Buying & Installing A Home Heating System Includes Shopping Checklist
Table of Contents Buying and Installing a Home Heating System Full Service vs.
Buying and Installing a Home Heating System • How to choose the right size unit IES UTILIT 1 3 2 4 5 6 LE N GT H W I DT H Shopping for a new home heating system might seem overwhelming at first. What size, brand, type and efficiency should you choose? What does any of this even mean? After all, it’s not every day that you shop for a home heater or furnace – most of us make an equipment purchase like this only once every 10 years or so and we don’t have much experience.
Full Service Contractor vs. DIY There are three paths you can take to get your new heating system depending on how much work you are willing to do on the project yourself, your mechanical skill level, your willingness to get involved and most of all how much money you want to save. Your options are: 1 Do what most people do and you can have a local heating contractor supply the equipment and install the unit for you as a complete package deal. This is the simplest approach, but also the most expensive.
1) Selecting the right equipment Your project likely falls into one of two categories: replacing an existing heating system, or installing a new heating system for the first time in a new home or renovated home. If you are replacing equipment, it is most likely that you will be selecting the same kind of equipment that you have, meaning your new equipment will use the same kind of fuel, be the same type and be the same size.
Boilers heat water and circulate the hot water or steam through pipes to radiators in each room. There is no ductwork connected to boilers, and they aren’t central air conditioning compatible – they are used for heating only. Some people say that they like the way the heat feels from a boiler system since it is radiant; gentle rays of heat come from the room radiators instead of warm air being blown into the room like with a forced air heater.
make high efficiency models. However, they are an affordable and convenient way to heat warehouses, garages and workshops. 6) Electric Baseboard Heaters Baseboard electric heaters are narrow units that attach to the wall of a room along the baseboard and radiate heat. Usually one or more baseboard heater is installed in each room. These heaters have no moving parts, and operate entirely on electricity, either 110v or 220v.
4) Ask a contractor. Most furnace professionals give free in-home estimates for installing new heating equipment during which they will recommend a unit size. A contractor familiar with the homes in your neighborhood will likely be able to give you an idea of what size you might need. Keep in mind that while a contractor’s opinion is valuable, it is just that – an opinion – unless he performs a heat load calculation. 5) If you are replacing an existing furnace, look at what size you have.
The two features that can increase your comfort, though, are noteworthy and valuable. They are two-stage heating, and selfadjusting blower speeds. Both of these are available for forced air furnaces. Before explaining what these features are, first let’s look at how a home furnace works: When the temperature in the room gets about 1 degree colder than what you’ve set your thermostat for, the heater comes on at full capacity.
Here is a chart of popular forced air residential brands, with warranty and price rankings as of January 2008: Brand Highest Furnace Efficiency Rating Available (AFUE) Parts Warranty Heat Exchanger Warranty 10 Year Furnace Replacement Warranty* Long-Lasting Silicon Nitride Ignitor Price Rank Comments •• All furnaces and air conditioners of all efficiency ratings have a 10 year parts warranty All other furnaces with lower efficiencies are 5-year warranties Goodman 96% 10 Lifetime Yes Yes www
Consider Air Conditioning Replacement or new installation If you already have central air conditioning currently, there is likely no reason why you couldn’t continue to use it with your new heating system. Regardless of differences in brands between your new furnace and your existing air conditioner, they will likely be compatible if you decide to keep you existing air conditioner.
Venting Venting refers to the pipe that connects to the furnace and goes to the outdoors to remove the furnace’s combustion gasses (also referred to as a flue or chimney). Lower efficiency furnaces (in the 80% efficiency range) have metal vent pipes which often connect into a brick chimney; or the metal vent pipe goes vertically through the home and terminates through the roof.
from your old one, ductwork will need to be adapted to get the new furnace to fit properly. A sheet metal transition kit makes replacing an existing forced air furnace easier. Furnace Mounting Blocks Furnaces installed in a basement are subject to water damage should water enter there. It is a good idea to mount the furnace on a support to keep it a few inches off the floor. Bricks can be used, or specially designed furnace mounting blocks.
zones on up, with most homes using 2 to 6 zones. The components required are: professional before going ahead with your purchase. 2 zone control panel (the “brain”) Some online stores have automatic shopping tutorials that can walk you through the buying process. They can make recommendations for your equipment, as well as required and optional accessories. Ask retailers if they have such a tool to assist you. 3 thermostats for each zone.
• Are the products in stock? Will the order ship the same day? • If there is shipping damage, are products fully insured? Will you send me a new product and handle the claim with the shipping company for me? • Do you have a return allowance? Do you charge restocking fees for returns? • Do you charge cancellation fees if I cancel my order before it ships? • Do you process manufacturer warranty claims for me if I need repair parts down the road? • Do you have free technical support for as long as I own t
pipe. Carbon monoxide is an invisible odorless gas that when breathed blocks oxygen from entering the blood and within a short period of time will cause poisoning and death. Each year about 80 people in the US die from carbon monoxide poisoning. 4) Installation Doing It Yourself If you’re someone who does his own home mechanical projects, such as plumbing, electrical or carpentry, you might be able to do some or most of your own installation.
Installation Guidance manufacturers to validate the warranty. Installation Manuals Any heating contractor who works on your type of heater can provide the inspection and startup for you. It should take the service technician less than an hour to do, and will cost the visit minimum which is usually $70 to $130, depending on where you live.
• Some contractors won’t want to work with you and will only want to sell and install their own equipment for you, since this is how they make the most money. They might tell you why what you are doing isn’t a good idea, or the brand you like is a bad brand. This is common, since this is some contractor’s method of trying to convince you to buy from them. Don’t worry - there are plenty of other contractors that would be glad to have your business.
Questions? Talk to a heating and air conditioning professional and receive free advice at: 800-865-5931 Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, CST. or online at www.AlpineHomeAir.com Copyright 2008 Alpine Home Air Products www.AlpineHomeAir.
Shopping and Installation Checklist 1. The fuel or energy I want my system to operate on: ®® Natural gas crawlspaces. ®® Propane 8. Will I need to install new ductwork in the home, or do I have existing ductwork? ®® Oil ®® Need to install new ductwork ®® Electricity only ®® Have existing ductwork I will use 2. The type of heater I want: ®® Forced Air Furnace 9.
17. If there is shipping damage, are products fully insured? Will you send me a new product and handle the claim with the shipping company for me? _____ 18. Do you have a return allowance? Do you charge restocking fees for returns?_______ 19. Do you charge cancellation fees if I cancel my order before it ships? _____ 20. Do you process manufacturer warranty claims for me if I need repair parts down the road? _____ 21. Do you have free technical support for as long as I own the products? _____ 22.
