High-efficiency gas furnace installed where previously there was mid-efficiency. So it vents straight out the wall while the old furnace used the chimney. The vent is right next to the sandbox. How bad is this? [more inside]
posted on Apr 26, 2008 - 5 answers

Which approach really burns more heating oil - keeping the house at a constant medium temperature (say, 64 degrees) or keeping it very low most of the time (58-60) but bringing it up to a higher temperature (say, 66 degrees) once or twice a day? [more inside]
posted on Apr 4, 2008 - 11 answers

(Oil Heat) - Getting a new oil burner / furnace. (1) How much should it cost, including installation, for a new oil furnace that's at least pretty good/efficient? (We've gotten one estimate, so far, for $10,000 (!) $11,000 for antifreeze pipe system.) What's the cost for the equipment vs cost of labor? (2) The $10K was for a System 2000. Is the System 2000 really that good? Anyone have one? How much did it cost? How much did it reduce your heating bills? [more inside]
posted on Apr 2, 2008 - 6 answers

Ice has destroyed my oil furnace chimney. Will it kill me? [more inside]
posted on Mar 9, 2008 - 8 answers

Help! It's cold and my furnace is broken. Since it doesn't have RAM, a PCI slot or a motherboard, I am clueless. Are there any manageable troubleshooting activities I might try on my own before I become a meat popsicle? [more inside]
posted on Nov 28, 2007 - 25 answers

I need to have annual maintenance done on my furnace. Can any Toronto-area MeFites recommend a company or person for this job? Also, what kind of price range can I expect? Send contact information to the email address in my profile if you do not wish to make it public. Thanks.
posted on Sep 17, 2007 - 5 answers

How might you break a furnace, and make it look like an accident? [more inside]
posted on Sep 11, 2007 - 33 answers

We have oil heat, but as you might expect in the middle of summer's dog days, we are not using it. So why do I periodically get a very strong smell of oil? This seems to have just begun in the last few days - at least I didn't notice it before. I checked the basement oil tank, no visible leaks and there is no strong smell down there. There have been no recent deliveries of oil that would explain this. Thanks for any help.
posted on Aug 7, 2007 - 5 answers

Does my home really need a new boiler? How do I choose one? Where should I buy it? How much should I pay? [more inside]
posted on Jul 30, 2007 - 3 answers

My A/C is making my furnace drool. A lot. [more inside]
posted on Jul 19, 2007 - 8 answers

I'm looking for suggestions as to what I can do to keep the boiler & furnace in my house inaccessible to our cats, without closing up the actual room they are in. The boiler has some fluffy insulation around it that I can completely imagine my cats having a ball with. They are not bright. [more inside]
posted on Jun 1, 2007 - 10 answers

mr. kerning accidentally dropped an aleve tablet in the floor vent of our gas furnace. he's worried that it will burn and release toxic fumes that will kill us in our sleep. is there anything to be worried about? [more inside]
posted on Apr 22, 2007 - 14 answers

Is there any where I can buy a furnace in the DC area and pick it up today? It needs to be all electric, and not a heat pump. [more inside]
posted on Dec 21, 2006 - 9 answers

My wife changed the filter on our gas furnace yesterday, and now it doesn't work. I pulled off the front cover and on the upper right is a small black pressure switch of sorts. I originally thought it was supposed to be held shut by the cover, but that is not the case, as they don't match up. [more inside]
posted on Dec 2, 2006 - 19 answers

I just moved into a house that I bought, and the heater makes this 700 square-foot house nice and toasty, but the timing seems off. First something comes on, it makes a humming, sounds like a motor, but no air is coming out yet....that goes on for a minute or two, then the igniter clicks on and glows for about a minute, then flames come on for 3-5 minutes, then the fan comes on and blows heat up throughout the house. Inspector said... [more inside]
posted on Nov 11, 2006 - 9 answers

My husband and I are in the market for a new oil furnace. Help us make sure we get the right one. [more inside]
posted on Nov 8, 2006 - 4 answers

I have an old furnace in my home that I can't get working. Now that summer is over, I'd like to run the heater again, but the burners won't ignite. I've just replaced the thermocouple and that didn't seem to help. It seems it will cost ~$100 to just get a diagnosis. If I could narrow down what was wrong, I might be able to fix it myself. Any ideas? I can post photos if that will help.
posted on Oct 18, 2006 - 10 answers

What can we do to get more air from the air conditioning (and the heat in the winter) to the back of the house? [more inside]
posted on Jul 29, 2006 - 17 answers

I'm having three HVAC contractors come to my house tomorrow to give me estimates for replacing my gas furnace. What should I look for to identify a "reputable" contractor, and what questions should I ask? [more inside]
posted on Jul 17, 2006 - 10 answers

What kind of water heating system do I have? And can I install a timer on it? [more inside]
posted on Jul 4, 2006 - 3 answers

Tomorrow I sign a lease for a huge old house built in the 1800's, and I am worried about how much oil will be required to heat the place. How can this be predicted without appropriate historical data? [more inside]
posted on May 14, 2006 - 10 answers

We're considering swapping out our existing oil-burning furnace/hot water heater for a furnace that burns ... something else. I'm interested in hearing suggestions/anecdotes about what the 'something else' should be. [more inside]
posted on Jul 8, 2005 - 13 answers

What can you tell me about getting a new, gas wall heater/furnace?

The old heater (gas floor furnace), which is original to the house (1940's) has gone kaput. Apparently they don't even make replacement parts for floor furnaces anymore, we don't want to install forced air/heating, so a wall heater it will be. I just don't want to get ripped off in the process. Any advice on approximately what it should cost for installation? Do we have to pull a permit for this? Also, your experience with regard to brands. I am willing to pay for a good quality product, I just don't want to pay twice the going rate for labor. We're in L. A., if that colors your answer. Thanks.
posted on Dec 27, 2004 - 2 answers

Electric Furnace Help My parents' furnace began acting funny tonight. (More Inside...)
posted on Dec 2, 2004 - 6 answers

Heating question. I have a new home. It has a forced air furnace. I generally keep the thermostat set at 69 degrees. My roommate keeps bumping it to 72. Will this make a dramatic increase in the cost of the heating bill?
posted on Nov 30, 2004 - 24 answers

Should I replace my dying oil furnace with oil or gas? A year ago gas would have been a no-brainer, but now gas supplies are increasingly constrained, while locally-produced biodiesel supplies are starting to come online.
posted on Sep 27, 2004 - 2 answers

HomeImprovementFilter: It's time to replace our aging oil-fired furnace (so old it's a converted coal furnace) in a great old house with radiators. Now we need to decide, do we stick with oil or switch to natural gas. After getting estimates, the price is pretty much a wash (including cutting up and removing the oil tank if we go with gas), so I'm trying to figure the pros and cons of both. The other wrinkle is that the new oil system would have a coil-heating system for hot water, rather than the traditional hot-water tank. Either way, the system should pay for itself in less than 10 years, as the service guy yesterday said our current system is running at 61% efficiency.

So. Any strongly-held feelings out there on oil vs. gas?
posted on Jun 25, 2004 - 15 answers

A question about heating a household: Do you expend more energy maintaining a constant temperature in a house, or does it cost more letting the thermostat become lower and heating the house to a normal temperature when it is necessary?

I have a thermometer that adjusts the temperature up or down depending on the time of the day. When I'm at work and it is winter, I set the temperature lower then when I am at home. Have I wasted my money on this thermometer? When I let the temperature slide, the furnace could run for 15 minutes to 'catch up' for the heat lost throughout the day.
posted on Apr 8, 2004 - 10 answers