workwear Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 hello everyone....soooooo enbridge just left my house and told me my furnace is toast.....just what i needed right before xmas!!! was wondering if anyone knows what make or brands i should be looking at or if there are any tech's here that could sell me one.....house is aproximately 2500sq any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!
bushart Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 Did he tell and show you the issue If not---2nd opinions are at times valuable
misfish Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 http://www.napoleonheatingandcooling.com/
workwear Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Posted November 29, 2012 well he did all sorts of tests....but no i didnt see any evidence ..thanks brian ill phone em in the morn.....what a kick in the cajones!!!
chris.brock Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 (edited) Did he tell and show you the issue If not---2nd opinions are at times valuable X2 there's a chance he may be trying to sell you a new furnace that isn't necessary what do you mean by toast? how old is it? mine's 27 years old, it's definately not the most efficient unit, but still going Edited November 29, 2012 by chris.brock
workwear Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Posted November 29, 2012 he wasnt trying to sell me a thing...he works with my daughter at direct energy...so i trust him...he told me the heat ex-changer is cracked ...i was with him and notice the flames shooting backwards...so there was some pressure where it wasnt supposed to be....ive gone down a few times and manually over rode the by pass switch....but flames keep shooting back... i guess i could get a new ex-changer for 1200 plus...or a new furnace for round a few dimes.... just wondering if there are any recommendations as to what brands he was saying goodman...or lennox's no name brand airflow....
ketchenany Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 How old is the furnace? If it's a cracked heat exchanger I agree. Yes get someone else to look at it. I've had to replace one only, I was red tagged, meaning he shut the gas off. Did he shut off you gas?
DRIFTER_016 Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 Yup, cracked heat exchanger definately means toast. Nothing like carbon monoxide spilling into the house instead of up the chimney where it belongs. I gather you don't have a CO detector in the furnace room?
workwear Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Posted November 29, 2012 no he didnt...as i run alot of stuff here in the home on gas...but he made me sign a waiver....and just shut the main valve to the furnace which ive played with already.... furnace is 14 yrs old and was the original from the builder...so im guessing it wasnt state of the art at that time....
workwear Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Posted November 29, 2012 Yup, cracked heat exchanger definately means toast. Nothing like carbon monoxide spilling into the house instead of up the chimney where it belongs. I gather you don't have a CO detector in the furnace room? furnace is open to the basement all my co detectors are on the main and second floor....nothing has been triggered over the last 24 hr...furnace went caput last nite...maybe the internal sensor picked it up and shut itself down
GreenCanada Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 X2 there's a chance he may be trying to sell you a new furnace that isn't necessary what do you mean by toast? how old is it? mine's 27 years old, it's definately not the most efficient unit, but still going x3 I remember reading in the paper recently that a company was found to be performing faulty inspections that required consumers to replace a perfectly fine furnace, so I definitely would recommend a 2nd opinion. A second inspection is a drop in the bucket, compared to a brand new furnace!
woodenboater Posted November 29, 2012 Report Posted November 29, 2012 If you have to get a new one I strongly suggest a hi efficiency. The dc motor will save big bucks off your hydro bill and it's much quieter than the old one we had before.
workwear Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Posted November 30, 2012 If you have to get a new one I strongly suggest a hi efficiency. The dc motor will save big bucks off your hydro bill and it's much quieter than the old one we had before. apparently only hi efficiencies are sold now....but they are comin out with single stage motors, dual phase...and variable type of blow motors... thanks guys so far for all your input....keep em comin
davey buoy Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 no he didnt...as i run alot of stuff here in the home on gas...but he made me sign a waiver....and just shut the main valve to the furnace which ive played with already.... furnace is 14 yrs old and was the original from the builder...so im guessing it wasnt state of the art at that time.... 14 years is not that old. I have a Olson,over twice that age,checked yearly and a CO detector beside it. I guess they don't make them like they use to. The service guys said other than being not as efficient as the new ones,getting rid of the pilot light running all year causes dampness as well as many other things in the newer furnaces. That small flame running all the time prevents a lot of rust and corrosion. I know the day will come,but she is a trooper I'll say. Good luck with whatever you choose
workwear Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Posted November 30, 2012 wonder how hard it would be to install one yourself... looks pretty straight forward....hmmmmmm
woodenboater Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) apparently only hi efficiencies are sold now....but they are comin out with single stage motors, dual phase...and variable type of blow motors... thanks guys so far for all your input....keep em comin Then they're probably all dc motors I'm guessing. I believe ours is a variable speed dc. Furnace doesn't cycle on and off as much as the previous one so less swing in temps which is more comfortable. I'd also take advantage of the furnace install to revisit your ducting and decide if you want to change or reroute the supply and returns. We had some minor changes which moved the supply so there was more headroom which also ended up straightening the run so the flow was just a tad more efficient. Edited November 30, 2012 by woodenboater
nofish4me Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) apparently only hi efficiencies are sold now....but they are comin out with single stage motors, dual phase...and variable type of blow motors... thanks guys so far for all your input....keep em comin CO kills ! Odourless. Before playing around, I'd advise getting a second opinion. Edited November 30, 2012 by nofish4me
Gerritt Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 Cracked heat exchanger....... Ouch. There are deals out there. I picked up A Bryant HE for 1500.00 installed..... However I knew someone in the HVAC trade.... Time to ask some guys if they do side work... Most do. Cash talks. Don't even try to do it your self.... As u may run into issues later..... Especially if u try to sell the house and it is not tagged. Add to that u may not know current HVAC codes.... Example chimney liners. Hopefully danc sees this and can offer more advice. G.
davey buoy Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) wonder how hard it would be to install one yourself... looks pretty straight forward....hmmmmmm If your mechanically inclined,not bad. Did two in the last four years for friends who bought newer high efficiency furnaces at rock bottom pricing. The air return will have to be changed(duct work).Maybe the air intake line position. Good to know a friend at least who has some experience. Usually draws air from outside.Don't forget the gas hookup,most likely different. Always get the new furnace inspected and tagged . For your safety,and insurance reasons. Edited November 30, 2012 by davey buoy
ketchenany Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 Cracked exchanger, It's gone, they usually last 20 years or so. Shop around. But saying that, at this time of year some one will always try to get you! A few years back I could have gotten a friend of mine a great deal if he could have waited a week, he couldn't and paid for it. (small child) . . . .
Gerritt Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 As Dave said.... Sheet metal work will be needed... New plenum etc... Not something u can just buy off the shelf at home depot
workwear Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Posted November 30, 2012 what a joke......pricing out goodman's.....and for the same price as on in canada...i can get a combo air and heating unit in the states beautiful country we live in!!!!...but boy is it expensive
nofish4me Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) Long story kept short, I've been lucky to survive some CO poisoning. It was after the third night in a cabin with a propane fridge. Edited November 30, 2012 by nofish4me
livinisfishin Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) Flame rollout is a pretty good indication of a heat exchanger problem. I got a pic of a recent one that was doing that ..the exhanger wasnt cracked but it was plugged up bad. I didnt diagnose it but was told the furnace was tilting backwards and the condensate wasnt draining out like it should..lots of rust and debris plugging it up. My grandmas furnace was going out on a rollout ..crack in the secondary heat exchangers plastic housing. Dont know if thats why exactly but we replaced the furnace. I figure it could have been plugged up to and overheated...causing stress to the housing. Edited November 30, 2012 by livinisfishin
danc Posted November 30, 2012 Report Posted November 30, 2012 I've probably installed and replaced a couple thousand furnaces in my life. I can't argue with the cracked heat exchanger result. Codes say that it must be replaced, and it should. Check your current furnace warranty carefully. Some offer 20 year pro rated warranty's, which would still cost you, but that would be your cheapest route, if it does even apply. As mentioned above, high efficiency is the only option now. There's one and two stage option to choose from. I changed my own furnace between Xmas and new years two years ago. $1150.00 all in. If I was a contractor, 4 or 5 grand.
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