Fingers crossed you’re up and running again

Put the dern dog in bed with you.

Whole house heating and cooling is a great thing.... until it stops working....

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I'm still here!
It's down to 52* inside my house.
I didn't leave the space heater run downstairs all night and the fire in the fireplace went out. I didn't want to load it up too full before I went to bed; I didn't want the fire hazard. The dog was hardest hit because she doesn't have an electric mattress pad cover.

Our 2 doggos sleep in the bed with us; the Aussie is fine with cold temps and the beagle simply burrows and provides a localized space heater.

Are you inside city or municipal limits that rule out a quality high efficiency wood stove? We keep ours going from the first cold snap through consistent springlike temperatures. Yes, you have to do some work collecting wood, but the payoff is big on both the heating bill and occasional power outage. Even if power goes out and kills the fan, it radiates a goodly amount of heat in the living room and does a pretty good job keeping the house at a steady state. A good stove will conserve heat quite a bit better than a fireplace and have a pile of coals in the morning.

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Are you inside city or municipal limits that rule out a quality high efficiency wood stove?

I have a large fireplace and would really love a big ol' insert.



My Dad has a Beckwood.

Well, here are the options:
New ECM motor: $1200
1 year warranty
or
New furnace, which includes new ECM motor: $4000
10 year warranty

I've decided to get a new furnace. I thought it had been about 10 years, which is the warranty period, but the old furnace is actually 16 years old.

It's another $2800 but the existing furnace has some rust on a couple of the burners.
It's apparently due to a clog that developed in the evaporator coil drain, causing the pan to fill completely and overflow onto the furnace below. The evaporator coil is situated above the furnace.

yes, the planned obsolecense of furnaces in manufacturing has gotten to the point that 10 years is about what you are going to get out of one realistically... part of that is the average home in this country changes ownership ever 7 years...

Just be aware of two things if you are thinking about putting a wood stove in that chimney. It won't be cheap, probably with todays pricing more than the new furnace if it is installed properly... Secondly... a wood stove is an entirely different animal than an open fireplace... not nearly as much enjoyment and more work and depending on the temperature outside it will put out too much heat.

I would suggest finding a chimney sweep, not a mason or brick layer, who knows how to build a proper firebox for your fireplace that will actually put out heat.

I think you made the right decision.

yeah with that age putting $ into the older unit when you can get a new one with warranty is a good idea.

Is the new unit a higher seer unit that will reduce electric bills, if you are putting one in might as well get the most savings out of the bill you can.

Energy bills won't be going down anytime soon.

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Is the new unit a higher seer unit that will reduce electric bills, if you are putting one in might as well get the most savings out of the bill you can.

Well, no... it's essentially the same as the old furnace.
80% efficiency. 125,000 BTU, natural gas, RUUD brand. It matches up with the existing evaporator coil and duct work.
So, it's not an entirely new system, just a new furnace.

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Originally posted by Blume9mm:

Just be aware of two things if you are thinking about putting a wood stove in that chimney. It won't be cheap, probably with todays pricing more than the new furnace if it is installed properly...

Possibly so, but well worth it if free or inexpensive firewood is available, plus he'll likely burn less of it per hour than in an open fireplace.

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Secondly... a wood stove is an entirely different animal than an open fireplace... not nearly as much enjoyment and more work and depending on the temperature outside it will put out too much heat.

I would suggest finding a chimney sweep, not a mason or brick layer, who knows how to build a proper firebox for your fireplace that will actually put out heat.

Having had both I disagree. A nice wood stove provides all the enjoyment of an open fireplace. You have the option of glass door open or closed. Unlike even a heatalator fireplace they can provide a lot of heat, and without a fan blowing, using less wood. In addition the wood is burned so completely there's just a little tray full of fine ash every couple days that conveniently slides out to take outside. If your wood stove is putting out too much heat for your house it's 1) over sized for your space. 2) not being controlled correctly, 3) it's too warm outside and burning when not needed.
With an open fireplace you'll lose a lot of heat up the chimney until the damper can be closed. A fireplace with glass doors is much better but still not near as efficient as an air tight stove.

I had a similar issue in November - replace a 12 year old blower motor for $3800 or the entire AC system for $11k. It was an easy choice, but it still stung.

ridewv,

in many ways you are right it's just in my limited opinion no wood stove is quite like an open fire. I will take issue with one term you used, "air tight woodstove" second worst invention of the 20th century just behind ventless gas logs. There is no reason in the world for a wood stove to actually be air tight. I spent years, actually decades (3) , trying to deal with the mess in chimneys from people choking their stove down and them being installed wrong.

Thankfully wood stove and fireplaces don't have ECM motors!

I'm not making light of chellim1's furnace problem in fact I'm impressed he's getting a new one installed for only $4,000.

Given the furnace age, I think it's the right decision too. and I also agree that's a pretty good price. I will say, I'd have upped for a slightly more efficient furnace, but I get the argument against it. It also depends on the kind of warranty the mfr and installer will provide.

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I'm impressed he's getting a new one installed for only $4,000.

Furnace only. Using the existing A/C.
They did a good job.

10 year warranty sounds good

Is that parts only or does it include labor

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I will take issue with one term you used, "air tight woodstove" second worst invention of the 20th century just behind ventless gas logs. There is no reason in the world for a wood stove to actually be air tight. I spent years, actually decades (3) , trying to deal with the mess in chimneys from people choking their stove down and them being installed wrong.

And I must take exception to you taking exception

Shoving a wood stove into any fireplace and calling it ready is a huge error. The whole idea of installing a modern, high efficiency wood stove IS using proper installation. Our stove isn’t even “new”, being an approximately 10 year old Regency. When you install any modern stove you do NOT do so without an attached liner that makes a tight channel from stove to open air. In fact, any stove venting directly into the exhaust system (firebox to cap) without channeling in through a constricted pipe of around 6” is asking for trouble in much the same way years of open fireplace burning will. Creosote buildup will occur in any situation where wood is burned. This requires a thorough sweeping from top to bottom (the smoke chamber is of most concern) to remove it at minimum every 2 years. Beyond that, a chimney fire is a very real possibility.

With a properly installed narrowed accordion style liner (properly made with an interior coating that inhibits creosote buildup) you get none of what you describe. A proper liner with a modern stove will thoroughly reburn smoke releasing almost ZERO combustible residue. I brush out my own liner every fall in one pass and all the resulting detritus falls into the sealed stove for easy removal. It is almost exclusively ash and half burned creosote and the liner is shiny clean from that one pass. Heat is excellent and can safely be dialed in from warm to roasting. Wood consumption is fractional compared to open. Our electric bill is a couple hundred dollars LESS per month than our neighbors that use electric heat. Our stove paid for itself the first winter of operation.

Yes, collecting wood can be time consuming but with a good stove, the bang for buck ratio is far better than an open hearth. And with the right design, a quality stove is every bit as visually enjoyable as an open hearth… without the stray embers popped out under combustion.