Furnace question for Easterners/Cold Country members~

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Welll

Yes...it probably will use more gas....BUT it will run silently, dependable just about forever, If I was LUCKY enough to have it I surely would NEVER take it out!!!No silly computer boards and electronics to cause service calls all the time, just dependable quiet heat!
 
Neat old furnace

It was coal originally and was converted to natural gas long ago, it was always forced air.

 

It would be easy to add central-air- heat-pump and a back-up new condensing Nat gas furnace would be by far the least expensive way to heat and cool this old house which does not have much insulation.

 

John L.
 
Allen, Oh yes, I love this house too. There is even a steel beam to hold the floor up. Nice gas fired hot plate to heat the wash water and the concrete rinse tubs which are just begging for a wringer washer parked in front of it to do a weeks worth of laundry. Nice place indeed. Gary
 
WOW!

That place is fantastic! It's easy to see that it is of very high quality construction. It's very unusual to see glazed structural tile in a residence - somebody spent some money on that. The bathrooms remind me of the ones I saw when I visited Pinecroft (the Crosley estate), which was built in 1928. The house you show is quite a bit smaller than Pinecroft, but appears to approach it in quality.

When I looked at the first picture of the basement, I thought it was in some commercial building, huge mansion or large apartment house, with all that ductwork and tile. I'm actually kind of surprised it didn't have central air originally, as it appears no expense was spared.

I'd like to see the electrical system in there. It appears the wiring is in steel conduit. I wouldn't doubt there are multiple fuse or breaker panels in a house of this size, like a commercial building would have.

I'm wondering who built this home? It's evident they were the upper class of their community to be able to afford something like this during the depression.
 
"You wouldn't be able to add central AC to this old furnace, no way it would move enough air or be able to fit a tiny coil on top of that huge opening."

I'd be reluctant to do any major messing with the system. My first thought would be to rewire the blower/fan switch to allow operation independent of the heat. If there's a slot for a slide-in air filter I'd replace it with one of those self-contained electronic ones ... not as good as a HEPA, but still a def improvement.

Before I decided on any permanent a/c solution, I'd buy a couple of cheap 5,000 btu window units and place them as near as practical to the return vents. Why? In areas where the summertime humidity is as bad as the heat it's amazing how much one can UNDERcool (on paper) an old house and still be comfortable. I'd keep make sure at least one cool air return duct in the basement was open and install a 70pt dehumidifier.

Was the attic finished off later? If so, don't be surprised if there's a hefty layer of rock wool between the 2nd floor ceiling and the attic floor.
 
"Insulate the walls of the basement which stick out of the ground about 4' and it'd probably stay 70° down there with no direct heating of it."

For reasons that never were explained, my mom and her brother decided my grandparents' perfectly operating boiler 'had' to be replaced. I warned that the basement temps would drop sharply, causing cold floors, cold basement, no place to dry clothes in the winter, pipes more apt to freeze, etc.

Since this info came from me, it was ignored. The boiler was replaced and when the consequences I warned of came, I was told it was a coincidence.

I'd leave the system as is and enjoy its benefits.
 
If cost is not a factor, I would go with Mitsubishi Inverters.

The owner of the house where I live installed a 10,000 and 2 6,000 evaporators that run off of one condenser. And they heat as well.

Two years now and I love the one in my space. Whisper Quiet and even the outdoor Condenser is nearly silent.
 
If cost is not a factor, I would go with Mitsubishi Inverters.

The owner of the house where I live installed a 10,000 and 2 6,000 evaporators that run off of one condenser. And they heat as well.

Two years now and I love the one in my space. Whisper Quiet and even the outdoor Condenser is nearly silent.
 
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