137 posts tagged with furnace.
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Combi Boilers with a Small Reserve DHW Tank
We are looking to install a combi boiler (heat and domestic hot water (DHW)) and are having trouble identifying which makers/models have small indirect tanks for DHW. To be clear we do NOT want a separate indirect hot water tank connected to a boiler, and we have reasons for not considering indirect tanks. [more inside]
Seattle furnace repair?
My gas furnace is acting peculiar and I need someone to look at it. Sticker on the side from install is 20 years old and that company seems gone. Anyone had a good experience?
Use crushed furnace filters?
I ordered furnace air filters and unfortunately, they arrived damaged. It appears they got crushed during shipping. Seller told me I could toss and is sending me a new batch but I feel guilty. Photos inside - would you use them? [more inside]
How do I comparison shop for a new furnace?
My trusty 1980s furnace is finally getting replaced after years of service with a combination heat and hot water boiler. The heating company I've chosen has given me three options from different manufacturers, and I'm finding myself at a loss for how to choose between them. Are there unbiased review sites for this sort of stuff? My point of contact is trustworthy, but the purchase is a hefty chunk of change and I want to do my own independent research in order to make a decision. [more inside]
Fix my (intermittently misbehaving) furnace, please!
HVAC filter: We've had intermittent troubles with our furnace this winter. We've had our HVAC people out twice now and they haven't fixed it yet. Can you help? [more inside]
Any Regrets? Air Source Heat Pumps in New England
You purchased an air source heat pump for your home in the last few years. How do you like it? [more inside]
Keeping the home fires burning... and also cool
My 27 year old furnace is likely not going to make it into another winter (possibly not another summer) so it will need to be replaced. I'd like some advice. [more inside]
Changing a furnace "common" or "fan" wire - how to?
I had a new furnace installed and the installer changed the wiring to the thermostat in an unhelpful way. The green wire, which used to be "fan," is now "common." I don't really want that. Is there an easy fix? [more inside]
New England Heating
Should I repair or replace my old gas furnace? If I replace it, what should I replace it with? [more inside]
Is my furnace too small, or am I a demon customer? Do I need a lawyer?
5 years ago we bought two new gas furnaces and air conditioners. Since then we've had dozens of service calls for a myriad of issues. But the biggest issue remains -- our house can't maintain a temperature in extreme cold/heat.
Details inside. [more inside]
How to cut up an old coal burning furnace in my basement
Ancient coal burning gravity furnace. I need it gone. It's huge and weighs a ton. Far bigger than the doorway, it has to be cut into pieces to get it out. It laughs at my reciprocating saw. And there's no room to swing a sledgehammer down there. Suggestions? [more inside]
Intermittently loud furnace: call the landlord?
We have a gas furnace that intermittently sounds very noisy upon starting up, like a small prop plane. This seems to happen when it's running a lot, such as during cold nights. At other times it makes only a very faint humming/whooshing sound when starting up. Is this a "contact the landlord" situation, if it is otherwise functioning fine? [more inside]
Will a new furnace be quiter then a 30 year old furnace?
Will a new furnace be quiter then a 30 year old furnace? [more inside]
Which HVAC company is best?
I have roughly equivalent quotes from two HVAC companies to replace my furnace, air conditioning unit, and water heater. I'm not sure which company I should choose given the offered warranties and make of the equipment. [more inside]
Why does my furnace lose power randomly?
Occasionally the power to my furnace completely cuts out, and my thermostat goes blank. I have to turn the furnace power switch off and on a few times and it comes back, but it's very annoying. I've never caught it in the act of cutting out, but to the best of my knowledge it happens when it's heating up, and happens more frequently the colder it gets outside. What might be causing this? [more inside]
Do I have a bad furnace, bad zoning or both?
We purchased a Lennox furnace (EL296UH090XV36C) in late 2014. We've had nearly 30 service calls for either no heat or problems with one of the three zones maintaining temperatures. The HVAC company claims all of these are unusual, or freak occurrences. Lots more details inside! [more inside]
Why won't one of my heating zones heat?
We have four heating zones in our (new to us) house, using gas-powered baseboard heating. We've only just turned on the fourth zone today since temperatures have nosedived, and the baseboards won't turn on. Help me troubleshoot? [more inside]
Is this safe?
My husband wants to cap off a heating duct. Is this a reasonable way to handle the problem? [more inside]
Upgrade part or whole of gas hot water system?
We have a gas boiler and an indirect water heater. Boiler seems to date to 2002, and water heater from 2001. Water heater has a leak in the port for the aquastat, and we were told it needs to be replaced. Shall I replace just the heater, or should I upgrade the otherwise-working-but-15-years-old boiler, too? [more inside]
Sleeping in a room with a furnace/water heater closet - okay and safe?
I'd be sleeping in a bedroom in a brand-new house with a furnace/water heater in the closet - would this be safe and/or a good idea? [more inside]
How can I safely install Nest thermostats to replace line-voltage units?
My apartment has in-wall heaters in each room, with a separate line-voltage thermostat each. I'd like to replace those with Nest thermostats, but my understanding is that it requires special work. [more inside]
Help me find an HS TARM furnace valve so I don't need a new furnace
I have a very non standard furnace (photos) that is broken and would like to repair a broken valve instead of replacing the system. Furnace repair companies alway are scared away from fixing this furnace. [more inside]
HVAC experts! How do I warm/cool my space?
So, I bought an old building. It currently has a fitness centre (which I own) and two (rented) apartments in it – with room for a third. It has moderately inadequate heating and cooling right now, and nothing in the new potential space -- so I'm looking for solutions to heat and cool it. More below the fold. [more inside]
My Old House's gas boiler was capped by a utility contractor. Options?
A contractor for a local utility shut off gas in the neighborhood to work on pipes, then offered to relight my boiler. He ran a test and the gas boiler (water, not steam) was emitting carbon monoxide (3000 ppm) so he capped the pipe and told us the gas couldn’t be turned on until it was repaired or replaced. [more inside]
Choosing between HVAC quotes
We're looking to have our home HVAC system replaced, and have received many quotes. However, we're having a hard time selecting the winner. Details below. [more inside]
Big problems (temperature differences) with new furnace-- what to do?
We just got a new furnace installed a few days ago, and we're not happy with it, especially the major temperature variations between rooms. (Maybe because of being oversized?) What can we do? What is reasonable to ask the installers to do? [more inside]
How noisy is your heat pump?
I'm debating whether to simply replace my aging gas furnace with a more efficient one, or to add an air-source heat pump for primary heating (and cooling in summer when needed), and replace the gas furnace with a cheaper 80% efficient model for backup heat in winter. [more inside]
That's what home should be.
Can you help educate me on what a modern home heating system should look like? [more inside]
How to block dead rat stench from coming up through my vents?
Our downstairs neighbours are using poison to combat a rat problem. Our bathroom already smells putrid from a dead rat somewhere in the vicinity of the relevant air duct. While the rats rot downstairs, can I block off the vents in my apartment to try to reduce the odour? If so, how can I do this safely, cheaply, and effectively? [more inside]
Does a whole-house humidifier go upstairs, or downstairs?
We're planning on getting the Aprilaire 800 steam humidifier installed. But, the question is: upstairs, where we sleep, or downstairs? [more inside]
Something something "moist" (regrettably, that's all I can think of)
Now that Mr. St. Hubbins and I own our own home, a whole-house humidifier (the kind that hook up to your furnace) sounds like the greatest thing since ice cream delivery. But I can't seem to find anything online except slightly spammy sites that shill for particular brands. Anyone have or know anything about them? [more inside]
Can I add a tankless hot water heater to my existing furnace system?
I have an existing gas furnace system and a separate gas hot water heater. I'd like to get rid of the hot water heater because it is taking up too much room, and I want to use that space to fit in a washer and dryer. I have another house where the furnace and the hot water heater are all the same unit without a tank. Can someone modify my existing furnace to attach a tankless hot water unit to my existing furnace, or do I have to buy a whole new furnace to have one that integrates it?
Oil-burning Tankless Hot Water Heater Temperature-recovery Problems.
We have an issue with the hot water supply from a 2004 Peerless oil furnace/boiler with tankless hot water. The shower starts at full temp, but quickly goes tepid (too cool for a comfortable bath/shower, but not ice-cold) and returns to full heat after 5-10 minutes. This is most apparent during the first two showers of the day or bath in the evening - subsequent showers or baths don't seem to have the problem to the same extent. This makes troubleshooting difficult, as we can't tell until an hour or so after running all that hot water to see if the problem returns. It's most pronounced in winter, during the summer the issue seems to go away. (Details inside) [more inside]
It has the word "heat" in its name, so.
What am I not understanding about my HVAC system? [more inside]
Cost efficiency: Programmable thermostat vs constant temperature
I've read so much conflicting information and opinions regarding this, I have no idea what to believe.
Logic tells me that keeping the temperature high when we're home and awake, then dropping it when we're asleep or gone is the most efficient use of energy. But others have told me that the amount of work a furnace needs to go to bring a house (1450 sq ft for us) up a significant number of degrees daily is less efficient than simply maintaining a constant temperature. That doesn't make sense to me, but I've heard it from people whose opinion I respect. Help! [more inside]
Home inspector didn't test furnace & now it needs replacement. What to?
I bought a house in August this year (2.5 months ago). Just tried turning on the heat for the first time and it does not work! I had a repair company out and was told it was in terrible shape (and super old). They would even have to special order the parts. [more inside]
Ruud furnace clicks
We have a Ruud Achiever 90 Plus with variable speed motor. It works great heating up the house, but when it's trying to maintain the temperature (say it's set for 65 and it's currently 65), it constantly clicks. The sound is very annoying. Does anyone know what would cause this? [more inside]
Questions about bleeding my oil furnace
After my last oil delivery, my furnace won't run. I tried hitting the reset button on the furnace twice. Both times it ran for ~45 seconds before shutting off. What now? [more inside]
Gas, oil, electric? Which new furnace to get in Seattle
I live in a 1911 Craftsman in Seattle. The heating situation is... pretty weird. (See the "more inside".) My 42-year-old oil furnace still works like a champ, but the oil company folks say they won't service it any more and it has to be replaced. I have been searching and searching to try to figure out the best way to deal with this before it gets cold out, but I am not finding what I need. Should I change my heating method and can people recommend whom I might call for this? [more inside]
Can I Get My Furnace Fan to Function Independently of Heating/Cooling?
We have this furnace. In the summer it would be nice if we could run only the fan (We don't have central air), but according to the manual, Fan Only Mode requires the R and G thermostat contacts be wired. As you can see, only the RC/RH and W contacts are wired. Would simply swapping the orange wire from RC/RH to RH/G create the circuit needed for sweet, sweet fan action, or will it be necessary to run a new wire from G to the control board in the furnace, therefore requiring professional help? [more inside]
Buying a scratch & dent furnace from Florida and finding installation?
I intend to buy a scratch & dent furnace from these guys, even after shipping (100 dollars) It will be much cheaper than buying a new one. I want to find some heating/cooling company to install it for me.. Snowflake details inside. [more inside]
Replace the furnace or fix the old one?
We had our furnace inspected yesterday. It's worked fine all winter. We were told we have a bad heat exchanger. We were encouraged to buy a whole, new furnace for $10K. Our preference is to ride it out with the old furnace for another few years and replace it when it is convenient for us. Does that make sense? [more inside]
What can I safely cover my ugly wall furnace with?
My "Williams 30,000 BTU Natural Gas Direct-Vent Wall Furnace" is an eyesore and I'd love to build my own custom cover for it, but is that safe? Can I only use metal or can I use wood? I'd have a friend build it since I don't know much about it, but I'm wondering what I can do to hide or replace it. BTW I rent my apartment, so any changes I make should technically be reversible. Link for reference.
Is Serious Furnace Cleaning Necessary?
I have an old style furnace that has been cleaned (by vacuuming) on a mostly annual basis for about 20 years. Should I pay the big bucks to get it scraped out by a professional? [more inside]
Cleaning a furnace flame sensor.
My furnace is cycling on and off continuously. I'm pretty sure I know why and think I can handle the repair (cleaning the flame sensor), but I want to be sure I'm doing it properly. [more inside]
How cold is it inside up North?
I live in the southern US and am curious about heating systems "up North". [more inside]
Weird fertilizer/gassy smell in the basement (from the water heater?)
I was away from the house last night when I got a text from my wife about a strange "fertilizer" smell coming from the basement of our house. I came home a few hours later and smelled it immediately - hard to describe, but a slightly acrid, recognizable chlorine-y scent reminiscent of a garden center. It was noticeable on the first floor but stronger in the basement. I sniffed around for a while but couldn't locate an obvious source. The only thing I could find that was awry was that the pilot light had gone out in the water heater (only time that's happened), which is suggestive of a chimney backdraft. I relit the pilot without issue and verified that the water heater was venting correctly with a stick of Nag Champa. Multiple C02 detectors in the house detected nothing.
We'll have an HVAC guy come out ASAP, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and whether I'm diagnosing the issue correctly. Is this what water heater fumes smell like? We've lived in the house for a year, and this is the first time it's happened. [more inside]
To BCC3 Control Board, or not to BCC3 Control Board
A question regarding an impending attempt to replace the control board in our furnace myself. Extenuating circumstances: Approaching Arctic Cold Front. [more inside]
Help me find a all metal space heater with a high quality thermostat
I have found that space heater with plastic anywhere on it starts to smell like burning plastic if you run it alot. I have also found that the thermostats on a lot of space heaters do not work well. example you set it to 73 but it just runs and never turns off or turns off before reaching 73.
What can I do to improve my old school gas-fired floor furnaces?
Are there improvements that can be done to them to improve their efficiency and safety?
Are there retrofits?
Would I be able to purchase something more modern that would directly replace the existing units? [more inside]