Oil Furnace

[flomaster]

Just had the guy from Beshe inspect my furnace. Nice kid. Seemed very knowlegable about what he was doing. Told me heat exchanger in furnace has hole in it (which he showed me). Now must replace whole unit which is very old anyway or just heat exchanger. Anyone deal with this?

Whats a furnace cost?

 

[Midnightrider]

Just had the guy from Beshe inspect my furnace. Nice kid. Seemed very knowlegable about what he was doing. Told me heat exchanger in furnace has hole in it (which he showed me). Now must replace whole unit which is very old anyway or just heat exchanger. Anyone deal with this?

Whats a furnace cost?

didn't you just have a guy there that could tell you

 

[flomaster]

didn't you just have a guy there that could tell you

He doesn't sell them Just fixes them.

 

[desertrat]

Just had the guy from Beshe inspect my furnace. Nice kid. Seemed very knowlegable about what he was doing. Told me heat exchanger in furnace has hole in it (which he showed me). Now must replace whole unit which is very old anyway or just heat exchanger. Anyone deal with this?

Whats a furnace cost?

Call Besche they'll send you a brochure. Prices vary, of course, depending on model and size. If your unit is old you will get a much more efficient one. Two to four grand I'd guess.

 

[SamSpade]

Ok, I got a question. Every year when it gets REALLY cold - my heat pump ain't worth a damn. My electric goes through the roof - and quite literally, in the case of heat in winter.

I've wondered about a half dozen things, and I've implemented a few of them - extra insulation, replacing windows. I've had an energy audit before, and they found problem areas where heat is escaping.

Usually we keep the thermostat down to save money, but when it is so cold that blue light stays on, I know we're burning dollars.

Is a backup system with something else - like a backup oil - or backup propane - worth it? How about a backup woodstove? Any ideas on how to supplement the heat need, economically?

 

[bohman]

Just had the guy from Beshe inspect my furnace. Nice kid. Seemed very knowlegable about what he was doing. Told me heat exchanger in furnace has hole in it (which he showed me). Now must replace whole unit which is very old anyway or just heat exchanger. Anyone deal with this?

Whats a furnace cost?

We bought a new one from Besche last year. Same problem; cracked heat exchanger. I can't tell you exactly what the furnace alone cost us, because our A/C was on its last legs, too, so we decided to replace the entire system. Furnace, A/C condenser and the compressor outside the house. The whole system cost about 5,500.

We could have gone cheaper - could have had a new system for only 3,500 but we bought the best that they offered because I know that repairs are expensive, too. I wanted to buy a system that I could trust that wouldn't lead to a repair guy coming out twice a season.

If you are only doing the furnace, I imagine it will be expensive but it won't cost you your firstborn. On the plus side, the new system works WAY better than the old stuff, the house is comfortable, and we are burning half the oil each season than we were with the old furnace. Besche has always been reasonable with service calls, too.

 

[Dougstermd]

Ok, I got a question. Every year when it gets REALLY cold - my heat pump ain't worth a damn. My electric goes through the roof - and quite literally, in the case of heat in winter.

I've wondered about a half dozen things, and I've implemented a few of them - extra insulation, replacing windows. I've had an energy audit before, and they found problem areas where heat is escaping.

Usually we keep the thermostat down to save money, but when it is so cold that blue light stays on, I know we're burning dollars.

Is a backup system with something else - like a backup oil - or backup propane - worth it? How about a backup woodstove? Any ideas on how to supplement the heat need, economically?

The wood stove cost 4k the log splitter cost 2k and a good chainsaw is about $800 pluss you gotta do all the work.

 

[desertrat]

Ok, I got a question. Every year when it gets REALLY cold - my heat pump ain't worth a damn. My electric goes through the roof - and quite literally, in the case of heat in winter.

I've wondered about a half dozen things, and I've implemented a few of them - extra insulation, replacing windows. I've had an energy audit before, and they found problem areas where heat is escaping.

Usually we keep the thermostat down to save money, but when it is so cold that blue light stays on, I know we're burning dollars.

Is a backup system with something else - like a backup oil - or backup propane - worth it? How about a backup woodstove? Any ideas on how to supplement the heat need, economically?

I imagine they could install a backup oil or propane system if there is room for it . That's what I have, but the furnace was in place so it was very simple. I have no idea if there is such thing as a backup wood stove. I think it would save lots of money. Electric heat strips are horribly inefficient.

 

[crazy4u]

The wood stove cost 4k the log splitter cost 2k and a good chainsaw is about $800 pluss you gotta do all the work.

This might be true but the heat is really good. Plus, once you buy it you have it... You don't have a monthly energy bill... Sure it takes some work to split the wood, but you could always buy it. Splitting wood gives you some nice time to bond with your family, if applicable. It also can be a good chore for your children to help with. It will make them better people!

 

[Christy]

Ok, I got a question. Every year when it gets REALLY cold - my heat pump ain't worth a damn. My electric goes through the roof - and quite literally, in the case of heat in winter.

I've wondered about a half dozen things, and I've implemented a few of them - extra insulation, replacing windows. I've had an energy audit before, and they found problem areas where heat is escaping.

Usually we keep the thermostat down to save money, but when it is so cold that blue light stays on, I know we're burning dollars.

Is a backup system with something else - like a backup oil - or backup propane - worth it? How about a backup woodstove? Any ideas on how to supplement the heat need, economically?

Invest in a pellet stove. We bought a pellet insert for the fireplace in the basement. I LOOOOOVE it. I'm thinking of getting a freestanding pellet stove to put in my sitting room. We could do an insert in our living room fireplace, but I do dig my real wood fires, so I'm thinking of the freestanding one in the other room. Our oil furnace rarely comes on when we're burning the pellet stove.

 

[flomaster]

We bought a new one from Besche last year. Same problem; cracked heat exchanger. I can't tell you exactly what the furnace alone cost us, because our A/C was on its last legs, too, so we decided to replace the entire system. Furnace, A/C condenser and the compressor outside the house. The whole system cost about 5,500.

We could have gone cheaper - could have had a new system for only 3,500 but we bought the best that they offered because I know that repairs are expensive, too. I wanted to buy a system that I could trust that wouldn't lead to a repair guy coming out twice a season.

If you are only doing the furnace, I imagine it will be expensive but it won't cost you your firstborn. On the plus side, the new system works WAY better than the old stuff, the house is comfortable, and we are burning half the oil each season than we were with the old furnace. Besche has always been reasonable with service calls, too.

Thanks for the good word.

 

[kwillia]

Invest in a pellet stove. We bought a pellet insert for the fireplace in the basement. I LOOOOOVE it. I'm thinking of getting a freestanding pellet stove to put in my sitting room. We could do an insert in our living room fireplace, but I do dig my real wood fires, so I'm thinking of the freestanding one in the other room. Our oil furnace rarely comes on when we're burning the pellet stove.

I'm not hearing any issues regarding pellet supplies this winter... is it because we have had such a wimpy winter or is it because they supply has finally caught up with the demand...

 

[Christy]

I'm not hearing any issues regarding pellet supplies this winter... is it because we have had such a wimpy winter or is it because they supply has finally caught up with the demand...

:shrug: Probably a little bit of both.

 

[OldHillcrestGuy]

Invest in a pellet stove. We bought a pellet insert for the fireplace in the basement. I LOOOOOVE it. I'm thinking of getting a freestanding pellet stove to put in my sitting room. We could do an insert in our living room fireplace, but I do dig my real wood fires, so I'm thinking of the freestanding one in the other room. Our oil furnace rarely comes on when we're burning the pellet stove.

Pellet stove I have a freestanding one in the family room downstairs, and it gets the whole house (have a splitfoyer). I set the furnace on about 60 and it seldom comes on, in fact Besche hasn't delivered me any oil this year and they only came twice last year after I got the stove in Dec 05. Tank still appears to be half full.
There appears to be no shortage of pellets this winter, I stocked up during the summer, I heard that American Hardware has been turning down delivers because thay have plenty, and Ive seen them in Walmart, Sam's, Lowe's and at Tractor Supply to name a few place's.

 

[SamSpade]

Invest in a pellet stove. We bought a pellet insert for the fireplace in the basement. I LOOOOOVE it. I'm thinking of getting a freestanding pellet stove to put in my sitting room. We could do an insert in our living room fireplace, but I do dig my real wood fires, so I'm thinking of the freestanding one in the other room. Our oil furnace rarely comes on when we're burning the pellet stove.

Ok, a couple questions.

One, my wife was all for the pellet stove but for two things, and she may have totally changed her mind on it - since we're adopting, we've heard that wood stoves aren't the most toddler friendly thing to have in your house. How hot do they get on the outside? (The other may or may not be an issue - the availability of pellets. I understand that last year getting pellets was nigh unto impossible).

Second - we currently have an old old wood stove insert in our fireplace - and the only means of circulating air is a blower that blows over the stove. Needless to say, while the downstairs gets toasty, the rest of the house doesn't get much benefit, even with the fan running on the intake to the heat. If I got some kind of upgrade - would it be necessary to attach the wood stove to the duct work to get the full benefit? (We'd have to replace the current stove - it leaks enough smoke to be almost useless. While it's not enough to set off alarms, it does leave the place smelling smoky, although since the downstairs is the dog's domain, it easily overpowers the damp doggy smell that reasserts itself down there.)

 

[lkt]

The Buck Stove Tharrington Oil Circulator assures you of trouble free performance. These compact vented circulators are as easy on your eyes as they are on your budget. A louvered top and expansive front grill provide fast, efficient heat circulation. A counter flow blower warms your floors quickly and efficiently. Available in three models, 5135 (35,00 BTU's), 5160 (60,000 BTU's) and 5175 (75,000 BTU's).
MODEL 5135

this is an awesome oil stove....... plus it is gravity fed so if the electric goes out u still have heat! It has 5 settings, and in my place which is @ 1000 square foot even on our coldest nite I have only had it up to the #2 setting and it was well over 73 degrees in my place.... plus the outside of the unit does not get hot to the touch ( safe for pets and children)

I have two oil lines-- one for this stove and one for my furnace running from the same oil tank, but since this does such a good job of heating my house.. i turned the furnace off!

 

[kom526]

My pellet insert only gets hot on the glass and surrounding frame. This is our 1st winter w/ the heat pump and the pellet stove. My wife fires it up every evening when she gets home (esp. after last months bill from SMECO). The house does get warm pretty quick (even w/ 10-18 ft ceilings). With regards to being toddler friendly, there are baby gates that you could put around the insert to help keep inquisitive fingers away, I thin k they are called playyards or something like that.