HVAC System 20 Years Old, Time to Proactively Replace??

[fishheadbob]

It ain't broke; I wouldn't fix it unless you have too much money. Since you are usually away for 2 months each winter - probably the coldest ones - your usage and the load on your system are reduced over what people who aren't snowbirds sustain. What I would do to further your peace of mind is shut off the water and drain pipes for those 2 months. In the unlikely event you suffer a catastrophic failure your not going to have pipes bursting and heavy water damage.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
4. I upgraded the attic insulation to R49, all windows have been replaced with high efficiency units. The walls are not insulated since with exterior brick it would not make sense to spend the $$$.<snip>

Find some way to insulate the walls. Bookcases, closets can help immensely.
No insulation on the walls is like going out in a snowstorm naked but for a hat.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Yea I shut off the water and drain everything, also next door neighbor looks after the house. I gave him a digital thermometer , put the transponder in the my house, only down side is I am hoping he looks at it. My daughter stops by to check the house too.

Interesting with new systems you can not turn the thermostat below 60, I normally set it for 55 when we are away Feb-March. Any idea why they set the limit so high?

Great comments, a lot to think about....

 

[davesl708]

Don't over look Geo Thermal. Five years ago I needed to replace my 30yr old gas HVAC system. Received quotes from four contractors. All only offered a few years warranty and told me the life expectancy of the new systems was ten years.

The geo (Water Furnace) quote gave me ten years parts and labor warranty on the inside unit and 50 years for the ground loop. The added benefit was no outside unit sucking up electricity and no gas bill (no noise from the outside unit either). Also, plenty of hot water.

By going total electric I got a electrical rate reduction. The system runs on a 30 amp breaker. No problem running it on a generator if the power fails. (which hasn't)

With the tax credit for energy reduction the cost was the same as the high efficiency gas/elect.
Now my energy cost in the summer runs $50 to $65 per month. In the winter months the high has been $174.

I have a 3 ton unit in a ranch style house and a hot tub running year round. The benefits are worth the little extra cost not to mention the great warranty.

 

[CADplans]

Y
Interesting with new systems you can not turn the thermostat below 60, I normally set it for 55 when we are away Feb-March. Any idea why they set the limit so high?

That one is easy,,, lawyers, someone's pipe froze,

At 55 degrees,, the plumbing in another part of the house froze.
At 60 degrees, if the pipe freezes,, it is the house's fault, not the thermostat.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I would run numbers before I made a decision. Where I live to replace a natural gas furnace is about $4200. The new furnaces have poor reliability compared to the old furnaces.

Our early 60's house has an old millivolt style gas valve on the furnace and the burner is designed to cycle on and off without power. My wife and I love it as we never have to worry about frozen pipes. In -20C weather the house will stay at about 60F without power.

 

[3930dave]

I would run numbers before I made a decision. Where I live to replace a natural gas furnace is about $4200. The new furnaces have poor reliability compared to the old furnaces.

Our early 60's house has an old millivolt style gas valve on the furnace and the burner is designed to cycle on and off without power. My wife and I love it as we never have to worry about frozen pipes. In -20C weather the house will stay at about 60F without power.

THAT is something I would pay to have installed. Need to fix my Flux Capacitor first though.

Today's designs have definitely gone the other way. I started a thread here 1 or 3 years back after sorting out funky AC behaviour at a relative's place. Honeywell digital stats are pretty reliable, but they don't run forever on one set of batteries....

Rgds, D.

 

[Gary Fowler]

In my previous residence, I replaced my 20 year old unit with a larger by 1 ton new high efficiency AC. The installer, used the old 3/4" return as a supply line for the new larger unit and then ran a new return line (saved money on the copper lines needed). He also found that the builder didn't cut a hole in the sheetrock for one of the return air ducts (the ducts were in the attic but the hole wasn't cut in the sheetrock). He added some new duct works in the walk in closets also. My electric bill for summer went from $400 per month to $160.
About the same time, I had a guy replace the outside siding that was rotting at the bottom. He put on Hardy plank and while ripping off the old stuff, he found that one wall in my house that covered the master bath and one walk in closet had no insulation which was why it was always colder in winter and warm in the summer. Never trust a builder especially tract home builders.

 

[ultrarunner]

THAT is something I would pay to have installed. Need to fix my Flux Capacitor first though.

Today's designs have definitely gone the other way. I started a thread here 1 or 3 years back after sorting out funky AC behaviour at a relative's place. Honeywell digital stats are pretty reliable, but they don't run forever on one set of batteries....

Rgds, D.

It's been a problem with rentals... the old Mercury Stats would last a lifetime and very reliable for Millivolt systems too!

I've gone from never having Stat problems to having them... tenants have on wrong setting, remove batteries, etc...

With the Heat Pump units they freak when the temps drop below freezing and Auxiliary or Emergency Heat is indicated... always get calls saying the system needs to be checked when the January Electric bills hit.

 

[3930dave]

It's been a problem with rentals... the old Mercury Stats would last a lifetime and very reliable for Millivolt systems too!

I've gone from never having Stat problems to having them... tenants have on wrong setting, remove batteries, etc...

With the Heat Pump units they freak when the temps drop below freezing and Auxiliary or Emergency Heat is indicated... always get calls saying the system needs to be checked when the January Electric bills hit.

Aside from the tech/reliability issues you have the same key issue I now have to deal with - sky high electricity rates, that show no sign of slowing down, or should I say Up.....

That trajectory has removed all-electric from my future plans, at least when on-grid.

I do like ground or water-sourced geothermal as a technology just fine though - my issue is where I live, legislation wise....

Rgds, D.