Anybody replace their furnace lately????

[malta blue]

The sellers on the victorian house I wanted to buy want to negotiate, and I need to take into account that the furnace is at the end of the lifespan and may need replacing next year.

So - if you don't mind sharing your tales.....

Thanks Duers!

[evlbstrd]

1. I replaced my boiler.

I took out the old one myself, and the new one cost about $3,000 installed.
If there's asbestos involved, everything changes.

[malta blue]

8. Thanks for the info. nt

[Catshrink]

2. I replaced mine in August

The 25+ year old AC crapped out and I had to replace the entire system. I got a combo heat pump and AC unit. My first reaction was OMG, this is really AC! It was so efficient compared to the old one -- and when I got the bill, it was a bit lower.

It wasn't cheap but I did get a fed tax break for it. Arizona doesn't offer a state break but others do.

[malta blue]

9. We are looking to replace the furnace if we buy this

house since it is 40+/- years old, with the life expectancy of 30-40 years on this make. We figure if we replace it with a new super efficient one, we can eliminate the $400 monthly heating bills the current owners are paying.

[Catshrink]

17. $400! Wow!

You should be able to reduce that a lot.

[Love Bug]

20. I replaced mine three years ago just in time for gas to go up

So my bills are what they were with the old unit, but I'm using far fewer therms, or whatever those heat units are. Thermians?

BTW-- this is a good time of year to reaplace your furnace since it's the end of the season.

[likesmountains 52]

3. Try this in the DIY and Home Improvement Forum...they have a wealth of knowledge

[malta blue]

10. Thanks. nt

[hyphenate]

4. I didn't myself

but my friend who owns the house did a couple of years ago. They were expensive--$5000 each, and he had to buy two. It really really helped though--cost of heating went down quite a bit.

[malta blue]

11. Thanks for the info. nt

[lutefisk]

5. Getting estimates would be good

There are many variables and the only way to really know is to get firm estimates from the people you would pay for the new furnace. I'd recommend several estimates- should be free, other than your time. Seems like a lot of trouble, but it's the only way to know what's going on down in the furnace room... old house...???

[malta blue]

12. Planning on getting many estimates before we actually

do the work. I am just trying to get a ballpark figure so that I can do some serious negotiating with the current owners.

The house is from the 1880's and runs on a furnace that is 40+/- years old right now.

[Random_Australian]

6. I'm an Australian. In other words, never.

In fact, I had forgotten that they can be used in a house, I was thinking you were talking about a steel mill or something! :)

[malta blue]

14. LOL

:rofl:

Thanks for checking in - I needed that laugh!
:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. My dear malta blue...

I have no advice to you, but...

Good luck, sweetie!

Sounds like there might be hope for your beautiful Victorian home after all!

:bounce: :bounce:

[malta blue]

15. Thanks Peggy!

Mr MB decided we were not about to lose this house without at least trying to get them to make some serious concessions - soooo...
1. All windows must be functional (only one in each room opens)
2. All electrical problems discovered during the inspection must be remedied by a certified electrician - no DIY jobs.
3. The bathroom floor that was "spongy" needed to be resolved and the fixtures all laid in by a professional.
4. Knock 5 figures off the price since we are going to deal with the foundation issues in the barn and the furnace ourselves.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!:hug:

[zanne]

13. Two years ago

The furnace was about 50 years old. Of course, it stopped working on the coldest day of the year, so we had space heaters everywhere and we kept blowing fuses. Anyway, a few days and $5,000 later, we had our new furnace. Does a great job.

[malta blue]

16. We are looking at a 40+/- furnace, so probably the

same sort of situation.

Thanks for the input!:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

18. Changed out the furnace and A/C, similar pricing to those posted here

and if you need asbestos abatement that will ratchet up the cost but is well worth it. We didn't need it, but many of my friends in the Northeast did.

New furnaces are two stage and generally much quieter and dramatically more efficient. Our old furnace was about 20 years old and still working fairly well but the new one is about 30% cheaper to run.

[malta blue]

19. Thanks for the information. n/t