Question
I have a 25 year old carrier upflow furnace that the fan runs constantly.I
replaced the old blower motor along with the capacitor. The old one froze
up. After installing the new one , it runs even the new themostat if in
the “off” position. I am getting 110 volts into and coming out of the
transformer which does seem right. Also, there is no voltage at the “r”
and “c” terminals.Also the A/C has power and does not kick on. Any ideas?

Answers
*110 volts on each side of the transformer does not seem right. Normally
one side would be 110 and the other side would be something like 12 or 24
volts.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question: Why is my natural gas furnace making buzzing sounds?
I have a natural gas furnace and noticed that on an intermittent basis it makes a buzzing sound. At first the buzzing sound didn’t happen that often, but now it is happening more frequently. The furnace will buzz for several seconds and then stop. Then at some random point it will buzz again for another few seconds. This only happens with the furnace is actually running. The furnace is still producing heat. In fact, apart from the buzzing sound, it is working normally.

• Answer:Well you got all the smart answers, now I’ll try to actually held you. Your gas furnace has a blower motor. There usually is a metal access panel over the internal parts of the furnace. Next time you hear the buzz, go to the furnace and put your hand on the panel, I’ll bet it is vibrating when the blower motor is working. If it is not that panel, try a different panel. When you find the buzz panel, you’ll have to secure it so it doesn’t vibrate. If this doesn’t fix your buzz noise, you may be forced to call a repair man to do more investigating, but it’s usually some that gets lose when it gets warm. I would be surprised if it were not just a lose panel cover.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:I have a natural gas furnace but I want to use electric heat?
What is better for the environment? I have a natural gas furnace, but in my area all of our electricity comes from hydro dams. So would I be better off using electric heaters to go more green? We have very cold winters and they last about 5 months. I am thinking of buying some plug in electric heaters, is this a good idea? I must confess that I also want to save money as our natural gas is going up in price this winter by 30%, would using electricity save me money?

• Answer:No, stick with gas for now, any unused electricity from the dam will be used elsewhere. Also heating your house with a high efficiency gas furnace creates nearly no pollution, its a very clean fuel. If you do want to use electric get an electric furnace installed with a heat pump. Using portable heaters will cost a fortune in your electric bill, and its bad for the environment.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:how long should a natural gas furnace last?
this question pertains to the average useful life of a single family home natural gas forced-air furnace used for heating. the home is located in a mild climate (California) and thus the furnace is not used excessively.

• Answer:” Typically a furnace or air conditioner will last 15-20 years.” or “… a gas furnace should last from 20 to 25 years.” In your climate, I’d expect at least 25 years.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:Why is my natural gas furnace not working?
I recently had my natural gas turned back on after being off for about 3 months. Now when I turn on my furnace, it goes through a “purge” mode, but then does not continue on to heating mode. However, the cooling function remains intact. It is a relatively new furnace (Philco brand, installed 2006). Any ideas? Thank you in advance for any help.

• Answer:The computer will lock out the heat cycle if it does not fire after three times trying . Try resetting the electrical power . Off for one min. then back on .If it does not fire in three more try’s , reset power again . Look in the combustion chamber and see if you can see a flame , even if it’s a short flame .Then you will know if you have gas or not .Make sure you have a jumper in t-stat from “RC” to “R” . “R” is the heat side .Make sure your heat anticipateor is turned to 1.0 amps .

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:My Bathroom exhaust fan damper opens up when the natural gas furnace comes on. What is a way to fix this?
Of course the fan damper is in the attic side of the fan. This is definetly a heat loss. Here are some other details about the house that may help you answer. House is concrete block with siding. House has air space that runs from the attic to the basement (in between block and sheetrock) The natural gas furnace has PVC exhaust and air intake pipes to the outside of the house. There seems to be a powerful pull of air when that furnace kicks on. Attic has 2 small gable vents and Ridge vent and soffit vents.

• Answer:You are having a problem with pressurization of the home. That is typically caused by a poorly designed or improperly installed hvac system.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:How can I tell if the thermostat that controls the natural gas furnace downstairs is low voltage.?
How can I tell if the thermostat upstairs that controls the natural gas furnace downstairs is low voltage and not dangerous? Any non-serious response will be reported to Yahoo. Thank you.

• Answer:Very, very few are controlled by line voltage ….in fact I have never run across one in a domestic setting. The wire size for low voltage will be about the size of a tooth on a comb, generally with a group of other wires from 4-6 wires Red, Yellow, orange, gray, blue, white, brown …..

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:Drain on natural gas furnace?
I have no HVAC experience, and am wondering if my natural gas furnace has a condensate drain. There is a PVC pipe coming out and going down into a hole in our floor. My guess is that it is a drain for any condensate. Does this sound reasonable? I’m wondering because I want to put a whole house humidifier on and would like to tap into this drain if possible.

• Answer:The drain pipe is for the A-coil that sits above your furnace. The A-coil is connected to your A/C compressor and provides cooling to the air when the A/C is on. Since it’s obviously cold when the A/C is on, it condenses water out of the humid air. This water needs to go somewhere…hence the drain line. You should be fine connecting the humidifier to this drain line.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:How much should a natural gas furnace be turned down during the day?
In the morning before leaving for work, we turn down our gas furnace from 70 to 60 degrees. Is there a sweet spot for efficiency that would dictate a better temperature to turn the furnace down to? Is it better to keep the temperature down 10 degrees for 9 or so hours and then have it build back up to 70 or are we turning it down too much or too little?

• Answer:This depends on the size of your house, one or two story and or basement. I would think that ten degrees is a little too much from your comfort level, I woulld stay between five and eight, this still will make a big difference, however, I would also leave the fan switch running all the time to help keep air moving all day long. This will help in the process when it does kick back on to eliminate colder spots in the house, and also keep all doors open.

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:How does a wall natural gas furnace work?
Content::Just, how does any ol’ wall nat gas furnace work? Be descriptive, I have to present this.

• Answer:A thermostat triggers a gas valve to open allowing gas to pass through a heater element which is ignited by a pilot light. Simply put

Associated Natural Gas Furnace &Amp; A/C Units Question:How do you go about converting a natural gas furnace to a propane gas furnace?
Its a 32,000 BTU 120v-32watt natural gas

• Answer:I agree, most propane suppliers can help you with this problem. It is in their best interest. Usually the conversion is a matter of changing or adjusting the pressure regulator and adjusting the burner. The main problem is that propane needs a bit more air to burn properly.

Question
I’m about to buy a home, and one in particular is absolutely perfect
except
for one thing: It’s got oil heat.

And thats a bad thing why?

The furnace is two years old (a Heil),

Ahh…a ICP oil burner….ugh..
Of course…no worse than anyother, but not near as nice as a
ThermoPride…heat exchangers on even the brand I sell, I check each
year
really well….just depends on the location of the unit.

and
there’s central air, too, so I’d be hesitant to replace the whole
thing.

Unless you wanted gas…

I
haven’t lived with oil heat since I lived with my parents 33 years
ago.
Obviously, nobody knows where the hell the price of oil is going
(except
a
small handful of cigar-smoking suits who have lunch with GWB), so
that’s
not
an issue. But, do these furnaces tend to require much more care than
gas
units?

Actually…you need to think about this. An ICP (Carrier, Bryant, Payne,
Tempstar, Heil) unit that is oil, and two years old, at BEST is only 84%
AFUE. Thats it.
You are going to use more oil, than gas to heat the home. Gas and oil,
will
not be any cheaper in a year than it is now….gas and oil prices simply
are
going to climb…so will electrical. Thats a given.
You can replace the unit with a 94%+ gas unit, and probably still be
better
off in 4 or 10 years than you are now…but thats me. I removed a brand
new
ThermoPride oil burner a year after I bought this place, and its got a
new
heat pump in it, that I am probably gonna replace in a few months when
we
get in the new 18.6SEER units.
I have a 14 now..

Anyway…as far as service goes…they all need annual service.Depending
on
the gas unit, the gas furnace will not need as much, but it will need
service.
Oil is a completely different animal….when done properly. Oil units
will
require things like filters..not used in gas, nozzles, not used in the
same
way or type as gas, electrodes need to be adjusted properly at the start
of
each season, replaced if worn..and it does not take much to wear one
beyond
its service life…combustion has to be set back up to compensate for
the slight differences in nozzles each time its changed…the heat exchanger
might have a Kaowool liner that has to be checked..or replaced.

Gas takes about 1.5 hours or less to service correctly. Oil…at least 2
hours to do right…maybe less, depends on the location, setup and such,
but
done right…they DO cost more to maintain than gas…some people love
them.
Some either switch to gas, or heat pumps.
Personally…my heat pump was free and is paying me to use it when you
consider what we paid for fuel the first season…and it was a mild
winter.

Answers
ICP..easy, and anyone with one can look on the tag and see..and considering
how many times its already been covered in here…sheesh….

International Comfort Products…Carrier and the like…as I stated below in
the other post…

Question
It’s time to replace my gas furnace and I have recieved three quotes from
local HVAC contractors.
I have been leaning towards the Lennox albeit about $1200. higher price
over the Goodman.
They are forced air 100000btu machines designed for installation in a crawl
space. Since I’m getting towards what might be called “elderly” should I
spring for the additional $ cost of the Lennox or is the Goodman just as
good??

Answers
Quite honestly, if those are your two choices, Id go head out into the
woods and look for a good pile of wood to burn.
I never was fond of Lennox and after my very recent, last repair of a
Goodman heat exchanger, (absolutely no support from Goodman for a
repeated heat exchanger failure

), Id be checking into
another brand. Nothing like replacing the primarys in a Goodman,
cleaning the cooling coil, blower, motor, blower wheel, secondary and
vacuuming the inside of the furnace when everything was removed.
Checked gas pressure and adjusted pressure and airflow for proper temp
rise. Then go back in 10 months to find the secondary heat exchanger
is screwed.
Goodman Local rep response: ” Sorry, we’ve never had that. Here’s your
heat exchanger. Here is your $35 invoice for shipping and NO, we wont
pay you any labor what-so-ever”. “God luv-em”. No wonder that
equipment is so inexpensive.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: Cleaning Flame Sensor on Goodman Gas Furnace.?
I have a 1997 Goodman Gas Furnace, I think it is 98% effieciency. Last year I had to clean the flame sensor, and this year as well. Is this a common event? I am cleaning it with some fine sandpaper, should I be doint something different? Also how often should the furnace itself be cleaned? I am unsure that it has ever been cleaned, at least I know it hasn’t for the past 5 years that I have lived here. Is this something I could do myself, of if not what would a professional typically charge?

• Answer:gas furnaces are pretty easy to maintain as you well know. you cleaned your flame sensor 2x bc it wouldnt stay running or just bc it looked dirty? its rare to get that carroted in just a year but not unheard of. oh well, at least you you can clean it yourself. we recommend every 2 yrs to have your furnace cleaned and checked, mainly gas pressure check for you . keep your filter changed , clean off your blower moter and make sure you have a nice blue flame maybe w/ a bit of yellow and you re set.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: Where is the filter located on a Goodman Gas Furnace ?

• Answer:Could be located on side of furnace, in return air drop, I am assuming typical upflow furnace.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: New Goodman gas furnace status indicator blinks 4 times and burner shuts down?

• Answer:if the flame is present for only a second it is a flame sesnor, if its dirty it will not sesne the flame so it shuts of the furnace

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: where is filter in Goodman gas furnace?

• Answer:All air conditioners are the same. If you do not have a return Air filter grill, where the filter will be placed, then the filter will be in the bottom of the unit, underneath the blower motor. Just take the panels off, get the right size and replace. It is important to replace your filters every 30 days, it will greatly prolong the life of your furnace.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: ok..i put in a new gas 95 % efficient furnace by goodman…the little blower is very noisy and the vents bang?
the vents in the wall bang when it shuts off….how do i fix it…2 story coloniel….full basement..also the draft blower is very noisy…brand new.?? its a goodman furnace…gas…type…95%…any suggestions?

• Answer:Look in the user manual or check with the installer of the furnace.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: why does the gas heated furnace turn on and off by it self?
its from goodman gas furnaces, it turns off before it reaches the heat seatings.

• Answer: This Question has not been answered yet! Send us Your best goodman gas furnace Answer!

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: Goodman vs. Coleman high efficiency gas furnace?
I have a split level house built in 1990 with about 1950 SF. Right now I have a Trane gas furnace, single speed, about 70-80% efficiency, 60000 BTU. I need a replacement. Brand wise, should I consider a Goodman vs. Coleman gas furnace? If Goodman I will be getting 2 stage, 95% efficiency, 70,000 BTU. If Coleman I will be getting a variable speed, above 95% efficiency, 80,000 BTU. For 1950 SF, I was told 70,000 BTU would work, but the Coleman comes with 80,000 BTU, I am not sure if this larger size unit will waste more energy compare with the Goodman’s 70,000 BTU. Also, downstairs is typically cold in winter. I wonder if I should add an additional vent into the unit, or re-position the ‘cold air return’ from the ceiling to a lower area on a wall close to a door that leads to the garage where the gas furnace is nearby. This will cause noisy but I am not sure how bad the noisy will be. If anyone has some thoughts on these, please share with me. Thank you in advance.

• Answer:I highly suggest a variable speed in any case, Coleman or otherwise. The coleman’s a good product, although the York line is much better. In terms of the size, because of the variable speed, it’ll back off and only use the number of BTUs it need to do the job, where staged control has to turn on or off. The goodman unit is also a good residential unit as well. Now, regarding the cold downstairs. What’s going on is that your place is unbalanced. What you need to do is look at the dampers on all your vents coming in. If they are all open, shut the ones upstairs halfway to start. Open the downstairs ones. Keep backing off upstairs until it balances. If you had a flow hood, you could do it on math, but you probably don’t. You need the same flow per square foot everywhere and right now, it’s uneven.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: Goodman MFG gas furnace not started.?
I turned on the heater. The blower started, but looks no gas out or no pilot light. Yet the water heater works fine.

• Answer:if its a newer furnace and the bloer starts right away and there is no flame, you may have a limit switch open for safety. there may be an led light on the control board. if its steadily on it usually means normal operation. if it is blinking, count the blinks between the longer pauses. on the back of the cover should be a diagnostic chart listing the number of blinks and the corresponding problems. this is the best i can do with the limited information you have given. please post any more info you can give.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: i just purchased a goodman furnace, all hooked up,cycles all the way till gas valve should open then restarts?
NEW GOODMAN FURNACE, TURN MY THERMOSTAT UP FURNACE CYCLES ALL THE WAY THE IGNITERS LIGHT UP THEN SHUT RIGHT OFF GAS VALVE NEVER OPEN, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT MIGHT CAUSE THIS PROBLEM,OR IS THE FURNACE JUNK?

• Answer:Allow the furnace to continue its attempts to light. At some point (3-5 tries) the furnace will stop operating and go into lockout mode. You can then look through the little viewport in the bottom section of the furnace. You will see a red light. If it’s flashing on and off this indicates a problem. If the light is steady everything is normal. Call the company that sold you the furnace to get an info sheet that will tell you what the problem may indicate for the various numbers of flashes. Or, the LED flash code may be located on a label somewhere on the furnace doors or possibly inside the furnace compartments. It might also be in the paperwork that came with the furnace. Good luck.

Associated Goodman Gas Furnace Question: Does “Goodman” make a quality gas furnace?

• Answer:all furnaces are about the same,they usually share the same brand gas valve,the same circuit board,limit switches,etc. the main difference is cabinet construction,and type of heat exchanger..bottom line, you pay for the name

Question
I need to get my old( 29yr ) gas furnace repaired or replaced before
winter comes. It’s a Day & Night Brand rated at 80,000 BTU. The Gas
Company said it needs a new gas control and it would be expensive.
They wouldn’t say how much. Does anyone have a general idea as to the
ballpark cost(parts & labor) to replace the gas control for a furnace?
I live in So. California near LA.
If I were to buy a new gas furnace could anyone make recommendations
or name brand furnaces? Thanks for any input!
Answers
I got 30+yr furnace repair recently too.
I put in new fan bearings and got the old pressure regulator and pilot
stat replaced with a HoneyWell Tradeline V800A 1179
Combination Gas Control Valve that combines all the old components
into one unit.
Installed it cost me ~$200.00 + taxes Canadian.

But the installer did try and sell me some other services too.
Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:model 718 duo therm vented gas furnace repair manual?
need a parts break down

• Answer:You would do best to look up the manufactors website and get hteinfoirmation there. It’s likely that if you cal them (they usually have a toll free number) they will fax, or email you the parts manuel. Look onyour furnace if you don’thave their book. It should give you information on how to contact the company. We do this at work all of the time for many peices of equipment.Good luck

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:Replace or Repair Gas Furnace?
I have a gas furnace which was installed in the mid 1990’s. The furnace needs repair or replacement. I have a quote to repair it for $800. I’m not sure how much it will cost to replace it, but I believe from doing some research that it will probably be at least twice the cost of repairing the old one. Does it make sense to spend the money on the repairs, or would I be better off purchasing a new one? The tax credit available this year for purchasing and installing a new high-efficiency gas furnace is tempting, but the up front costs will be difficult to handle. Any ideas or recommendations? Would it be possible to perhaps save some money by purchasing a new furnace myself and then finding someone to install it? It seems like most companies want to sell me the furnace if they are going to install it, but their price mark-ups are insane!

• Answer:To get the tax credits you will need a 95% efficient gas furnace, the lower efficiency units do not qualify for tax credits. Then you only get 30% of the total price in tax credits, max $1500.00. A new 95% will cost you a lot more than $1600.00! Then there’s the labor on top of that. $5000.00 is more realistic. Buy it yourself? Warranty it yourself! Most companies will take off about half the price of the furnace from what they would charge for the job complete with them furnishing the furnace to install one you have. And then there will not be a warranty. And what you would have access to buy yourself would be some off brand or freight salvage equipment. Manufacturers do not sell to the public, only to dealers. Yes, replacement will be your better bet, but it will be pricey.

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:How to repair 92 model Trane heat only gas furnace?
The furnace will not come on at all. I have changed the thermostat and the fuse that is attached to the outlet the furnace plaugs into. I have power at the plug the unit is plugged into. I still get nothing from the fan or the electric ignitor. Is there a fuse or something in the furnace that could be the problem?

• Answer:There should be a diagnostic light that will flash on the circuit board that controls the furnace. Check to see what code it is flashing and follow the steps accordingly.

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:Is it hard to repair or replace the bss switch on my gas furnace?
The furnace stops turning on until I flip the switch.

• Answer:It is not that hard but if you do it wrong there is a slight posibility of causing a fire. Far more likely is if you do it wrong it just will not light.

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:Can I purchase maintenance policy for future gas furnace repairs?

• Answer:Yes, most HVAC Service company’s offer service agreements for systems.

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:how to repair a heil gas furnace?
the burner lights for a while but the blower fan don’t turn on.

• Answer:Could be a dead blower motor. Usually accompanied by an awkward sound and a burning smell. You need a service tech to replace that for you. Please, whatever you do, don’t “sand” your flame sensor. To clean it, use a clean, non abrasive cloth dish scouring pad. It probably wouldn’t be the flame sensor though, as even with a dirty flame sensor, the fan should kick in, unless your fan doesn’t kick in until the flame is already established. Try cleaning it before anything.

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:REPAIR COST ON GAS FURNACE.?
I live in New York City in a single family house. I just had a heating problem and needed a quick repair on my Weil-McLaine gas furnace. The gas valve failed and had to be replaced (failed to open when voltage applied). A local licensed plumber did the repair (on a weekday at approx. 2:00 P.M.) and the charge was $535.00 + tax for a job that took approx. 45 minutes. Does this seem excessive? The invoice states: “Replace gas valve, thermocouple & pilot assembly on gas fired steam boiler”. The gas valve replacement was a White-Rodgers mdl. # 36C03400. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

• Answer:You are going to get charged a minimum of 1 hour labor for a service call plus travel and mileage, if applicable. Subtract the labor charges and the rest is parts. For a gas valve, thermocouple and pilot assembly, that sounds about right.

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:What type of explosive gas out of a furnace smells like urine? What causes this so it can be fixed?
my dad has had his gas furnace blew up 7 times. the colder it gets and the longer it runs is when it usualy happens. the meter may not be working properly becuse of the rate of the increase and usage shown on bill. the meter is read over the phone lines. repair people from the gas co. cant explain or fix it as told by them and arent sure.

• Answer:It sounds like stinky carbon monoxide due to a cracked heat exchanger. Make sure the vent is clean.Call a heating company

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:I have a Payne gas furnace about 7 years old..How do I clean the sensor.?
The furnace sometimes has a difficult time kicking on.This happened about 3 years ago and the furnace repair man said he had to clean the sensor. I would like to try to clean the sensor but I don’t know where it is…

• Answer:first turn the power off to the furnace,remove the panel that covers the burners,there is a ignitor that is probably flat,it glows to ignite the bnrs,DO NOT touch it,its very Fragile,look for a rod thats about 2-3 inches long and about 1/8 in in diameter ,thats the flame sensor, to clean it either use one of those green scrubbers u use in the kitchen,a new clean one,clean the sensor with that,or use a sharp knife to scrape the sensor,put all bk in place ,turn the power on,,hope that woks,if not call a pro,the sensor may have to be replaced and or the ignitor,they both get weak

Associated Gas Furnace Repair Question:What is a “high end vacuum switch” (relating to a gas furnace) and what does it do?
The HVAC repair man has been out several times to repair our furnace, and he said he’s waiting on a part called a “high end vacuum switch.” What exactly is this and what does it do?

• Answer:A vacuum, or pressure switch basically proves that a draft is established and it is safe for the furnace to fire. If the flue becomes blocked or the draft motor fails to run, the vacuum switch will not sense a draft and the furnace will not run. It is a safety to make sure combustion products are being vented out of your house.

Question
Gas lines are being installed in our area (we now have a heat pump).
We’re starting to get estimates from heating contractors. Each one
indicates they can install any model, but everyone seems to favor a different
manufacturer. The maddening part is that they each have a long list of reasons
why not to choose any other manufacturer. So far, we’ve heard from 3 different
companies that Lennox, Trane, and Amana are #1. Obviously, they all can’t
be the best. If we continue to have men come out, we’ll probably hear
another batch of mfg. held out to be the best!

What’s a homeowner to do? I went to the library to check Consumer Reports,
but found no reports on furnace ratings. Does anyone know where
these ratings might be found?
Answers
Unfortunately, it’s too big a project for Consumer Reports. Lennox makes
mainly basic models; prices are high for what they offer. Carrier is the
premium brand; Trane is well-known too. But what you want, reasonably
enough, is statistics, not word of mouth, and I’ve never been able to find such
statistics or quantitative information about things like noise levels or electricity
usage.

The salespeople will tell you that whatever they sell is the best; many of them
get volume discounts so they push one brand. People in this newsgroup will
say “I have Brand X and it works fine” which is not terribly useful. The best
you can do is study the brochures and maybe cruise the web; for example, if
you feel that stainless steeel is better for heat exchangers than aluminized steel,
you might buy a Rheem. Get lots of quotes; prices vary a lot, and for no
obvious reason.

Associated Gas Furnace Ratings Question:What should I look for in a new gas furnace?
my house is 1400 sq ft, brick, and in southeast Michigan. I currently have a forced air gas furnace that is almost 30 years old. I need to know about price and efficiency ratings, and whether a new furnace can handle my eleven year old central air unit. I would appreciate help and advice—not a sales pitch. Thank you.

• Answer:You should contact several dealer/installers and ask for written, firm quotes. Make sure they analyze your home with an HVAC design program such as a “Manual J” or similar. This will give you a well-designed system for your specific house, including construction details; wall, ceiling and floor insulation; window and door sizes & features for every door and window; even the compass directions for all the major walls with large windows. And it will give you a properly-sized AC capacity requirement for your house, too. At a minimum, you should get an 80% efficient furnace, but give serious thought to a more efficient 90% or even a 92-97% ‘condensing’ (flue gas) furnace. These furnaces require special exhaust gas flues made from PVC plastic, because the corrosive exhaust gases can destroy ceramic or tile flues, and corrode metal flues. And make sure you get a programmable thermostat with your new furnace to save additional heating expenses. The lowest cost furnaces are the lowest efficiency, and have one-speed fans and single-stage gas burners, and aluminized steel heat exchangers. Next up are units with two-stage burners, and multi-speed fans. Finally, top-end units have continuously-variable speed fans, and some may have stainless steel heat exchangers. Check for warranties for both parts and labor – usually 1 to 5 years, though the heat exchanger should have a 20 year or longer warranty period. The highest efficiency furnaces may offer a lifetime HE warranty. Ask the dealer about call backs, reliability and frequency of repairs for the units they install. Check with a consumer magazine or search for reliability information from homeowners and installers. You may have to read between the lines – some furnaces are inexpensive ‘builder or contractor’ models installed in tract home or condo/townhome units where low cost is more important than reliability. At the other end of the price spectrum, you might be paying for expensive national advertising programs for certain furnaces.

Associated Gas Furnace Ratings Question:Quality experience with Goodman furnace and central air?
I am replacing my gas forced air furnace and adding central air. The furnace will be a 115,000btu, 95% efficient and the air will be 4 ton 13 SEER. My choice is between lower priced Goodman units or Trane or Lennox units at a considerably higher price. They all have the same warranty and efficiency ratings. Has anyone had experience that suggests that I should not go with the lower price product? I am doing the installation myself and Goodman offers videos and other DIY technical support that the other brands do not offer. I’ve had five quotes from contractors and they all pretty much agree on the sizing. Goodman seems to be the only brand I can buy just the equipment, all the others are sold only through contractors who want to get a large chunk of the labor. I do have a good shot of knowing what I’m doing- I’m a recently retired mechanical engineer. I just don t know the products.

• Answer:I am an HVAC Contractor and I only use Goodman. You are not comparing apples to apples. Check Goodman 13 and 14 SEER. 10 years parts and labor including the compressor. Also Goodman will allow you to extend the warranty by 5 years. If you have to repair the equipment Goodman will be the easiest to get the parts for and cost the least. Dont buy a name it is not worth it. Make sure you get the copeland scroll compressor, on 14 SEER and up.

Associated Gas Furnace Ratings Question:compare gas furnce ratings?
80% furnace

• Answer:Most new, brand name gas furnaces are between 96% and 98% efficient. A new gas boiler for home heating, are around 92% efficient. All brand names are very comparable for reliability but some will cost more for repairs.

Associated Gas Furnace Ratings Question:Air Conditioner or Heat Pump in Western PA, which one should we buy?
We are looking to install either an air conditioner or heat pump to an existing 80% efficient two-stage furnace (Carrier Weather Maker). We’ve gotten quotes for both an AC and Heat Pump in 13 and 15 SEER ratings. (cheapest being 13 SEER AC, most expensive 15 SEER Heat pump) We don’t know which one is the best option for us. Will the 2 additional SEER rating be that much more energy efficient? How much energy will using a Heat Pump save? There are so many variables involved with the cost of gas and electricity that it’s hard to figure. Here’s a link to Pittsburgh’s average temperatures. http://www.cityrating.com/citytemperature.asp?City=Pittsburgh Any advice is welcome.

• Answer:It all boils down to how long you plan to stay in your current house. Of course the 15 SEER heat pump unit is going to be better in the long run, but would you ever recover the extra cost? Well, national average is right around 2-3 years for a break even point over a 13 SEER A/C only unit. I’d personally go with the biggest, baddest unit I could. It will add to your home’s value and lower your utility costs. Get good installers to put it in! That’s probably the best advice I can give you. ————– In order to give you an exact break even point, I’d need to know the heat transfer coefficient of your house, its exposed area, how the house is oriented, the average cost of electricity per kWh in your area, the cost of natural gas per cubic foot in your area, the size of your system, and your square footage. The beast is gonna be figuring out the actual average heat transfer coefficient over the entire surface area of the house.

Question
Well, the two contractors bidding for a replacement furnace in our house
turned in comparable figures, but one insists that we need a chimney
liner as well, for an extra $300.

Basic chimney liner questions:

1) What the heck is it? If it’s so important, why has our old gas-fired
furnace (supplying forced hot air) managed 30 years without one?
Answers
Your 30 year old funace is not as efficient as the new one that is going
to be installed ( hopefully a 90+ ). lots of hot air that used to go up
the chimney will now heat your house, because of the cooler tempeature of
the exhaust gas, there is a good chance of the exhaust gas not making it all
the way up the chimney and trying to come back down. Also because of reduced
exhaust gas temperature the condensate fron the furnace may collect on
the inside of your chimney and cause the mortar joints to erode.

2) Is there some safety-related aspect to it? The best argument the guy
could come up with was that it reduced or eliminated “sweating” and
condensation on windows in winter. I notice that simply installing storm
windows (which I am slowly converting all our windows to accept) would
also eliminate condensation problems. Note that this chimney is used
only by the furnace; we have no fireplaces letting chimney air into the
house.

It has nothing to do with condensation on the windows, see above. These
liners are required by code ( in Cleveland, Oh and probably nationally ).
my sense of this contractor is that he knows that he is required to install
a liner because of the codes but has no clue as to why. Because of that,
you may want to seek another bid, on the other hand $300 is pretty damn cheap
for a liner, in my experience for a 1.5 story bungallow it would cost about
$600-$700 to install ( cost may vary by area )
Associated Furnace Exhaust Gas Temperature Question:What is the exhaust gas temperature of an oil fired hot air furnace in the chimney?

• Answer:Let’s try something fun. Diesel gives you 45 kJ/g. Take a diesel molecular weight 226 g/mol for C16H34. (You’ll often find values ~230 for diesel. but I’m making approximations.) 45 kJ/g*226 g/mol = 10170 kJ/mol C16H34 + 24.5O2 -> 16CO2 + 17H2O Suppose you get complete combustion, and you start out with everything at 25 degrees C. For CO2, we have 0.819 J/gC, H2O we have 2.080 J/gC. Now, you have 16*44=704 g CO2, and 17*18=306 g H2O, and 10170 kJ energy. To add 1 degree C of temperature, we need (704 g * 1c * 0.819 J/gC) + (306 g * 1c * 2.080 J/gC) = 1.213 kJ. HUH??? Ah, darn, I forgot…some of the heat goes to the actual furnace body and house occupants, some of it heats up the air that goes straight through the furnace without any chemical reaction, sometimes the person using the furnace can add or subtract air flow, and there’s a few more fun things that can happen. So in the end, it all depends on how the furnace is designed, and how it’s being used!

Associated Furnace Exhaust Gas Temperature Question:1997 Toyota Camry P0401 OBD-II Code (Gas Recirculation – Insufficient Exhaust Flow)?
I have a 1997 Toyota Camry that has an ongoing exhaust system problem. First, the exhaust manifold has been running real hot for a while now – I mean red hot like it just came out of the furnace. I took the car for a smog test last month and it passed with flying colors. Temperature gauge shows normal – always just a tad above the middle. Car does not overheat or lose power, but it water hose and the radiator indicates above normal pressure. If you touch the hose after driving the car for a few minutes, you can feel the boiling water inside the hose. Engine runs smooth and quiet however. I had it check for crack head gasket and result was negative. Two days ago the Engine Check light came on. I bought an OBD II reader and reader shows Error code P0401 (Gas Recirculation – Insufficient Exhaust Flow). I need help figuring out what’s is the likely culprit so I can decide whether to fix it myself or take it to a mechanic. In case I take it to a mechanic, at least I know what the problem is so I won’t get taken. Thanks for all your help. Car runs fine and accelerates without any problem. No sign of sluggishness whatsoever.

• Answer:While the EGR system helps cool cylinder temperatures, I DOUBT that this is causing a hot manifold or high cooling system pressures… These two things should be checked by a shop… Hot manifold could be a fuel control problem of some sort, high cooling system pressure could indicate a combustion leak of the head gasket ( see if the coolant smells like exhaust fumes) Hot manifold *could* also indicate a clogged catalytic converter, does the car run sluggish at all, or not want to accelerate well? EGR basics: computer senses engine load, throttle position, amongst other values, and calculates desired egr flow. Egr flow is regulated by way of a pulse width modulated solenoid valve. There is a transducer in place to sense egr pipe backpressure, and help adjust egr flow accordingly… The computer then uses O2 sensor readings, knock sensor values, and other means to determine if the egr system is working properly.. Hence your P0401, computer sees a problem with egr flow. Causes of this code are usually: clogged egr passageway(s), bad transducer (melted diaphragm), bad solenoid valve(s), broken vacuum hose(s), or bad egr valve Are you prepared to make this diagnosis on your own? Code readers are great, and so is learning new things, but keep in mind modern engine control systems are very complex and usually requiire a pretty good understanding of theory to help make an educated diagnosis. Have fun and good luck!

Associated Furnace Exhaust Gas Temperature Question:I have a York PBKM, model A, computer back up furnace…?
My furnace will fire 85 % of the time with no problem. Once in a while monitoring the unit, found that the ignitor will turn on and the gas valve wont’t open then the next thing that will happens is that the blower will start right after on cold mode blowing cold air into the house and at the same time the exhaust blower keeps going too to make matters worse by taking away to heat I already have in the house. Does somebody know what idiot engineer designed this one this way…? The only way to cut this problem is by turning the thermostat off and then re starting with a highest calling temperature, but is a problem when you have to wake up at night few times to do this. I am very sure is not the gas valve because when this happens, I messure no AC 24 volts going into the valve. If you guess, I tried cleaning the heat sensor, also repleced with a new one and then re located at different possitions per previous suggestions to see is this helps. I already know that the sensor is what is trigger the relay on the gas valve to opens while the ignitor is on.I am handy, but this one got me…! Please suggest…! Thanks in advance: Eddie

• Answer:The lock out feature and fan running continuously is a safety feature. Most all manufacturers have also designed in that it restarts the cycle after an hour and some models 3 hours and it will attempt to fire up again. Also turning off the power and then back on would reset a lock out condition. Most likely the gas valve relay in the circuit board has pitted or burned contacts allowing it to make a connection on some cycles and not on others. Unfortunately the relay cant be replaced, the circuit board would need to be replaced. This is as long as there are no faulty wiring connections between the circuit board and the gas valve. The flame sensor only comes into play after the gas valve is energized so it wouldn’t be that. It wouldn’t be any safety switches or the igniter would never be energized.

Associated Furnace Exhaust Gas Temperature Question:need help on this?
Which one of the following substances is a liquid fuel used in rocket engines? A. Liquid oxygen B. Ammonia C. Potassium perchlorate D. Codium nitrate 15. The density of water is the greatest at a temperature of A. 0 K. B. 4 K. C. 273 K. D. 277 K. 16. In a gasoline engine, the area in the cylinder head where the air-and-fuel mixture is burned is called the A. piston. B. cylinder. C. combustion chamber. D. intake valve. 17. How much heat is required to convert 0.3 kilogram of ice at 0°C to water at the same temperature? A. 100,375 J B. 167,292 J C. 334,584 J D. 450,759 J 18. Which of the following cools the air in a household refrigerator? A. Reduction of the air temperature due to condensation of the gaseous refrigerant B. The transfer of heat from the air to the compressor due to expansion of the gaseous refrigerant C. The transfer of heat to the evaporator due to compression of the liquid refrigerant D. Absorption of the heat from the air due to evaporation of the liquid refrigerant 19. Which one of the following temperatures is equal to 5°C? A. 0 K B. 41 K C. 278 K D. 465 K 20. Liquid alcohol will change to vapor when its temperature reaches the A. boiling point. B. fusing point. C. freezing point. D. melting point. 21. A temperature of 200°F is equivalent to approximately A. 37.8°C. B. 93.3°C. C. 232°C. D. 840°C. 22. A quantity of gas has a volume of 0.20 cubic meter and an absolute temperature of 333 degrees kelvin. When the temperature of the gas is raised to 533 degrees kelvin, what is the new volume of the gas? (Assume that there’s no change in pressure.) A. 0.0006 m3 B. 0.2146 m3 C. 0.2333 m3 D. 0.3198 m3 23. Which of the following statements correctly describes the position of the intake and exhaust valves during most of the power stage in a four-cycle gas engine? A. The intake valve is closed and the exhaust valve is open. B. The intake valve is open and the exhaust valve is closed. C. Both the intake valve and the exhaust valve are closed. D. Both the intake valve and the exhaust valve are open. 24. What is the length of an aluminum rod at 65°C if its length at 15°C is 1.2 meters? A. 0.001386 meter B. 0.00180 meter C. 1.201386 meters D. 1.214855 meters 25. Heat from burning fuel warms the walls of the firebox section of the furnace in A. a hot-air heating system. B. an evaporation system. C. a compressor compartment. D. a hot-water heating system.

• Answer:1) A ( Liquid Oxygen). 2) C (273K is the same as 0C so the water is frozen). C = K 278K – 5C-273.15 3) C (where the fuel is ignited is the combustion chamber) 4) A (100,375 J ) 5) D. (Absorption of the heat from the air due to evaporation of the liquid refrigerant) 6) C (278K – (K = C + 273) so 273+5= 278) 7) A (boiling point is a Liquid to a Gas exactly the same as water!) B (F = C*5/9 -32) 9) D (V2=0.2(533/333)= 0.32 cubic M) 10) B ( four cycle engine/four stroke engine process is Suck, Squeeze, Bang and Blow. 1)Suck – opens inlet valves piston moves down draws in air and fuel. 2) Squeeze – piston moves up compresses the mixture. 3) Bang – when the piston reaches the top of the cylinder the spark plugs fire igniting the fuel air mix, forcing the piston back down. 4) Blow – the piston goes back up with the exhaust valves open to expel the fumes . in one the inlet valve is open and the exhaust outlet is closed (Suck) and vice versa (Blow), and two both are closed (Squeeze, Bang.). 11) D (metal shrinkage/expansion is between 1% and 7% 1.2 + 1% = 1.212, 7% would be too high) 12) A (not sure of that one)

Question
I’m sure the $5600 was for the COMPLETE ac unit and furnace.
I’m not a HVAC expert, but I believe that evaporator coils are
engineered to provide service for specific refrigerants and are
often
built to work best with specific sizes and types of compressors.
Your
12 year old AC system is probably much less energy efficient than a
newer system, and it is questionable how many more years of life
you
have left on your compressor unit. Once it goes, you will replace
it
with a compressor that does not use Freon and the brand new
evaporator
coil you put in now (into the new furnace) may not be compatible
with
the new compressor.

If you have the $$, replace your compressor at the same time you
get the
new furnace installed and get a new evaporator coil that is best
matched
to the new compressor.

Three years ago we replaced a 10 year old Freon compressor with a
unit
using “puron”. We also swapped out the evaporator coil
for one
specifically designed for the new compressor. The replacement
compressor was actually slightly smaller (in cooling capacity) than
the
old one. However, with no changes to our thermostat settings, and
adding no insulation to the house, our interior humidity is about
8%
lower in the summer and our electric bill dropped by about 25% even
though the cost per kwh went up and the following summer was
warmer.

By the way, the best way to determine if you are paying too much or
not
is to get at least 3 bids from different contractors for the
identical
items, ensuring that each bid includes haul-away of existing
removed
equipment and has the same length of guarantee for labor and parts.
And the real question is, is it NECESSARY to replace everything???
Adviseable, likely. Necessary? Questionable.
The “A” coil is likely in an “air handler” module -
or simply in an
air duct – which could likely be changed/modified to accept an
available coil assembly to get the whole thing back working fo about
$2000.
If the furnace dies next year, you get to spend the money all aver
again. Likewise if the outside unit (compressor/condensor) fails.
(so yes, likely “adviseable” to replace the whole thing at
once.
Answers
The quote most decidely did NOT include a new ac unit. I was looking in to
the non freon solar ready units tho and I am appalled that NO ONE has any
prices on line for the furnaces or ac units, so you pretty much are at the
mercy of your knowledge and how much the contractor thinks they can ream
you for.

The coil is inside with the furnace, the ac is on the roof (i’m in a
condo) I am trying to ferret out whether I can fix this without replacing
the furnace, but due to the age of the furnace i dont think I can?

The contractors explanation was that the newer coils are long (my current
one is 14 inchs tall) and the newer furnaces are shorter, so a new coil
with my old furnace wont fit the space – does that sound feasible? I
really wish I had a contractor in the family so i could get the straight
dope.

a 2k fix sounds great to me, however if it is a patch, I’d rather bite the
bullet now and get the tax credit.

I hate not knowing at least the exact $$ i am dealing with in parts so I
can compare with sound information. When I asked him point blank what the
exact cost of the furnace was he said about 1950 – so im paying 4k in
labor? Oh No, we also have to provide the coil, freon for the old unit etc
etc etc. I know they need to make thier money, but why can’t it be in
black and white? The only reason I can see for them not disclosing prices,
is so they can charge whatever they feel I will pay. I am getting the
feeling a coil is in the 1k area on price and if I need to replace the ac
in the near future I will be paying that 1k again to get a compatible coil.

Associated Furnace A C Question: What is the filter box my new A/C, Furnace company wants to put in my attic?
It will be a new gas furnace in the attic, and a new a/c outside. Currently, I use a 20×25x1 filter in the hallway of my home, and this company wants to put a filter in the attic thats changed yearly. Will I use both filters?

• Answer:That likely would be one of those newer HEPA filters that are about eight inches think. They do work and you have to replace them much less. But if I were you I would check the price of those filters first. I saw some that were $50-$100 each. They are far more expensive than changing the one inch thick ones more often. Unless you have people with allergies I doubt it is worth it.

Associated Furnace A C Question:How much should it cost to clean out a A/C furnace Unit. (Professional clean.)?
Apparently, the lady who own the house before me( I have owned it for 5 years) had the furnace serviced, and no one replaced the filter, as a result, dirt, debris and mildew has collected on the coils and around the casing that encloses the blower. I have never had it cleaned and did not know there should be a filter in the unit, so I never changed it. I would have it I had known. I have been given a price to have it cleaned, to pitch it to make it drain, (it is laying flat), add a filter and add a little freon. Don’t want to be taken advantage of.

• Answer:Regular yearly service is around $100. Yours sounds more involved, so I would think it shouldn’t be any more than $250. Call a few other places and describe what your guy is doing, but don’t mention how much he’ll charge and ask them what they’d charge to be sure you’re not getting taken. I can’t imagine it costing over $300, but if the rust is real bad etc. you might run into some surprise costs, (although it’s unlikely). If the unit is around 10 years old or older and the worst case scenario with rust being real bad and parts needing to be replaced, making the cost close to around $1000, then I suggest buying a new unit for another $1000. You’ll get a whole new warranty and a new unit will run more efficiently and cost less to use. That’s IF they give you a rediculously high bid. I can’t be sure until I see the unit. Your best bet is at least 3 free estimates. Call and ask, then decise if it’s worth repairing or replacing depending on the cost. My hunch is that if there’s not too much damage, that it will be under $300.

Associated Furnace A C Question:Can I use aluminum foil instead of a porcelin crucible in a 575 C furnace? Crucibles are expensive.?
I need to react some samples to 575 C, and I dont have enough porcelin crucibles, so I would like to place the samples in aluminum foil. Is this safe?

• Answer:the aluminum will not hold up to the temp. thicker aluminum may hold up for a time but the thickness would have to be considerably thicker. 3/16 min thickness then the cost goes up. so im sure the porcelin would still be cheaper have you thought of just using a pyrex dish?

Associated Furnace A C Question:what do I need to know about replacing the furnace/a/c in the closet of my 1900 sq ft home?
The furnace and air conditioning unit in my Sister-in-law’s quit. She had a heating/a/c guy check it. He doesn’t replace the appliances, but he said that it’s shot. It sits in the utility room, like an apartment unit. I know very little about this, and I don’t want my Sister-in-law to get ripped off.

• Answer:read the nameplate on the unit and get one the same size or 10 % bigger.

Associated Furnace A C Question:Need to replace A/C & furnace – should we do it now or in the Spring?
We just found out that our AC unit is shot & needs to be replaced. Our furnace is working just fine right now, but it’s rather old & should probably be replaced @ the same time. Would it be cheaper to do it now or in the Spring..?

• Answer:It would probably be cheaper to replace it when it gets cooler. When the cooler weather hits a/c companies usually go down on their pricing because it is a slower time of the year. For example our mark-up on equipment in the spring and summer is 50%. In the fall and winter we only mark up equipment 35%. You will have to replace the inside and outside. The seer ratings must match. They do not make 10 seer or below equipment anymore. Since yours is old it would fall into that category.

Associated Furnace A C Question:How do i find out information about a company installing a furnace and c/a??
The better business bureau has no info as far as i can tell so how do i make sure a company is in good standing ex: no unfinshed projects or faulty equiptment? I am in ohio

• Answer:I recommend joining ANGIE’s LIST <= membership is pricey but supposely can join for just one month and then just getting quotes from highest rated HVAC firms bec consumer/resident members do decent job subjectively rating firms for their quality of work and sometimes price on different/various repair services and most give honest opinions so please beware not to select bad apples or ones with lowest grades bec they are crooked and you don’t want to do business with them or get quotes from bec in the end, they will not install your HVAC correctly and you will have problems on your hand and might have to pay 2nd HVAC firm to do job correctly where lowest price is not alway best… Use your instinct and gut feeling bec normally HVAC firms have designated crews… Hope the Above Info Helps!

Associated Furnace A C Question:Strange breathy odor in my room with a/c/furnace/boiler in a utility closet with slanted slat door?
There is this breathy smell that smells like someone just breathed in my room. It normally disappears quickly, but I can smell it from time to time and when I re-enter. And it feels a little heavier than air I think.

• Answer:It is probably mold from trapped water in a dark moist place.

Associated Furnace A C Question:How much should and new furnace and a/c (installed) cost?
I have a small, one bedroom condo, and need to replace my 34 year old natural gas furnace and 19 year old a/c. How much should I expect to pay to have the old stuff taken out, and to have the new stuff installed? Or could I do it myself?

• Answer:First of all you can not do this yourself. Their are several specialty tools and gages needed. At a minimum you must be EPA certified to handle the refrigerant in the system. It takes training and Knowledge. As far as price is concerned their are many, many options. For a standard system of your size I would say a good range is between $2500 and $4000 dollars – installed. Any less your probably getting substandard equipment and installation. A higher end system could run well into the $5000 – $6000 range.

Associated Furnace A C Question:What’s the best furnace and a/c equipment available these days?
We’re getting a new furnace installed and it seems all the vendors are offering different brand equipment. In order of preference, what are the best furnace and a/c manufacturers these days?

• Answer:that’s a difficult question. one thing is to get a new unit, regardless of brand, with the highest SEER you can afford. i would want a unit with a scroll compressor. if you live in a milder climate i would also want a heat pump. now as far as brand, it’s hard to say. trane is probably the industry leader. lennox makes a quality unit. however, they all basicly use the same components as american standard and such. the most important thing is to use a really good contractor. whatever brand you buy, the install is the key!!!!

Associated Furnace A C Question:what is the easiest, cheapest way to increase air flow thru a furnace/a/c?
not a lot of air coming out of registers, checked all ducts good, no loss of air, pretty strong pull at cold air return, a/c unit and a-coil brand new- very cold, need to move more air

• Answer:First, check your filter. That is the number one problem with many systems. You cannot just arbitrarily increase air flow through the furnace. The speed of the blower should be set to move 400 CFM of air per ton of air conditioning. In more humid environments, 350 CFM of air per ton. There is usually a spec sheet or chart that comes with the installation instructions of the furnace that shows what speed the blower should be set for the appropriate CFM. Also, the duct work has to be sufficiently sized in order to move a certain amount of air through each duct, depending on the cooling load for each room. I would suggest having your system checked and serviced by a reputable and knowledgeable air conditioning contractor in your area. Good luck.

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Question
Wish I had stocked up on Rhodium a few years ago. Who knew?

Rhodium is an interesting metal. I watch the prices on Kitco.com and talk
about wild swings? It shot up over $6000.00/oz a few weeks ago when Gold
peaked around $740/oz.. Rhodium was leaping up $250.00 to $500.00 an oz. per
day! (Unlike Gold, which goes up and down in dollars and cents, Rhodium
always seems to go up and down in multiples of $25.00 or $50.00 even..) ..
And then it started falling back and now it’s jumping up again.

I’d proably lose what’s left of my mind if I had a lot of money tied up in
Rhodium and watched its prices fluctuate. Compared to Gold, Rhodium’s price
swings are insane. Don’t know much about its uses or who the big
users/buyers/sellers of it are, or even what color it is. But watching
those numbers is scary.

Harv

Answers
Rhodium metal is silvery white. Rhodium has a higher melting point
and lower density than platinum. It has a high reflectance and is hard
and durable. Upon heating it turns to the oxide when red and at higher
temperatures turns back to the element. It is a major component of
industrial catalytic systems.

The following uses of rhodium are gathered from a variety of sources.

* Alloying agent to harden platinum and palladium. Such alloys are
used for furnace windings, thermocouple elements, bushings for glass
fibre production, electrodes for aircraft spark plugs, and laboratory
crucibles
* Used as an electrical contact material as it has a low
electrical resistance, a low and stable contact resistance, and is
highly resistant to corrosion
* Plated rhodium produced by electroplating or evaporation is
exceptionally hard and is used for optical instruments
* Used for jewelry
* Industrial catalyst
* Rhodium is used as part of the catalytic system in car catalytic
converters, used to clean up exhaust gases to some extent

http://hcrosscompany.com/precious/rhodium.htm

(Likes Silver … but would’ve happily bought rhodium for $380/ounce
several years ago and sold for $6,275 one month ago.)

Question
I am in the process of trying to convert a natural gas furnace to burn
natural gas and hydrogen.

I Am Searching to Find Out If Anyone Has Attempted this Before.

This is for a residential building. Once I can figure out the details
of the combustion process, my intention is to use solar cells and wind
power to separate water to provide me with my hydrogen. There are
several questions that are wandering through my mind in preparation to
work this process out.

1. Are there any ASME codes that would prevent me from using
Hydrogen in a household furnace?

2. I am looking for a practical method of hydrogen storage and
pressurization so that I don’t have to use an oversize storage tank.
Does anyone have any information about storing H2 in a honeycomb style
pressure medium, where the risk of explosion may be reduced?

3. Has anyone done a cost analysis to determine the actual cost of
hydrolysis in terms of electrical load.

I would appreciate any assistance from more experienced home
tinkerers!

Answers
[ I am adding the sci.energy.hydrogen newsgroup to the list ]

It’s my understanding that there is an organization (American Hydrogen
Association?) that might be able to help you with details on residential
conversions.

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question: Converting from Oil to Gas and Cost of Furnace?
I just bought a house and the furnace is over 20 years old and runs on oil and it has limited life remaining according to the inspector! There is a gas line in the house and if possible, I would like to switch from oil to gas when I replace the furnace. At the same time, I would also like to install central air. Does anyone have a rough estimate of what it would cost to convert and install a new heating and cooling system? We live in central new york. I have tried googling but haven’t had any luck.

• Answer: call a couple of heating contractors up and get some estimates. But before you do that you should decide on what brand heater and A/C you want . You can get those prices afore hand so you will then have an idea of what the change over will cost. One word of advice,,,,,,never sign a contract on the day you get an estimate. think it over. And dont be pressured. Remember you already have heat for the winter.

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question: How much should a TRANE XV95 Gas Furnace cost installed in the midwest?
And, what if one added the TRANE CLEANEFFECTS AIR FILTRATION to the furnace? How much does the it cost. Anyone that has had one installed, I’d be interested to know what you think of it and what you paid. Thanks! My current furnace was installed in 1994 so I’m sure technology has changed and it warrants an upgrade. But, my furnace works great, heats fine. Just going to take advantage of the Tax Credit and upgrade to a more efficient system. I have terrible allergies which is why I’m interested in the CLEANEFFECTS but very skeptical of its effectiveness. The furnace will be installed same spot, same duct work… Thanks for all of your answers!!

• Answer:is it replacing an older 90%+ furnace or will it need the plastic exhaust [ and possibly a second plastic pipe for intake air to burner] ran from scratch?? central ac??….i would est around $3500 for furnace alone,,maybe a little more if its a difficult installation…add an extra $1000 for the air cleaner…my opinion on the air cleaner is to only get the electronic type if you really need it [severe allergies,etc].. otherwise a good hepa filter should suffice for a lot less $………dan

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:How much does it cost to replace a gas furnace?
I have a rental property which is a duplex built in 1948. The gas furnace is in a low efficent. It’s only a 770sqf for each unit and the gas bill is as high as $250 a month. It’s in a low income neighborhood so I dont want to spend a lot of money to upgrade to HVAC? Is it worth to repair it or it’s better to just buy a new gas furnace? How much does it cost to buy the unit and to install it? Any other options than installing a new gas furnace?

• Answer:Depends upon what you buy and who installs it. I got a new gas furnace and an air conditioner together installed for $3000 a couple of years ago (better price with both done together).

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:Cost to extend gas line from furnace to kitchen?
How much approximately would it cost to extend a gas line from the basement furnace room (unfinished) to the kitchen (finished). The two rooms sit ontop of eachother. The current gas line feeds the furnace and the new one would feed an Electrolux Gas Range, but only the cooktop as the oven part is convection.

• Answer:A gasfitter in your area will give you an estimate, but it’s not going to be expensive typically, unless there is no clear way to feed the pipe up through the wall without openning up drywall etc. Call a ticketed gasfitter to get an estimate for your particular situation.

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:Whats the difference between an electric and gas furnace? as far as cost and upkeep go?
I’m looking at Condos right now one has a gas furnace and water tank, while the other 2 have an electric(forced air) furnace and an electric water heater. Which is more expensive to run in terms of energy bills? Do Electric Furnaces last longer then gas? Are they cheaper to replace? Does an electric furnace use a heating element or what?(vs a gas using a flame) The one I’m looking at still has an electric furnace from the mid 70’s. Should i be worried?

• Answer:Electric is MUCH more expensive to operate. It uses something called “heat strips” to provide heat. Have you ever seen a fake fireplace that provides heat by blowing air over a coil that heats up? It provides heat but is very expensive to run because it has to keep the coil red hot to provide heat. Well that’s the same way an electric furnace is going to heat your condo, except it has strips that it heats up and blows air over. I would definitely go with the one with gas heat. By the way, a forced hot air furnace can still be gas. That’s what we had in New Jersey and my bills were not out of line. A gas furnace costs more to replace, but a lot less to operate. Same with a gas dryer. It’s more to purchase, but less to operate. An electric furnace from the 70’s is probably not a very energy efficient model so I would definitely think twice. Good luck with finding your new condo and happy moving!!

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:What’s currently more cost effective, gas heat or electric?
What’s currently more cost effective, gas heat or electric? Currently I use a gas furnace, I haven’t gotten the 1st bill yet, but I am contemplating replacing it with electric due to the high cost of gas and also because I believe it is an original furnace installed during the mid 50’s.

• Answer:Gas

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:Gas Furnace to Heat Pump Converstion Cost?
I am currently have a 1090 sq.ft home and it has an A.C. unit and Forced Air Gas Heating. Of course, its central heat with all the duct work in it. I am wanting to convert it to a Heat Pump ( cheaper down the road). I have no idea how much the initial expense is going to be or how the procedure works. If you can give me a detailed description, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

• Answer:a heat pump is nothing more than a a/c in reverse…. no where near as efficient as a gas heater…. nor is it any cheaper??? i would spend the money on energy efficient windows and adding insulation where needed and possible…

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:How long to recover the cost of a 90% vs 80% natural gas furnace?
I have fuel oil now and I’m looking to replace it with a gas furnace. I don’t think I want to go with a 95% percent effeciently due the the difference in cost. Does anyone have experience with the actual cost one would be saving by going with a 90% effecient vs an 80%?

• Answer:It may never pay off. The higher efficiency models require more maint and repair. The 80 percent models are simple and trouble free. It is more an issue of being green than saving money. I am sure some furnace seller will give me the thumbs down, but it’s true.

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:How much does a furnace cost?
Canadian Price please, if possible list websites that would tell me this info.? *want to know cost of mid-efficency, and high-effeciency gas furnaces

• Answer:At the very least you need to know btu’s per hour, up flow,down flow, or horizontal, gas, electric or heat pump. The only price you will find is retail, which is about 50% higher than wholesale. Also there is a huge difference between a quality Trane unit and an economy Coleman or Goodman unit. Most reputable companies won’t sell to anyone but authorized distributors, so prices are not available to the public.

Associated Cost Of A Gas Furnace Question:How much does it cost to install a new gas hot water furnace?
My mom lives in Montgomery County near Philadelphia Pennsylvania. She needs a new gas hot water furnace installed in her home. How much does it cost to replace. We live in Georgia and I don’t think the quotes would be comparable because of the Cost of Living difference. Please help!!!!!

• Answer:it depends… It could be around 1000 dollars if you buy at sears and have them install it. ( this would be a nice one ) Give or take a few depending on how old the house is, because they may or may not need different connections, etc…

Question
I am purchasing a house that has electric appliances (hw,oven,dryer) and a
fuel oil heat system (forced hot air). I am trying to determine if
converting the appliances to propane (nat. gas not available) would be a
wise
decision.

I have read that propane appliances are only around 60-65 % efficient and
propane
is dangerous (heavier than air, leaks pool in basement, boommmm) Since I
am
only converting appliances and not the heating system would this move be
cost
effective.

Answers
In my previous house, I had an oil burner furnace for about 15 years…it
cost me somewhere between $400 and $500 per year to heat in a year. Then
good old gas came to the area, and of course the salespeople told me just
how much more efficient a gas furnace would be. Well, I still paid between
$400 and $500 per year to heat. Now, with the oil burner, I had one of
those professional Bacharach testing kits, and I tuned-up my furnace each
year. During this time period where I tuned the furnace, I had very little,
if any, soot in the chimney and the system always worked. I significantly
downsized the “nozzle” during this process, and that made the furnace run
for longer periods of time…hence more efficiently.

I just purchased another house (about 1.5 years ago) and it had propane
heat…first thing I did was remove the LP tank, install two new 60K BTU
furnaces, and all is fine. Propane would have cost be about 2X what gas is
costing me to heat…I’ll pay for these high-efficiency furnaces in less
than 10 years (guessing).

So, my guess is that gas and oil cost about the same…oil is a little
dirtier even if you tune-up your furnace as I did. Propane will definitely
cost more, but my guess would be it will be less than the cost of
electricity to heat.

I hope this experience helps ya.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question: How do you go about converting a natural gas furnace to a propane gas furnace?
Its a 32,000 BTU 120v-32watt natural gas

• Answer:I agree, most propane suppliers can help you with this problem. It is in their best interest. Usually the conversion is a matter of changing or adjusting the pressure regulator and adjusting the burner. The main problem is that propane needs a bit more air to burn properly.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question: How can a natural gas furnace be converted to use propane?

• Answer:Call a local HVAC company, tell them the brand of furnace, the model number and or serial number. The numbers are normally located inside the service door. They should be able to supply the proper orfice and make the change and test the furnace with the propane hooked up. Unless your trained to work with natural gas and propane, it is not a job for the do-it-yourself guy.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:can anyone tell me how to convert a furnace from propane to natural gas?

• Answer:first off the system you have has to be able to be converted or you will have to change gas valve….most of the time on a gas furnace all you have to do is change the orifice and the spring in the gas valve….

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:Can you use a Natural Gas furnace for Propane or Visversa?
We just bought a home that has NO heat source. We are trying to figure out the most cost effective way to get the heating in the house. We thought maybe propane or natural gas but are not sure what we can do in the house so we want to know if we do one and the other works out better if we can convert.

• Answer:While some manufacturers do make propane versions at the factory, most make furnaces for natural gas and then supply a conversion kit for propane use. That is the beauty of gas appliances. If you install propane appliances and natural gas suddenly becomes available in your area, converting for the other fuel is usually simple unless you have some kind of exotic stove or something. But if you are burning oil or have an electric furnace, you need to change out the entire appliance. If you have natural gas available in the area, it should be considerably cheaper to operate than on propane or especially oil. Consider a gas water heater and clothes dryer as well. Especially if you have a family, that can save you a bundle! I would never tell someone to throw away perfectly good appliances, but as they wear out…put them on gas. Edit: Actually propane appliances operate at 11″wc which is about 1/2 psi and NG appliances are only slightly higher at 14″wc… There are some high pressure ( 10-30psi ) uses of propane but none of them are for residential indoor use…Installation codes prohibit high pressure lines inside a building…

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question: i have a coleman presadential gas furnace it use to be propane and we need to convert it so we can hook it up?
to natural gas the parts are not there so i need to know what it is that i need

• Answer:The jets need to be changed for natural gas. these can be bought at a furnace supply . You also should check fuel pressure and adjust the air intake at the jet housing. If you don’t know how, call for service. It is a small job and won’t cost much.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:How long will a 100 pound cylinder of propane last…?
My idea is to convert my natural gas furnace to propane. I dont want to get the BIG tank since I’ll only need it for heating through the furnace. How long will a 100 pound cylinder of propane last during the winter?

• Answer:It depends on how big the house is. And how efficiant the furnace is. And how cold it is outside and how warm inside. And how well the house is insulated. In other words, how often the furnace runs. Maybe a week or two. And propane costs a lot more in small tanks than having a large one filled.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:lennox pulse 21 100,000 BTU conversion propane to natural gas?
:We have two lenno pulse 21 furnaces (1989) placed into use in 1995, which we need to convert from propane to natural gas. Estimates for conversion have been 500 dollars per unit…Is this reasonable?

• Answer:No it is not resonable but given the age of the furnaces I am surprised the con. kits are still available. I would be more concerned about the high probability that the heat exchangers may well be broken. Your pulse furnaces are from a time when it was not good to own a pulse. Do a search on your furnaces, you will read some nightmare stories on these units. The Lennox web page used to come up completley red with warnings. Law suits, carbon monoxide are just a couple of the subjects associated with the older pulse furnace.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:Cost to convert from oil boiler steam heat to gas powered forced hot air?
We have a 1200 SF home in the northeast. Our oil burner needs to be replaced and we were thinking of just converting to natural gas so we could use it for cooking fuel as well (we currently purchase propane). We were quoted $15,000 for an entirely new gas furnace, ductwork and a baseboard hot water system. We want to know if this sounds reasonable. We also want to know if forced hot air would be comparable. We live in an old house and the gentleman who gave us the quote said that air ducts would be a pain in the butt.

• Answer:You would be crazy to use forced air heat in the northeast. Your house will always feel cold. Go with a gas fired system that uses your existing radiators. This will be in the 3-5,000 range and the temperature will be more stabile.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:Has anyone tried to convert an inside (air blower type) wood furnace into an outside furnace to heat a home?
I have an opportunity to put a huge old hot air blower type wood furnace outside my home and at a distance that’s safe for my home, from the possibility of fire from the (insulated) flue, and run an insulated air duct – or possibly two; one for return air, one for heat, into my home to heat it with, as this spring, we had a tornado that blew down 3,000 local trees, so wood is easy to find and much cheaper than natural gas, propane or electric as a furnace heating fuel. I’ve searched high and low online for info to convert, or rather to insulate the furnace with fire-proof or high heat insulation and cover the furnace with a sheet metal shell, (so as to not make a huge building to put it in, but more or less, a self-contained unit), to protect it from the elements of winter and make it operate more efficiently, but have found nothing but info and ads for ‘outside wood boilers’. I was going to put it in my 10 x 10 metal garden building storage shed, but the storm blew it away. Now I’m faced with 48 – 52 degrees F indoor temperatures while running an oil-radiator electric heater in one room, an inadequate income to buy a new wood stove that’s EPA Approved and UL Listed to have professionally installed inside my home, and when I run my gas furnace, it sucks outside air into and through the house (I imagine, for combustion), in spite of much insulating, caulking and sealing I’ve done, making the house drafty and cold, and in spite of putting out warm air (kind of defeating the purpose of having it on in the first place). … However tonight I learned that by creating a suitable sized outside air intake to the combustion area of my gas furnace, will reduce or eliminate it sucking cold air from outside into my home, and in the process, burn less fuel, and heat the house more efficiently. So anyway, can someone please make a suggestion what should be used for high-heat insulation, to cover my furnace with, i.e., especially, the air jacket, (which is a heavy 1/4″ plate steel box that’s welded to the fire box surrounding it), and operates cooler than the fire box temperature?

• Answer:you have to have mighty good insulation on that ductwork. your getting this confused with outside woodburning boilers. they heat up a heat transfer fluid, and then that gets pumped through supply and return lines to a furnace inside the house. the furnace is normal except it doesn’t require propane or a heating coil. your project sounds like something a bored hvac tech would try for they’re workshop. to complicated. you would be better off building a small addition to your house to install it in if you don’t have the room. i just can’t think of a suitable enclosure for the furnace, not to mention how you would install the supply and return. for some reason a very small shed attached to your home comes to mind as a suitable place to install the furnace. anyway what you are thinking of doing would violate a ton of fire and building codes. don’t try it and buy a bunch of space heaters.

Associated Converting Gas Furnace To Propane Question:How can I convert from gas heating to electric?
We use propane for heating, but because of rising gas prices, the heating costs have become outrageous (seriously, we have to borrow money to pay for heating). The home is heated with liquid filled base board heaters. The propane is used to heat a furnace which in turn circulates hot water through the base board heaters. Is going to electricity going to be cheaper than gas? How do I determine this? Is it as easy as replacing the furnaces with modern electric furnaces? How much does this cost? We don’t have 220 service – does this matter? Any advice is appreciated.

• Answer:call and get a quote from a hvac contractor for a new boiler in both LP and electric and have them do an annual energy consumption (cost) it is a really easy to do calculation that can be accomplished with most new heat load software, or a pencil with a few minutes and known prices for the fuels. estimates are free! ask questions and get answers dont feel bad about shopping around with different contractors and getting the best value for your buck—after all you are paying for the bills and thats what the contractor is in business for