To elaborate on the prior helpful response: Where are you planning to mount it, on the ceiling or in a cabinet over the range? If over the range, I'd be concerned that it might be subjected to higher heat than it is rated for, but more importantly how the grease will get trapped, since the unit has no baffles, filter, etc. If on the ceiling, you'll move some air which will help a smokey situation some, but it certainly won't be an effective range hood. Grease will be less of an issue because what's not on your walls and cabinets will be spread thin in the air. So overall I'd agree that "No it will not work"

They want an air hole/vent in addition to a service panel. The manual says: The service access panel is often the best place to install the air vent. They also state that if you remote mount the motor in a closet,(which looks like you did), there must be at least 1 in. gap between floor and door. Apparently there could be an issue of the motor overheating without the air vent. ??? The tub we're ripping out has an access panel with a vent in the middle of it... like a furnace air return vent. The new tub will be across the room, though. I can remote mount up to 15 feet but then I'm worried about the air cooling off on its way over. The air flow is 75cfm at maximum speed. Chosen space must be at least 50 ft to the third power -- There's an example of 3' x 2'2" x 8' = 52ft to the 3rd. The tub is going to be set in an 84 x 54 deck with the motor tucked under the end. Is that big enough? lol-my eyes are crossing! They recommend an ambient room temperature between 72-86 degrees. Have you used your tub? Does your closet area get hot?

Thank you both garymunson-2008 and brickeyee for your replies. You both gave me a lot to think about and I'll try to answer your specific questions where I can. After reading your posts I began to wonder about whether I would be getting oil savings, but trading it off for a broken furnace in a few years, thus mitigating all the savings. So I called my HVAC control company (Aprilaire) and spoke to a technical rep there to find out what their view was on this device. While the guy I spoke to hadn't heard of the Intellicon device, he agreed with my understanding of how the basic thermostat/control unit worked (and you're right garymunson-2008 - I said that the whole system stops when the Intellicon kicks in, but in fact the main blower continues to run for a few minutes afterward). The Aprilaire rep didn't think this was really a control panel issue since it just cuts into the furnace firing circuit, but rather that it was more of a furnace question. So I opened up my furnace, and noted that it was manufactured by Beckett. I called them today, and spoke to a technical rep there named Dan. He also wasn't really familiar with the Intellicon, but he continually asserted that the furnace was "built like a tank" and would not have undue wear from repeated cycling (the aptly named "pulse" functionality). I asked him point blank whether there would be any problem with driving off water from the oil combustion, but he said that the oil furnaces run so hot that it wasn't an issue. He felt that a gas furnace would have a lot more problems with this technology, but the oil furnace wouldn't have any problems with it. Furthermore, he asserted that Intellidyne LLC (the makers of the Intellicon) also make furnaces, and wouldn't put a product into the marketplace that would damage their reputation (as this would if it broke furnaces regularly). I didn't realize Intellidyne LLC made furnaces, and I don't see anything about that on their website, but I'm not in the business and I know they do sell their hot water heater device rebranded as Beckett, so it's entirely possible that they make furnaces too. When I spoke to my oil company rep about the effectiveness of running the furnace at a lower temperature to save money, he agreed that if I could manually set it lower in the controller then that would drive savings (though my particular controller doesn't actually have that flexibility), but the problem with that approach is that on really cold days the system wouldn't generate enough heat because it would have a hard limit at my manual lower temperature setting, rather than being able to run at full throttle. I could go down to the basement and increase the limit temperature on the furnace whenever it got too cold, but that turns thermostat maintenance into a manual chore, and I'd be guessing at an optimal set point, whereas the Intellicon is supposed to do it automatically. By making the effective furnace outflow lower temperature whenever possible, I believe (assume?) this results in lower temp furnace exhaust, which would drive some probably small but real savings. Regarding the oil buildup in the system: I will have it inspected and cleaned yearly anyway, which I think should eliminate this risk. So I guess I'm still leaning towards getting the Intellicon-FA. (1) My oil guy says it worked in his empirical tests to save oil, and I'm mostly convinced that the process described by Intellidyne would do that, (2) my thermostat/furnace-control guy reaffirmed my general understanding of the mechanism but didn't espouse an overall opinion one way or another, and (3) the Beckett rep thought that this wouldn't do any damage to the furnace itself and was (to use his words) "an investment in the system". I realize that there is a different dynamic for hydronic systems, or for gas-powered forced air systems, but given my oil furnace FA system, I think this probably does work as advertised. The tricky issue now is how to accurately measure whether it's providing savings. The LED display gives a reading of the savings it has provided, but that's a bit like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. I don't have a very accurate way of measuring oil use short of asking how many gallons were provided in the last refueling, and even so that doesn't account for changes in thermostat settings over the period, nor hotter/colder days requiring less/more oil to maintain the same temperature. That's primarily why I'm trying so hard to convince myself that this is a good investment on the merits - because I won't be able to conclusively prove it after the fact from what I can tell (unless anyone has a recommendation). Thank you all for your time and advice, I do find this truly helpful. Regards, -Chris

They're selling snake oil. There are so manys thing wrong with this proposal. First off, why do you feel you're not getting enough airflow? Is the room they used for their demo hard to heat or cool? If the existing 370 cfm is enough to keep that room comfortable, then there is no reason to pay money to increase the airflow. "More" is not always better. Your air handling system was designed to move air as an enclosed system. OF COURSE it's gonna move more air if you rig it to operate with the fan cover door opened. But again, more is not always better. I'll bet you could stand in that back room and *hear* the air rushing and whistling out of that vent after they took the blower door off. Your system should be set up to move the required amount of air as quietly as possible. You're also risking damage to the blower by making such a drastic change to the static pressure. The fan is designed to work against some amount of resistance. Lessen or remove that resistance and you could burn your fan motor out. A return in the basement is going to bring extra humidty and musty odors into your home. The air conditioning unit would have to work harder to remove the extra humidity. It could actually cost *more* money to operate. And if the unit was not capable of removing the extra humidity, you end up with damp air in your living quarters. This results in a cold, clammy feel that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you have some rooms that are hard to heat or cool, have a reputable HVAC company *calculate* how much air needs to go to each room. It's not a guessing game, and more is not always better. I noticed that you called the original installers and they blew you off. Forget them, they don't sound very professional. Try asking some of your neighbors for referrals, or check something like "craig's list". There has to be a reputable company in your area.