My 50-year-old HVAC system gives up the ghost

[gottahaveahoove]

I had oil steam

the furnace was 50 yrs old, as were the oil tanks.
I was told they all were on borrowed time. I didn't want to replace oil tanks and have a 50+ yr old furnace, etc.
So, I went to gas and a water heater. It PAID for itself in about 3 yrs.
Thankfully, all is fine.
Good luck with your new system.

 

[kirby519]

@madman

Oh I know. I grew up in a single family home and helped clear off land and maintain my Grandparents property. No stranger to what lies ahead.

My dad and grandfather taught me quite a bit about up keep and repairs. Glad I took the time to learn.

@human. I could have been happy with 3 yrs. could have saved some money to apply to the next vehicle.

 

[human]

They're on the way...

I just got a call from the HVAC guys and they're en route. I'm almost surprised in a way that they didn't show up at some ungodly early hour. I checked the weather earlier and it looks like it's only going to top out in the upper 70s, maybe 80 today so it'll be an okay day to go without A/C. Of course, the flip side of the coin is it's going to be rainy and I'm sure they'll need me to move my less-than-weather tight convertible out from under the carport so they can access the back yard. Guess I'll be parking it on the street and pulling the cover over it. No big deal. Now, corralling the cats and locking them in my bedroom all day, that's going to be a bigger deal—at least for them.

 

[human]

Out with the old...

The old Singer system has breathed its last and is out the door. The new one is now being installed. It's a Rheem system and I was disappointed to see the Energy Guide sticker on the carton for the furnace showed it to be rated "least efficient". Oh well, they've kind of got me over a barrel at this point. Hopefully the air conditioner will make up the difference. That was the real energy hog on the old system.

 

[kirbyklekter]

Human,

Looking forward to hearing any news on the new furnace/ac unit. Did you pry off the old Singer badge from the front?

My old Coleman "Presidential" heater/ac was built in 1974 and thankfully still gets it done. My grandfather (40 yrs. hvac) would tinker with it now and then but so far it's never needed parts. Even the pilots therm o-coupler is original. My 24 yr. old water heater went through 4 couplers, but that's all so with 24 yrs. service I'm not complaining!

Are they replacing the ducting too or just cleaning out the old. Is your ducting insulated or wrapped in anything? We do here on the coast and I know it gets colder where you live! Billy

 

[human]

The system is in. I was mistaken earlier. The system is a Ruud, manufactured by Rheem. So far, it's a lot quieter than the old Singer. All I hear is the rushing of air through the vents, not the mechanicals in the closet. Hopefully, it will be more energy efficient. They re-used the original ductwork but everything else is brand new, except the thermostat, which I had replaced a few years ago. Quite coincidentally, I got an email from the power company today, offering a $300 rebate on a new HVAC system, so that was a welcome development. And yes, I did save the American Furnace Company badge off of the furnace but the Singer badge was long gone from the air conditioner before I ever bought the house.

 

[lesinutah]

Multiple

In Utah or any house with a basement has for inch concrete.
If anyone is saying engineered wood is cheap fiberboard. They get the wood overlapping directions. They do this by using polarities of ions. I have engineered hardwood in my basement with a 60 year warranty. It was the longest warranty available.
I joists are engineered wood. They hold the weight of the whole house. I hope this helps with the misconception of engineered flooring.
Les

 

[kirby519]

@ Lesinutah

True Laminated wood products are structurally stronger and more stable than solid wood products.

The down side to Engineered wood floors is they can only successfully be lightly sanded and refinished one time. Sounds like there has been quite a bit of water soaking into the boards making up the flooring before it was discovered to cause the cupping of the boards.

Hopefully with drying out the floor the boards will settle back into place. Only time will tell with that.

 

[madman]

LVL beams are very strong, but just like the floor boards, don't get them wet. Most engineered hardwood really is just MDF particle board. I'm sure there are some nicer ones that are more like plywood. And they probably use some kind of alchemy on others to make them more water-resistant. Even so, they'll only handle a certain amount of moisture, just like plywood roof decking or the LVL beams or engineered trusses holding up your house - those are actually rated on how much water exposure they can handle. Because there's no roof when a house is still being built.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Here's some info I found on history of American Furnace Co:

PARENT COMPANY: AMERICAN FURNACE COMPANY
1968 – AMERICAN FURNACE COMPANY BECAME PART OF CLIMATE CONTROL A DIVISION WITHIN SINGER CO.
1970 – BRAND NAME AMERICAN FURNACE DROPPED AND RENAMED TO SINGER AMERICAN FURNACE.
1982 – SINGER AMERICAN FURNACE RENAMED TO CLIMATE CONTROL.
SISTER OR SIMILAR BRANDS INCLUDE: NONE

SINGER: In 1982 became climate control unit of SnyderGeneral Corp. with name dropped. In 1984 SnyderGeneral operations included Arcoaire, Comfortmaker, McQuay. In 1988 SynderGeneral bought American Air Filter. In 1991, sold Arcoaire & Comfortmaker to Inter-City Products.

https://www.building-center.org/american-furnace-hvac-age/
http://www.johnmills.net/work/history.html

 

[human]

All I know is that Singer system ran like the proverbial sewing machine. They don't make them like that anymore. I'm already missing it. The new system decided to quit running yesterday so I'm stuck at home, waiting on a technician to come and fix it. the cats are loving having the windows open but I know it's going to be unbearably hot in here later on. Meanwhile, the A/C has also gone out on my car. I've just got some bad climate control mojo going on right now.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Hopefully, it's just a 'glitch"

Speaking of Singer sewing machines, I used mine (about 20 yrs old) to make Xmas pillows for a former friend. I'm not very fancy with it, but.......... So far, it's perfect. I KNOW it's not like the 'old ones'. I learned on an old one, as I worked for a tailor.
Good luck with your new unit.

 

[human]

Yeah, the guy I talked to on the phone said it sounded like a safety switch, of which there are several, got tripped. I wish I new how to reset it.

I have an antique Singer sewing machine that my dad accumulated somewhere. It's probably over 100 years old but it's in beautiful condition, most likely designed to be treadle operated. What I have is just the machine itself. Apparently somebody wanted to re-purpose the cabinet and removed it. Dad picked it up very cheaply because it's not really usable without a cabinet. It is also one heavy beast, made well before the world even knew what plastic was.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

That's why they, and the likes of

Hoover 150(s), 28(s), and other vac makes are still working!!!!
A year after my gas furnace was installed, a little 'copper coil' went! $40.00
There are safety devices on everything now. Thank God ! Hope that's the end of your troubles.

 

[human]

The technicians just left and it was a safety switch. There was a leak in the the water line running from the condensation pump. It was just above where the line connected to the pump so it filled up the catch pan and tripped the float switch. I have to wonder if that leak wasn't the original cause of all my troubles as that piece of plastic tubing was one of the few things that got re-used from the original system. I may have to give some thought to replacing it, especially if it springs another leak.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

It just might be

It probably would be a good idea to replace it. After all of this, I'd consider it.

 

[human]

I'm thinking the same thing. The only problem is that while I can see where it ends at the pump, I can't see where it ultimately goes. It passes over the top of a duct and disappears.

 

[madman]

Well hey, at least you have a catch pan and a float switch now, so it won't ruin your floor again. That's a nice consideration... I wonder if it is required by code. I'm guessing the old system didn't have one, hence the ruined floors.

Speaking of your sewing machine that was liberated from its cabinet... you know they have / had what I would call a tabletop cabinet or 'base' to put them in. It's literally just a wood box that the machine rests in. There are one or two on ebay. Just in case you wanted to use... or even display the machine.

 

[human]

Yeah, I don't think I'll be buying any accessories for that sewing machine anytime soon. I really need to sell it and all the other junk of my dad's so I can get out from under the storage unit rent. Ugh!

And as if my bank account hadn't already taken enough punishment this month with replacing the HVAC system in my house, I've got to do the same thing to my car! 2013 Buick with 63,500 miles and it needs a new compressor, $1,600 worth! Ye gods, will it ever end!?!

 

[human]

No, it's not ending yet...

So just before suppertime, I noticed it was getting a little stuffy in the house, so just out of curiosity, I checked the catch pan for the condensation pump on the furnace and sure enough, it was almost overflowing! Fortunately, I had not put my shop vac away so I pulled the float switch off of the pan and sucked the water up to get the system running again. I primed the pump with a little water and sure enough, the tube was leaking again at exactly the same spot, just above the hose clamp. Of course, this all happened after normal business hours so there was no one available to take my call but I left a detailed voicemail message, telling them to bring a supply of tubing when they come and be prepared to replace the whole damned thing. The tubing is old—possibly half a century old—and it has apparently shrunk and become brittle, as plastics will over time. I guess I'm just going to have to babysit that pan all weekend and suck up water a few times a day until they can get here on Tuesday.