Furnace check up

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Trane NG furnace 23 years old. Last winter flame would cycle on and off during a heat cycle so I cleaned the flame sensor and all was well. It is a little chilly this morning so I started the furnace and flame would light extinguish then relite after a minute or so. I ordered a new OEM flame sensor from Amazon for $7 shipped. Just a reminder, you might want to make sure your furnace is working as it should before it gets too cold.
 
Yeah my 5 year old furnace needed a new gas pressure switch because it would intermittently stop firing up and then error out. Luckily it was under warranty but it is always good advice to test it early!
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I wish I had gas but I have an oil burner. Sacrilege on this site!

30+ years old Burnham Boiler.

Tough these days keeping that old guy going!
 
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My old furnace before this gas one was oil but it cost us $2500 one winter and so that was a no brainer to replace. Gasoline here is about $4 a gallon and home heating fuel (similar to diesel) is not much better than that.

My natural gas bills now are about $300 for the same amount of time that the $2500 would cover.

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Originally Posted By: gman2304
Trane NG furnace 23 years old. Last winter flame would cycle on and off during a heat cycle so I cleaned the flame sensor and all was well. It is a little chilly this morning so I started the furnace and flame would light extinguish then relite after a minute or so. I ordered a new OEM flame sensor from Amazon for $7 shipped. Just a reminder, you might want to make sure your furnace is working as it should before it gets too cold.


LOL planning ahead isn't that a lot to expect these days?
 
My parents had to wait a month for a new control board on their Trane XV95 and while the installer gave us a break(free part, paid the labor to slap it in), they said annual check-ups are a prereq for warranty service.

Speaking of which, I need to schedule a call with them for a checkup.
 
My 1978 Clara natural gas furnace got the annual "vacuum out, clean the flame light, oil the motor bearings, vacuum out all the vents for at least 10 feet in" it ritual a couple of weeks back. It hasn't gotten cold here yet, but slightly after it changes to regular operations cycles, I'll complete the process with its 1st new filter. The second one will be put in around Jan 1st.

The Clara is old school with no electronics other than the digital programmable thermostat I installed 11 years ago. The whole system works great and has never had any issues. Our gas bill (hot water heater included) is about $110 per month from November to February. Simple and effective.
 
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Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
My 1978 Clara natural gas furnace got the annual "vacuum out, clean the flame light, oil the motor bearings, vacuum out all the vents for at least 10 feet in" it ritual a couple of weeks back. It hasn't gotten cold here yet, but slightly after it changes to regular operations cycles, I'll complete the process with its 1st new filter. The second one will be put in around Jan 1st.

The Clara is old school with no electronics other than the digital programmable thermostat I installed 11 years ago. The whole system works great and has never had any issues. Our gas bill (hot water heater included) is about $110 per month from November to February. Simple and effective.


I hope the manifold has been inspected. That could be dangerous being that old.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
My 1978 Clara natural gas furnace got the annual "vacuum out, clean the flame light, oil the motor bearings, vacuum out all the vents for at least 10 feet in" it ritual a couple of weeks back. It hasn't gotten cold here yet, but slightly after it changes to regular operations cycles, I'll complete the process with its 1st new filter. The second one will be put in around Jan 1st.

The Clara is old school with no electronics other than the digital programmable thermostat I installed 11 years ago. The whole system works great and has never had any issues. Our gas bill (hot water heater included) is about $110 per month from November to February. Simple and effective.

Your natural gas supplier will generally check the heat exchanger for cracks for free. That's important on an older gas furnace. A cracked heat exchanger could be the source of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I always kept a spare thermocouple clipped to the furnace cover (so even I could find it). I ended up using it last spring when the home inspector found an unexpected problem with the furnace. The natural gas company guys will generally change it for you if it's required and you have a new part handy. One less trip for them and makes for a happy customer.

Nowadays I have a heat pump system. Not much to check - just replace or clean air filters and clean the outside unit's screen.
 
My first house had an oil furnace, that seemed to go thru lots of oil.

On a lark I borrowed a pyrometer from the lab and checked the flue temp
After reading a good Audel book on oil burners! She was cranking 350F+
at the flue! That sure looked like a fire risk and $$$ going straight up the chimney.

Long story short, changed to a smaller oil nozzle (3/4 US Gal/hr rate) reset the air band
for a clean flame with smaller air flow to keep gas in the heat exchanger longer,
flue temp dropped to 150F.

Cleaned soot out of the exchanger filled 4 old style paper shopping bags! The oil guy wondered
why I wasn’t order tank fulls like the past owners! It’s possible the ‘service’ side of his biz
had messed with the furnace for the ‘great’ results! No more!
 
I got an older Clare Megasaver furnace. High efficiency from the early 1990's.

I was told never to replace this furnace, and keep it running. I guess I need an inspection. It's been 5 years since anyone's looked at it.
 
Last month I replaced my 30 year old oil fired stem boiler with a new Weil -Mclain gas fired steam boiler. The old one developed a leak in the cast iron, and was leaking into the firebox. Had a company do the conversion. I still have about 60-70 gallons of oil left in the tank I can't seem to give away. The tank at least is in the basement and easy to get to. Hopefully we will save enough on the price of not paying for oil, to cover the conversion after a few seasons.,,
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Get oil boilers and furnaces serviced by an independent service guy.

In Alberta the gas company's service staff are very reliable, well trained, etc. I'd trust them as much as any independent service guys. If they say your furnace is unsafe (which they would if it has a CO leak) and must be replaced (which might be the case if you can't get parts), they gain nothing. At that point you'd have to go to the independents.

In any case it's important to get an old (5 years old or more) gas furnace checked for CO leaks. I always had my fingers crossed and mine always passed with flying colours. My oldest hot air gas furnace was 25 years old and my oldest hot water (originally coal, then fuel oil converted to) gas furnace was 70 years old.
 
Glad the boiler in my system is only a few years old! Plus hot water heat is awesome. No filters, no blowers, just a small circulating pump and two water valves. The 110+ year old radiators still do a wonderful job of keeping the house warm.
 
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Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
My 1978 Clara natural gas furnace got the annual "vacuum out, clean the flame light, oil the motor bearings, vacuum out all the vents for at least 10 feet in" it ritual a couple of weeks back. It hasn't gotten cold here yet, but slightly after it changes to regular operations cycles, I'll complete the process with its 1st new filter. The second one will be put in around Jan 1st.

The Clara is old school with no electronics other than the digital programmable thermostat I installed 11 years ago. The whole system works great and has never had any issues. Our gas bill (hot water heater included) is about $110 per month from November to February. Simple and effective.

Your natural gas supplier will generally check the heat exchanger for cracks for free. That's important on an older gas furnace. A cracked heat exchanger could be the source of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I always kept a spare thermocouple clipped to the furnace cover (so even I could find it). I ended up using it last spring when the home inspector found an unexpected problem with the furnace. The natural gas company guys will generally change it for you if it's required and you have a new part handy. One less trip for them and makes for a happy customer.

Nowadays I have a heat pump system. Not much to check - just replace or clean air filters and clean the outside unit's screen.


I have it inspected each year. I also have a CO2 monitor..I'll check its validity and replace if needed. Good tip, thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: 14Accent
Glad the boiler in my system is only a few years old! Plus hot water heat is awesome. No filters, no blowers, just a small circulating pump and two water valves. The 110+ year old radiators still do a wonderful job of keeping the house warm.

My circulating pump (on a house in Winnipeg) failed on the coldest day of the year. The hot water system worked just fine without it. A bit better with it, but not that much. We had a 2 story house with a basement so those changes in elevation would have been important.

I bought a new pump and had the old one rebuilt (we were in Winnipeg where there are lots of small businesses that do most everything). The old pump fit better so I put it back and kept the new one as a spare.
 
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
My circulating pump (on a house in Winnipeg) failed on the coldest day of the year. The hot water system worked just fine without it. A bit better with it, but not that much. We had a 2 story house with a basement so those changes in elevation would have been important.

I bought a new pump and had the old one rebuilt (we were in Winnipeg where there are lots of small businesses that do most everything). The old pump fit better so I put it back and kept the new one as a spare.


Good to know! That house sounds the same as mine. 2 story with a basement.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
I wish I had gas but I have an oil burner. Sacrilege on this site!

30+ years old Burnham Boiler.

Tough these days keeping that old guy going!


At 40 years old with a Well McClain oil boiler/beast in my basement. Home inspection they gave it a year in 1998. I have spent about $800 in cleanings and repairs but it was deemed done three years ago but still is reliable. I have the money saved for replacement but have not bitten. I wish natural gas was here but just overpriced propane or currently inexpensive imported Canadian heating oil.
 
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