[IDIMyself]

I have a 78 year old converted coal gas forced hot air furnace that I am planning on replacing.

I can't replace the blower/burner so the whole thing has to go. I got one price for a Trane xb90 125,000 BTU for a 3500s/f house that is 3 bricks thick, insulated attic and all new windows... for $7900. This includes removal of the old monster and connecting to the old ductwork....a full installation.

I got one other price of $13,000 from someone who said I need twin units. I am near Gettysburg, PA. These prices seem high to me based on research I've done.

Also, I've read good and bad things about Trane and about the XB90. I would like to pay extra for a good quality, long lasting furnace. Any suggestions on brands and models would be greatly appreciated as then I could go find an installer that carries that line.
Thank you very much,

 

[beenthere]

See if you can find a model number on the gas burner. if not. Then make sure no other appliance is using gas. Turn the thermostat up so the gas burner for the furnace comes on, and clock your gas meter. this will tell you how much gas/how many BTUs it is inputting to heat your house. Then you know that you don't need any furnace above that size.

A load calc is the best way to find out how big of a furnace you need.

Have you contacted Haller Enterprises? I think they do work in your area.

 

[IDIMyself]

The current furnace is fairly cheap to run. I'm on a budget plan of $156 a month and I keep the heat at 68F. But the burner was making a boom sound when it ignited and so I had it cleaned out by a pro. Now it's just not coming on often enough. The house is 63 inside. I'm worried that the thing is on it's way out. I would love to just replace the parts in the photo below...I'm going to start a new thread looking for this part. There has to be an antique furnace parts person somewhere. It's dated 1948. I'll check Haller. Thank you

 

[beenthere]

$1872.00 isn't bad for a large old house, if your water heater also gas.

 

[IDIMyself]

I know! And yes, I have an eighty gallon gas hot water heater. I don't want to replace this thing...I take really good care of it and oil the blower motor once a month and vacuum it out in the summer. Plus there's practically no parts to break (except the main part that I'm looking for!)
Wouldn't another brand of old conversion burner work?

 

[beenthere]

Wouldn't another brand of old conversion burner work?

And be just as old and hard to find parts for.

 

[TarheelTerp]

I would love to just replace the parts in the photo below...
I'm going to start a new thread looking for this part.

Which part? The one the screwdriver is pointing at?
If so... a competent gas burner mechanic should be able to adapt one of the more modern operating/PS valves into that set up.

 

[IDIMyself]

And be just as old and hard to find parts for.

Well I was imagining a shiny new one in a box sitting on someone's shelf somewhere

 

[IDIMyself]

Nothing is broken now but when I had the furnace guy over to clean it he said that I should think about getting a new one because they don't make parts for it anymore. I hate to replace the entire furnace because the blower is huge, the box is huge and the ductwork is huge... and it all works so well heating this huge house very nicely (and cheaply too!)

 

[TarheelTerp]

....he said that I should think about getting a new one because they don't make parts for it anymore...

and he's learned the hard way that patching up old stuff doesn't pay as well

I hate to replace the entire furnace because...

eventually...

 

[beenthere]

and he's learned the hard way that patching up old stuff doesn't pay as well

Actually, it can pay better then fixing newer equipment. Get to charge for all the phone and internet time of trying to find those old parts. 700 bucks to fix one is not uncommon depending which part is out.

 

[techpappy]

Try a commercial boiler company..they should be able to replace the old with new parts to provide proper input to burner...unless there are code compliance issues with doing that..not sure but, I don't think so.

 

[IDIMyself]

That's a good idea because someone just said that there are lots of oil burners out there. I know converting from oil to gas is possible because I've had someone do that before.
Thank you!

 

[techpappy]

I wasn't referring to installing an oil burner OR replacing an oil burner...you have a big old gas burner with gas pressure regulator, pilot assembly and controls which are very similar to some commercial boilers which utilize atmospheric burners..therefore should be able to install new parts in place of old...your burners are likely cast iron and will still be OK as long as they are cleaned out every couple of years..that means lifting them out, inverting and tapping/vacuuming then re installing....Unless atmospheric burners have gone the way of the DODO bird then should be doable.

BTW that boom was likely due to dirty burners resulting in a delayed ignition..They say that Cleanliness is next to godliness..in this case dirty burners could put you next to Godliness if you know what I mean....keep those burners/pilot assembly clean!

 

[IDIMyself]

Gotcha! :thumbsup:

 

[yuri]

Then there is the fact that eventually the heat exchanger will fail and your money for repairs is gone. Google metal fatigue to find out what happens. I have seen metal turn redish purple and crumble from old age inside old furnaces as the moisture in the flue gas combined with a bit of sulphur in the gas corrodes the metal. After 65 yrs in that solution/enviroment what do you really expect to happen. Just delaying the ineveitable IMO and a waste of $$ IMO.

 

[IDIMyself]

I've got a guy coming over tomorrow for an estimate. I've had a heat exchanger crack on me more than once...

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

[yuri]

Yur Welcome

We had a REALLY REALLY bad incident years ago where a chimney got blocked in a old rooming house and CO spilled into the house. 6 people got sick, 2 died and the rest are in a comma and got severe brain damage. Fooling around with antique furnaces and chimneys is NOT a good idea.

 

[IDIMyself]

All the apartments and halls have CO detectors as well as smoke detectors.