High Efficiency Furnace in Unconditioned Attic
hydro3
15 years ago
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bondsedwards
15 years agopaulbm
15 years agoRelated Discussions
high efficiency furnace
Comments (8)Do you have a gas fired water heater? If you DON'T have a gas water heater and nothing other than the furnace is currently vented into the chimney, you can use the chimney as a chase to run the pvc pipes up to the roof. Even though the ceiling is finished, it might be possible to push the pvc pipes through the joist space. My brother's house has a sidewall vented furnace that was installed during construction before the basement was finished, however, looking above the finished ceiling, I can see that there is enough room, and it would be possible to run the pipes over to the exterior wall if needed. Your house may be the same way....See MoreAdvantages of 80% efficiency furnaces?
Comments (5)Johnax, I think we already covered your misinformation/mischaracterization in a previous post. PVC flue, instead of metal, is a huge plus. The option to sidewall vent is also a huge plus. The potential for eliminating a roof protrusion is a big plus. The potential for fixing venting problems in old masonry flues without lining them is also a big problem solver. There are millions of 90% furnaces out there since the 1980's... it's proven technology. If anything, I have found through my experience that it is the 80% furnaces that actually have the corrosion problem. I don't know about natural gas prices being cheap... what I know is that all energy - oil, gas, electricity is interchangeable to a great degree and therefore the prices are linked in the longer term. In other words, there may be short-term market fluctuations, but the price of all forms of energy are connected. We have seen significant price increases in natural gas in the last several years, I'd expect to see significantly more increases - esp if any type of cap and trade policy is put in place. The only down side I see with the OP's situation is that he evidently doesn't have a floor drain available and would require a condensate pump. Not a big deal - they are $50. Giving up a 15% efficiency gain - for less cost after the tax credit-- doesn't make any sense to me....See MoreRheem 90% efficient 'water' furnace freezing problem ?
Comments (13)unfortunately-again- the soil is clay one could make pottery out of! If the water drain line can run at angles, I guess it could be run along the floor to the adjacent bathroom & hook into the drain there. In these old houses it is difficult to retrofit it to new City standards; so far 90% furnaces are not yet required but since this old 56 yr. old original (& still working fine)needed to be replaced at some time anyway, the 90% seemed the way to go esp. as the old furnace was not enclosed (huge outside vent to roof near floor bringing in the fresh-& COLD!- air) & was up to code back then unless it had to be replaced, any new furnace of that type would need carpentry work to enclose it in a closet & vent to roof to current code so the 90% seemed the one to get as it was not required to be in any enclosure in the hall. When the furnace comes on this new one can be heard: a low sound outdoors which was told is normal for this kind of furnace! Otherwise it is heating well (cycles a lot) & gas bill is lower which was the reason for getting it! Thanks for all of your help!...See MoreTrying to heat our new old home
Comments (16)Pace, we seem to be twins! I also bought a 100 year old beat up 3200 sq ft house in Kentucky. My utility bill last January was $650, and that was after new windows, doors, etc. We had expected much better performance after spending tons on the renovation & so that bill motivated me to investigate our options. We have a gas furnace in the basement which is ducted to the first floor and a heat pump heat/ac unit in the attic which covers the upstairs. While the heat pump unit has been great for AC, it had been the driver of high winter bills. We’d had it serviced repeatedly, and they’d change the number of heat strips wired up, but still it didn’t heat that well and was costly. Eventually we learned there was a coolant leak in the outdoor unit & that unit was replaced. We had the utility company come out and do an energy audit and they gave us suggestions on where to insulate and air seal. With attic insulation, air sealing, and lots of HVAC service calls, things seem better, but this winter will be the test....See Moreklaire2001
15 years agodallasbill
15 years agoenergy_rater_la
15 years agobrickeyee
15 years agoklabaach
15 years agopaulbm
15 years agohydro3
15 years agopaulbm
15 years ago
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