Might need a furnace

[dalebert]

If I'm able to agree on a reasonable price for a place, then I will need a working furnace. Wondering if anyone has ideas for an economical way to obtain one, perhaps used. Or would you recommend that I buy new?

[ByronB]

Buy new... used is just too much trouble/not really worth it IMO.

If you lived nearby (you don't) I could get you a 80K BTU natural gas furnace for about $600-$800 depending on if you wanted a 80% efficient (vented out a regular chimney) or a 90+% efficient furnace (vented out PVC pipes).

[Lloyd Danforth]

Email Mainshark about all things furnace.

[slim]

Dale do you know how old the current furnace is and what the efficiency is?

[dalebert]

Dale do you know how old the current furnace is and what the efficiency is?

It's apparently complete garbage. Ask Jim. He's the 3 stooges builder guy and he saw it. It was quite... interesting.

[Jim Johnson]

Dale do you know how old the current furnace is and what the efficiency is?

It's puking carbon into the air ducts.

Dale wants to go with an oil boiler... 200% efficient... or better.

[dalebert]

Dale wants to go with an oil boiler... 200% efficient... or better.

I stopped by Cheshire Oil and talked to a guy there for a few minutes. He suggested sticking to a furnace and putting a humidifier on it. He seemed to think that would be scads cheaper than installing all those baseboard radiators and running all that pex assuming the current duct work is decent.

[Jim Johnson]

Well... if we're talking scads... it's scads cheaper to stay with a leaky roof and buy a few plastic buckets.

[dalebert]

Well... if we're talking scads... it's scads cheaper to stay with a leaky roof and buy a few plastic buckets.

Well my main issue with forced air heat is the drying out of the air. If that can be addressed relatively cheaply with a humidifier, then it might make sense not to have to renovate the whole system.

[dalebert]

A friend of mine thinks that any kind of heat dries the air and that it doesn't make any difference if it's liquid or forced air. I was under the impression forced air dries it out in the furnace and then blows the dry air out into your house. Anyone know? Seems like Porc Central was REALLY dry with forced air and Liberty Compound here in Keene doesn't seem dry at all and it's steam radiators. Maybe we have minor steam leaks and that's acting as a kind of ghetto humidifier. *shrug*

[Tom Sawyer]

Baseboard heat is radiant heat and is more comfortable than forced air. Doesn't dry the air like forced air.

[Jim Johnson]

Baseboard heat is radiant heat and is more comfortable than forced air. Doesn't dry the air like forced air.

It doesn't feel like cool wind blowing through your hair though... which is really nice in the summer... to bad it's only on in the winter.

Why do furnace guys want to redo chimneys when you can get a more efficient furnace that vents out a PVC tube?   Money?

I'm looking for a Pink Floyd song here.

[djbridgeland]

A friend of mine thinks that any kind of heat dries the air and that it doesn't make any difference if it's liquid or forced air. I was under the impression forced air dries it out in the furnace and then blows the dry air out into your house. Anyone know? Seems like Porc Central was REALLY dry with forced air and Liberty Compound here in Keene doesn't seem dry at all and it's steam radiators. Maybe we have minor steam leaks and that's acting as a kind of ghetto humidifier. *shrug*

I have lived in both forced air and radiator heated places.  The forced air systems defiantly dries my skin out more.  I have found that buying a room humidifier defiantly helps.  So maybe buying a couple and placing them in the right locations would be sufficient.   

[Lloyd Danforth]

You're a human being!  You shouldn't have to put up with defiant machinery. Now get out those opposing thumbs and do something about it!

[Jim Johnson]

OK, Lloyd... jeez.  Pink monkey was just on a banana break.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_anbEJsr6s&feature=related