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DenisS
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 367 NJ
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2006-09-11          135053


I'm going to the well of wizdom one more time.

Who can tell me what brands of natural gas furnaces are considered high quality and poor quality?

The house that I'm buying has a broken oil furnace. I've been told that an equivalent gas furnace will cost less than the same quality oil furnace. They already have gas line in the house. Because the seller is paying for the new furnace, and I'm trying to be nice, I'm willing to make the switch to gas to make the upgrade less expensive for the seller.

But I definitely don't want to be stuck with a unit that has poor reliability and fuel efficiency. So what is the brand I should be looking at and do they make fuel efficient models?

Thanks a lot!




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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-09-11          135055


Denis;
It might seem obvious but is it oil hot air or oil hot water? The good makers of small boilers are different than hot air furnaces. I have only dealt with and researched recently the boilers so my comments would only be valuable on these. ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2006-09-11          135057


If you are converting, have the present owner empty and pull the oil tank..... assuming it is underground.

You don't want to be stuck the hassles and environmental headaches of a aging, leaking oil tank. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2006-09-11          135059


I think if you do some research you will find it's the other way around.

Oil is a better deal in the long run than is gas.

Furnaces are like tractors, find a good dealer who has a good track record, and ask them which they would recomend.

Furnaces are also like tractors in that you don't want either of them to let you down during a snowstorm, and you want it back up and running ASAP if it does stop. LOL.

The new oil furnaces are also very high quality and performance, not the ones of yesteryear at all. I believe you can also get a higher efficiency rating in oil than you can in gas.

Best of luck.

....


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DenisS
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 367 NJ
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2006-09-11          135066


It's a forced air furnace.

I definitely am requesting the removal of the oil tank as part of the deal.

Oil in our area is somewhat cheaper than gas, but I have an old tank there and to replace it would cost a few hundred dollars which would offset for some years the savings that I would get by staying with oil. Convenience is another plus with gas. Also I'll try to get an efficient unit so I'll save some there.

I heard Carrier is a good manufacturer, but don't know much more. The last installer I dealt with, installed the cheapest units he could find (Petro Oil salesman) and I didn't know any better at the time. He charged me good money, too (good for him, that is). I thought a furnace is a furnace. So anyway, I'll try to get me a good unit this time. ....


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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2006-09-11          135072


There are all sorts of price ranges and expectations. If a furnace lasts 15-20 years without allot of service requirements, it is good in my book.

I currently own 4 homes with different brands. I hate the Lennox Pulse-Air (you definitively need to keep a service contract going at about $130.00/yr.). Have had a couple of Heil furnaces and like them with little maintenance and moderate installation cost. ....


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AnnBrush
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 463 Troy OH
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2006-09-11          135073


If it's LP gas, oil is more likely to be a better deal (both subject to fluctuations of the international oil price), if it's natural gas, the gas may be a better deal since most of it is produced locally (N. America). There are numerous brands, some of the more well known ones are: Bryant, Carrier, Goodman. I think gas furnaces are easier to manage and maintain and less messy and stinky to clean up during service and operation. The fuel oil stinks (like diesel) and eventually someone spills some of it, making a mess of what ever area of the house it's in - the tanks also always end up being an issue. I have had two LP gas furnaces in my current home, an old 80% model and a newer variable speed / two stage heating model - the latter cut my LP bill in half - cant beleive I waited so long to replace it. ....


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DenisS
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 367 NJ
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2006-09-11          135079


Thank you Ann for the brands. This house has natural gas, not liquid propane; it's easier here in the northeast, everybody lives very close together. Most people here have natural gas.

I don't mind the diesel stink though, smells like fine perfume to me : ) ....


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JAZAK5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 276 coxsackie,ny
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2006-09-11          135099


im using a buderus gb142 in propane at 142,00btu in a boiler/exchanger system and an indirect hot water tank,they make a 160,00 plus nat gas unit with eff rating in the near 97% !!!!!!!!!
your not going to find any thing close other than a pinicle munchkin. ....


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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2006-09-12          135101


As Ann mentioned, Goodman is also an inexpensive brand that seems to work good, from what I know they are not that high of an efficiency.

I have one of those also running on natural gas and their central air unit. I also have 2 Heil central air units with no problems at all.

I don't like the ultra-high efficiency furnaces since the air coming out of the registers is not all that warm. Doesn't give you that feeling of warmth when it blows. My Lennox is that way and it always has a problem clogging itself up requiring cleanings several times a year. It gets some sort of white buildup on the vent and around the burners. It is running on propane and that may be the problem. ....


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DenisS
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 367 NJ
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2006-09-12          135102


thanks again, this is all good to know

any word on york heaters? Are they any good? ....


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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-09-12          135105


Pete, the build up of white material is the salts in the propane. It depends what area of the country you live in how much is in the propane. They should remove it as they take the sulfur compounds from the natural gas. ....


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bigedtheman
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1 ny
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2006-11-20          137162


converted over from oil furnace to gas 120 btu 97 % e two stage burner dc blower tempstar brand 6 years now no problems save lots of cash over oil ....


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