the furnace probably was put in when the house was built: 1962. He said that it really doesn't have to be replaced, but if it were replaced he'd suggest a 5-ton (5-tonne?) furnace.

Time to put the electric space heaters back into the garage.

Thanks for the concerns and suggestions.

One ton of HVAC is 12000 btu per hour, ususally used in terms of AC size.

 

[redduck]

redduck,
I'd recommend you get at least one good carbon monoxide detector for your house if you don't have one already. By "good" I mean a name brand that has a digital readout of the CO level. Anyone with combustion appliances in their home should have one of these anyway, but if you're going to try to squeeze a few more years out of a very old heat exchanger, it's an especially good investment.

samclem,

I will follow up on your suggestion. Thanks.

 

[Bestwifeever]

...We have the heat back up to 68 degrees. So, Bestwifeever, if you want to come over and experience the warmth of a furnace at 68 degrees, you are more than welcome.....

68 degrees? That's crazy talk! I can only dream.

 

[rdjrn]

Sounds like a bad Fan/Limit switch to me. This device (used on older equipment) serves 2 purposes. First, it prevents the fan from coming on before the heat exchanger heats up sufficiently so as to prevent cold air from coming out of the vents. It also keeps the fan running after the furnace cycles off until the airstream temps drop to a certain degree.

Secondly, it also serves to prevent an overheating condition by cycling the furnace off if the temperature in the airstream gets too hot. As old as it is, it could be worn out (i.e. cycling the heat off too quickly and not cutting off the fan after the furnace cycles off).

 

[TromboneAl]

The service call cost a total of $233.22 (which includes $2.50 +$0.22tax) for a filter. They charge $98 per hr. Much of the cost involved travel time. Anyhow, they told us upfront re: the travel time and costs and we were OK with it.

Well, that's an eye opener. That will prepare me for next time I need something like that -- I'm totally out of touch on those things.

I've been considering learning how to tune a piano, so that I can improve pianos at gigs. I thought I'd get a free or cheap piano on Craigslist to practice on, but I found that the minimum to move one would be around $350. I'd expected $80.

 

[redduck]

Well, that's an eye opener. That will prepare me for next time I need something like that -- I'm totally out of touch on those things.

I've been considering learning how to tune a piano, so that I can improve pianos at gigs. I thought I'd get a free or cheap piano on Craigslist to practice on, but I found that the minimum to move one would be around $350. I'd expected $80.

Well, it pays to shop around. We had a plumber who charged us $90 for travel time. Then, of course there are parts and labor. The bill was always $150-300. After a few years his work became shoddy and we eventually found another plumber who charges $25 travel time (and he comes from farther away than the first plumber) and this plumber's work is better and parts and labor are cheaper (fees are usually $60-150). So, if you ever need a referral for a plumber...

And, we have the heat up to 70 degrees right now. Might as well get our money's worth.

 

[redduck]

So, the furnace is just humming along, actually it's humming too much. Well, it's more like squeaking. It seems like the front metal cover is a bit loose and it always has been (for at least for the last 42 years). The question is, if I want to keep the front cover from squeaking (it sort of moves around a little when the furnace is on) can I/should I use electrical tape to keep it in place? Use something else?

By the way, I know it may sound like we decided a long time ago to keep this furnace until it died. But, that was never the intent, we just never thought about it. We just never had any problems with it until last week and nobody ever said, "Wow, you need to get a new furnace." Never came up in any conversation--even at Super Bowl parties.

So, what's the best/safest way to keep the front metal cover from moving around?

 

[NW-Bound]

You could have kept that roll of duct tape.

I went onto Craigslist to sell my practically brand-new, almost mint-condition, really nifty-looking pair of deferred gratification clamps. The deal included two-thirds of a roll of duct tape.

 

[redduck]

You could have kept that roll of duct tape.

Talk about luck...I got it back (read below...but only if you really have no life at all. Guess this means you, NW-Bound).

Even though I did manage to sell the duct tape (along with the the clamps, the guy returned it all after one day and one night). Said his wife didn't really enjoy spooning at night with him wearing the clamps. Go figure. But, the duct tape roll is now down to a third of the original size.

 

[NW-Bound]

Hey, if we all have better things to do, we would not hang around this forum, would we?

 

[TromboneAl]

You can buy high temperature tape.

 

[rescueme]

Current FRA for early boomers is 66; your unit is 42 years of age. You still have 24 years left ...

Seriously, we had a gas boiler in our old home, that was over 40 years old when we replaced it (due to a small coil leak).

The replacement was smaller (in footprint) and much more efficient in cost.

Maybe it's time to replace/upgrade, regardless of the immediate "fix"...

 

[davemartin88]

The service call cost a total of $233.22 (which includes $2.50 +$0.22tax) for a filter. They charge $98 per hr. Much of the cost involved travel time. Anyhow, they told us upfront re: the travel time and costs and we were OK with it.

$233 for a filter that lasted 42 years doesn't sound too bad?