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

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Our heating system is a natural gas forced hot air system with a 15 year old AC condenser. It is operating with no problems, I had the system inspected and the technician said the heat exchanger is fine. I just purchased the home so I have no knowledge on the history of the system. It has an efficiency of 80% with a single stage blower. We spend most winters away from the home.

Here is my concers/comments.

1. Should I replace the system now before I have problems. I would go with a high efficiency 98% unit as well as the AC condenser. If I am away and the system fails I would have to make repairs remotely and pay $$$ for the emergency service.
2. The ductwork is old I am thinking 50 plus years old, the house was constructed in 1928. I would have the entire system evaluated to make sure the ductwork is adequate in size. It is all exposed in the basement and accessible. All of the ductwork is exposed metal, thinking insulation would help.
3. We plan to be in the house for at least 20 years.
4. I upgraded the attic insulation to R49, all windows have been replaced with high efficiency units. The walls are not insulated since with exterior brick it would not make sense to spend the $$$.
5. I would like to add a humidifier and electronic air cleaner if I upgrade the system.
6. I have a 2nd floor bedroom about 150 sq. ft. which is rarely used, perhaps 10-15 days a year. I would like to zone this off from the rest of the home, is this possible?

This my 1st experience with hot air system all other homes had a hot water baseboard system.

So replace or wait for it to break? Should I consider any other upgrades?

Thanks
Tom

 

[CADplans]

My heat pump was installed in 1979, during the home construction.

Efficiency? I have several neighbors with similar age homes, most of them have replaced the system.
We compare electric bills,, my energy usage is within a couple percent of theirs.

I see ZERO chance that energy savings will pay for replacement.

My system will be dead,, and not repairable,,, before I replace it.

Spend the $10K on something you can enjoy,, like another tractor,,,, :thumbsup:

 

[RickB]

I'm in a similar boat. Just bought a house built in 1992 with an original all electric heat pump. Considering a full replacement while we are doing renovations, but if we wait there's nothing lost in terms of how the pieces fit. We won't be moving for a few months so there's time for whatever we decide. I tend to prefer making changes on my schedule, not on an emergency basis.

 

[nybirdman]

I wouldn't replace it until needed.The problems I have seen were the super high efficient units......too complicated.Lots of early cracked fire boxes in the natural gas units.

 

[Sprinklerman]

I bought my first house in 1984 , natural gas with a/c . it was 10 years old when I bought it . Furnace is in a crawl space . I was always dreading replacing it . I knew 1 day that time would come . Fast forward to Dec of 2016 , the tenant calls about a heat problem . The furnace bit the dust . Thats 42 years later , I had to do minor repairs in that time , nothing major . So 2 days of digging out a tight crawl space by hand to replace the unit , I have a new gas furnace and AC unit .

If it aint broke , dont fix it

 

[Travelover]

I bought a house in 1989 that had the original gas furnace. Decided I'd replace it when something went seriously wrong. I lubed the blower motor and replaced the belt occasionally, but it was still fine at 43 years old when I finally decided to take advantage of a tax energy rebate deal. Those old low efficiency furnaces were made to last.

 

[MarkE]

I replaced my 17 year old one and it was the best thing we ever did.

Our propane guy thinks we have someone else coming to fill the tank since we are paying less than half the propane cost after a year.

We got a high efficiency Lennox with an air to air heat pump and propane backup to replace propane only. Above 32 it is all heat pump. Our electric bill actually went down during heating season probably due to the variable speed fan. This is the first year we ever left the AC on all summer and the summer electric bill also went down.

Even if we didn't save money the system is nearly silent and comfort is a huge step forward. We'd get a 3-5 degree swing on the old system. On this one when you set it to 70 it is always exactly 70. The heat pump is under the back deck where the two AC compressors for the old system were. We are so happy to have our deck back since the noise and heat from the old systems prevented using it.

 

[Looking4new]

I have a mid efficiency Hunter forced air oil furnace. It constantly (cleaned and evaluated every year) passes at 85% efficiency.It gets a new nozzle every year and a new fan belt too.
I got it in 1995.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I replaced my 20 yo oil boiler a year ago last October. I wanted to replace it in warm weather rather than having to replace it in 20 degree weather.

 

[ultrarunner]

Tough call...

My first home vintage 1922 had it's original central gas heat and it is still never misses a beat.

In Washington, I have had lots of issues with both Heat Pumps... the New one that went in just before I bought in 2005 and the entire new one I had put in 2015...

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Thanks all for the input very much appreciated.

I keep thinking since I am away 2 months during winter, I would hate for the heat exchanger to go and I am 2500 miles away and trying to get it fixed/replaced from a distance. I replaced my 10 year old no problem water heater with the same idea.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

If you decide to replace; look into the Variable Refrigerant Flow Heat Pumps. They are even more efficient than the new straight heat pumps. Zoning is easy just by adding indoor units where needed with its zone thermostat. Indoor units can either be exposed cabinets or concealed units with duct work. Each indoor unit has its own variable speed fan. They are very quite. No auxiliary heat is required till ambient gets down to 0 deg F. With multiple indoor units you can cool or heat zones at the same time. I hear first cost is competitive with a central ducted heat pumps. There are all kinds of options and control scenarios available.

Ron

 

[RNeumann]

Heat exchangers don't fail catastrophically. Just keep an eye on things and or pay for regular inspections.
With regards to the second story- look into the "mini splits". It's basically a small heat pump so you get heat and AC. They are very efficient and you won't need any duct work.
It sounds like you aren't there in the winter. If that's the case you have other options for backup heat so you don't have to worry about a heater failure leading to other issues in the home-especially while you are away.

 

[CADplans]

If you decide to replace; look into the Variable Refrigerant Flow Heat Pumps.
There are all kinds of options and control scenarios available.

Ron

Is there a website anywhere that gives sensible pricing on what one should be expected pay for this stuff?

I do not mind buying,, but, the "local guys" typically quote 3X what I read about installations on TBN costing,,,

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I have not researched costs. I will be doing so next month as I plan for a new house. Always cheaper in new construction than as a retrofit. DIY will probably only be possible with package units are the remote unites that have pre-charged refrigerant lines. An EPA license is required to purchase the refrigerant. Code compliance my restrict you to using licensed contractors, that is if you get a permit. Local jurisdictions are all over on such things. In our area HVAC contractors figure labor at over $100/Hr. Refrigeration was one of my trades and I have the EPA license, but my experience is now dated and I would not touch the modern stuff.

Ron

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Since I have natural gas I do not plan on going with a heat pump.

The furnace mfg is Heil, with auto ignition no pilot light. The fan is a sealed unit with nowhere to oil, no belts direct drive, all this per the service guy.

So how long do furnaces last, what I read 20 years is the typical life hence my concern for replacing it.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Run the numbers on operating costs, you may find gas is costing you a lot more if you install the latest high efficiency units. If you go gas forced air look at the condensing burner types (98% effeciency).

Ron

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Yes I will run the numbers for sure. It is not only the gas but also the electric to run the blower, service guy indicates it is drawing 6 amps. Looks like a lot of the high efficiency units use variable speed DC motors. The service rep said he has the fewest callbacks on Trane equipment. But from what I hear it is more the installer than the equipment mfg. that makes for a good system.

 

[sailfast]

Not necessarily required to replace furnace. Expect higher maintence costs on newer equipment.
You can not set the thermostat lower than 60 on the newer equipment.
I probably would spend money on an alarm system that monitors temp and for water leaks before a new furnace.
I would probably just keep it.
Install process vary widely due to locality, don't cut corners with a cheap install.

 

[3930dave]

Expect higher maintence costs on newer equipment.

I would probably just keep it.

^ I agreed with the whole post, but specifically wanted to second these points.

My neighbour is an HVAC contractor that's been in the game 30 years. We have regular conversations about how many corners are being cut in today's products - for the most part, reliability has taken a far backseat to selling replacement parts/ new units. This situation mirrors what is going on with "white" appliances - you'll find people with 30+ year old washer/dryer sets running fine, but most of the new stuff barely makes it 5 years.

Assuming the tech you just had in knows what he's doing, I'd sleep fine re. the heat exchanger.

Lots of heat exchangers crack because neither the installer nor the building inspector knew what they were doing/gave a rodents backside. (Cold air returns seriously undersized, prematurely stressing the heat exchanger). If the one in-place has a clean bill of health, I'd keep it running.

I understand belt+suspenders concerns though; I'd second spending some of that money on remote temperature monitoring.

Rgds, D.