Replace the furnace or not?


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Old 11-03-10, 11:06 AM
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Replace the furnace or not?

I have a Tempstar Oil Furnace that is 21 years old (Unit Model Number: NUOD084DF02).
I am replacing my A/C unit, but my question is, should I replace my furnace now or just have it serviced?

If I were to replace it, do you think I should keep w/ oil or switch to natural gas (which is available in my area)?
 
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Old 11-03-10, 04:23 PM
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Sorry to those who make their livelihood in oil/furnaces, but I think gas fired furnaces stay cleaner all by themselves, even if certain easy DIY bolt on parts fail.

You really need professional service with oil.

With gas, I have seen furnaces run for years and years (over 20 years) without anybody doing anything. Usually the worst thing that can affect the way it burns is if burner tubes get partially plugged with debris or old rust scale, over the years.

If you have the gun type (single nozzle) burner, like I have - well, I have not had to do anything to my gas furnace for 25 years except put in a new blower motor (easy DIY job) - and has always burned a nice blue flame. I have pulled the burner to do a heat exchanger inspection and it is clean as new, up in there. Try that with oil after 25 years.

No oil tank issue, filter issue, sediment-in-tank issue, water-in-tank issue, lost-it's-prime issue, pump issue, coupler issue, nozzle issue, primary control issue, electrode issue, cad issue, CO issue, damper issue, backdraft issue/soot-carbon issue . And if any of these is not right, you can get scary delayed ignition, sooted up parts/chimney, etc.

On high efficient gas furnaces I work on, by all kinds of brand names, generally some part goes out, and that stops the furnace, and so you diagnose, throw in the new part, and you are good to go, without a bunch of disassembly, cleaning, handling oil and soot, etc.

Anyone else?
 
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Old 11-09-10, 05:48 PM
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So after a black smoke incident last night from the furnace, we decided to pull the back of the unit off. Low and behold the heat exchanger has cracks in both sides of it. One side is worse than the other.
So now that I'm getting into the colder winter months here I'm in the market for a replacement.
If i go gas, my local gas company will run gas to my house at no charge, but I am responsible for the run from the meter to the furnace. My concern is cost and time frame.
If I go oil it would be pretty much a hook up and run, but i'm having trouble finding oil furnaces with 90% efficiencies.

Any suggestions on brands, models etc?
 
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Old 11-09-10, 05:54 PM
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Go with gas.

Oil furnaces really can't run at 90% efficiency. Gas furnaces can do that because the hydrogen in methane gas produces a lot of water vapor and condensing gas furnaces condense that water vapor (steam) back into liquid water.

Just as it take a lot of heat to convert water into steam, you get energy back if you convert steam into water. As an added bonus you cool the water down to around 100 degrees F and collect that heat too. Plus you cool the cobustion gasses down to around 100 degrees and get that additional heat as well.

It's real efficiency gains.
 
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Old 11-10-10, 06:46 PM
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Want to hear a good one? On the Weather Channel last night, they ran a segment about the upcoming heating season and how to prepare.They also listed the cost for heating an avg.home with nat. gas, propane and oil. The costs were in order: About $750 , about $1750 , and about low $2000 . That says it all right there. No need to calculate btus and all that math stuff. The figures simply say it all.
 
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Old 11-11-10, 06:48 PM
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Oil or Gas

Oil heat has fed my family for as long as I can remember & does have some advantages but for the average homeowner, most of the time natural gas is the better bet.

FYI: I don't know if it still applies or not but a few years ago Tempstar was giving a substantial credit for furnaces having the same model number as yours toward a new Tempstar furnace. I also don't know if that credit was strictly toward an oil furnace or if it was applicable to gas furnaces as well.
 
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Old 11-16-10, 05:19 AM
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So I'm psyching myself out over this gas/oil conversion.

Everything i read online says to stay oil, but that seems to be because of the initial cost of switching to gas.
(installing gas lines, removal of old equipment/tank)
Our local gas company installs gas service and meter to the house at no charge up to 250ft.
My uncle is a plumber who will plumb the new black iron into the house for me, so no cost there, except to buy the piping.
I am able to dispose of the little oil left in the tank and cut it up to remove it and take it to recycling. So no charge there.

So it seems it's the best reason to switch. yes, no?

My house is a ranch, all brick, no wall insulation. Impossible to put any in there.
upstairs area is about 1118 sq ft.
 
 

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