Need a new Furnace
sabotg
Posts: 126
I currently have an electric forced air furnace. It's called the reliable 92 or something like that. Any way the way my house was built (1963) the HVAC closet is in the home instead of in the garage or in a basement. The exisitng heater does a good job but it's pretty noisy. I was wondering if someone could give me a recommendation for an electric forced air furnace (No AC don't need it I live in Washington state :rolleyes: ) that will heat an 1800 sq ft home. I want the unit to be efficient and as quiet as possible.
Post edited by sabotg on
Comments
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Duh!! what I meant to say is that it's an electric ignition gas forced air furnace.
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And the heater is called the " The Dependable 92" not old reliable. Anyone know anything about this unit????
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i just put in a new trane heatpump 16 seer rating. i know you said you already have an outside uint but this thing has cut my bills down dramatically.
if you have the cash go with a ground source heatpump to heat your house. your bills will drop way down in the winter.
if all you have is electric to heat your house ure bills are going to be high if your just using electric coils to heat. -
opps didnt read ure second post. dont know anything about gas heat except that trane makes a inside blower/heater that will work. i love trane they are literally built like a train.
no affiliation with them.
dont mess with gas yourself. have a professional install it. get bids from 3-4 people and talk to friends and neighbours to see what they went with. -
I sell Rheem HVAC products. They build a great product and seldom require warranty service provied you the homeowner replace the filter every 30 days and have it serviced/inspected annually.
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I sell Rheem HVAC products. They build a great product and seldom require warranty service provied you the homeowner replace the filter every 30 days and have it serviced/inspected annually.
Replace the filter every month :eek: Is that normal? How much do they cost and what if I need more than one
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normally i though u replaced a filter twice a year.
15 bucks ?? -
I have a Lenox, it says to replace the filter once a year, $30.
Don't buy a Lenox, by the way. Ours had problems since the day we installed it, right throught the end of the 5 year warranty. It refused to light if it hadn't run for a couple of days or more. Not a problem in the winter, but in fall/spring, when it is only used occasionally, it's was a pain. Kept burning out the electronic ignition as well.
Lenox ignored all peas for help when the local installer could not fix this lemon. After the warranty ran out, we called someone else, they replaced the igniter box with a different brand, adjusted a few things, and no trouble since. But to pay $200 to fix something that should have been fixed under warranty... -
Yes. Here's the scoop. A furnace is designed to move a certain amount of air across the heat exchanger. Too little airflow can lead to the furnace overheating and shutting down on the Hi-Limit switch. The furnace will then slowly cool down until the switch resets and the whole process starts over again...and that weaken's the heat exchanger and may lead to cracking it, and thus a possible Carbon Monoxide concern.Replace the filter every month :eek: Is that normal? How much do they cost and what if I need more than one
For a forced air system that is doing double duty moving air for an A/c system, air flow is critical to proper air distribution and cooling. A dirty filter limits the amount of air going through the evaporator coil. This can lead to freezing up the coil, and that my friends can lead to a very costly compressor replacement.
In a nutshell, the benefits of a clean filter far outway the cost of said filter. Don't use those cheap $1 filters from the grocery store, use an inexpensive pleated filter at the very least....and replace it every 30 days!! -
sabotg, one option you have is to brace the existing fan motor and housing better than it currently is braced. This will get rid of the low frequency jarring that travels all through the house. If one of the fan blades is bent, well, bend it back to where it does not continually or occasionally hit something. See if you can't add grease where the motor armature bearings are, along with any other bearings in-line leading to the fan, if any.
As for air filters, if you don't "live" in a house.....I.E. shoes off when you enter, kids are non-existent, dusting and vacuuming is a daily chore, no carpets or curtains or excess fiber sources, cooking is kept to a minimum, no pets whatsoever and the A/C and heat is barely run, then yes. Replace your filter every six months to a year.
For the rest of the 89% of the populous, change your air filter monthly. Yes, that's right, monthly. I said it. The easiest thing to do is make a one time purchase for all of the air intakes and go get a.......awe crap, I forget the brand name, but just ask for a lifetime air filter. You can cut it to size [any size] and all you have to do is take it outside [or kitchen sink if you have an extendable sprayer] and hose the dust off, let it dry and re-install. Simple as that and you never have to incur the expense of purchasing another one.
If the expense of replacing your $25.00 HEPA filter that blocks everything but oxygen because you have allergies, replace as needed [you can tell by the air filter being "slammed" up into the intake upon fan startup sometimes], but assume that expenses will be incurred in the long run from overtaxing a system that can't breathe well if you don't replace often enough. You try running with no airflow, try running your car without airflow, try vacuuming without airflow.....don't work too well, huh?
FYI, another good reason to change air filters would be that when dust accumulates, so do dust mites. When and if the humidity level starts going high, you run the risk of growing mold spores on the clumps of dust that accumulates in all of your vent work. The areas that are not 100% sealed throughout your vent work around the house when using a clogged filter will start to suck in all foreign contents from inside walls, attic, crawlspace or wherever the ductwork runs...allergens and all. From there it's a domino affect, if the filter is clogged then the fan will be forcing air thru every nook and cranny that it can in order to achieve the airflow, dirtying up your vent work and then it hits the condenser. That's where it can get VERY expensive. Not only in monthly operating costs, but repair costs as well.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Whoa. I had no idea an overused filter could cause so many problems. Thanks to everyone for all your input. I'll factor the filters into the purchasing decision. I'm currenty looking at Trane, Carrier and Bryant furnaces. There are some pretty good local companies that deal in all three brands.
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Like Franks says, stay away from those cheap, one-layer "see-through" filters and go with pleated.
I change my filter once every 4 months, but I use a 4" thick pleated filter.
It's nowhere near loaded when I toss it, but it saves the fun of having to clean the A-coil. Plus, if left in longer, than there's the possibility of starting a mold colony or, as Treitz3 mentioned, mite city.
I buy my filters at a commercial house, through my work's account (CASH TICKET, please !), and they're not that expensive.
I'm not a big fan of those remove-and-wash filters. They're not that effective at blocking dirt from what I've seen.Sal Palooza -
thanks for the info on replacing filters never thought of that.
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I should have mentioned that mine uses an Air-Bear 6" pleated filter, and it does say to vacuum the dirty side every 60 days, replace once a year. It is nowhere near clogged when replaced.
Even if a dirty filter causes premature death of the furnace, the idea of replacing a $30 filter every month is false economy. That's $360 a year for the 20 year life of the furnace, or $7200. The furnace was only $2200. -
Problem being here Willie is that a six incher won't work or fit in most systems. I'm glad you can accommodate.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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I was talking about standard 1" thick disposable filters.
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That's true, but even at $20 a filter for the smaller ones, monthly replacement still works out to be false economy.
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I was talking about standard 1" thick disposable filters.
Oh, I see, But he was talking about a new furnace, and I have not seen a new one with one inch filters in years. Maybe that's just around here though. -
Anything other than a 1" filter is an upgrade purchased with the furnace.
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I put mine in nov 2005 for $475 plus miscellaneous parts such as vent pipe, black pipe and a new sheet metal transition to the a/c coil. It's a horizontal unit and pretty much a drop in replacement for my old one. I had to have a friend who had his hvac license or whatever buy it for me. I'm still waiting for it to blow up. The brand was ducane.
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Anything other than a 1" filter is an upgrade purchased with the furnace.
...unless somebody has access to a nibbler and sheet metal brake at work . Sal Palooza
