Loon I installed a 92% efficent Payne 2 stage furnace this past summer. Got tired of listening to the oil co whining about TSSA compliance on the oil system. So far, I am really happy with it. By going to the 2 stage system, you do not have that big cycle swing between firings. It keeps a much more stable temp range,
Thanks for the input gang! I am still aiming for propane..He has installed 4 of them for family members around here and i havent heard anything bad yet. I have a new 100lb tank that i am gonna deal with myself for the rest of the year and see how much i use as i am hoping it will be very minimal Not too sure yet about the rules about all this? but i have to do it legal as i dont want any problems with the friggen insurance company... Between me falling asleep last weekend and forgetting to load the stove (-22c that nite) and also not being able to do any wood for a few days after drilling my thumb its time to have some back-up.
When you put in the gas lines make sure what type is required. I would stay away from copper for the simple reason it is big target for scrappers. In a lot of area the traditional black pipe is still the required pipe.
Loon, don't know about any codes you have, but buried (only a few inches, done by the supplier) soft copper is what's used from the tank to the house here, and then we run black pipe from the regulator to the furnace. Probably doing that today.
Loon, "but i have to do it legal as i dont want any problems with the friggen insurance company..." This is a huge chunk of your install. Last problem you need is one self inflicted and preventable. That was one reason I paid way more than I needed to when I had my pellet stove installed. I wanted to be able to say it was installed by someone who was rated as qualified. Accidents happen and the insurance company has no sense of humor. Hope you have a current carbon monoxide detector.
Thanks again guys... My buddy down the road runs his own HVAC business and everything will be at cost Will have him tell me what i have to do to get it ready and when he has time in the new year he'll come up and do all the connections and finish off what needs to be done He also does spray foaming and i will be talking to him about having the crawlspace done also..
100 lb. tank sounds really small for heating to me.. I would imagine you'd want at least 250 gallons on hand plus I remember reading somewhere that you don't want the tank to go empty.. Apparently icing can be an issue.. There are also reasons to own vs. renting and both affect propane pricing.. I was considering a propane standby generator and the propane part scared me away.. Ray
I ripped out our lp furnace and every bit of ductwork with it out of the house 6 years ago (Dennis was my inspiration). IMO duct work is nasty especially when used as backup. I'm presently installing baseboard electric resistance as backup heat even though our electric rates suck. Minimal use lp here is expensive and it would cost a lot to go radiant to avoid blowing that nasty crap that settles in the ducts around the house as little as it would be needed. One of the highlights of my life will be the day I threw a chain around Suburban Propane's 500 gallon tank and pulled it to the curb Ok, when their rep on the phone thought he had me asking me how I was going to feel when my family got cold because there was a lock on the tank with my propane in it was pretty priceless too. I told him it was on the curb and if it was there in 30 days, I would consider it abandoned property. Would you believe they picked it up the next morning?
That seems to be one company to avoid at all cost. I can't help but believe that point of use backup electric heat is a cleaner and more affordable option. At least with electric you don't have to worry about your house blowing up or getting gassed to death. I had electric, but I tore it all out when I had the oil furnace put in. Oil was about 69 cents a gallon then. All the electrical wiring is in so I can put some back in should I ever feel the need. My best option for more heat still is my pellets. Ease of use and price point works well for me. Big oil still have me for my car, and yard machines, and many products made from petro. But where I can, I am giving them the shove off. May not influence their decisions, but I feel better about it.
Was looking around at propane prices. Here in Maine, an average for a low volumn user, 100 gal or less is $4.18 a gallon, with the average being $2.68 if you are using it to heat your home. I plugged in the numbers for fuel cost. I don't know what natural gas is going to cost so I left that one alone. These number are what anyone here is dealing with. Krooser just posted pellets at Manards at $178 so unless you cut your own wood, pellets are the cheapest heat around here. There is coal, but to be honest I don't know any distributor or anyone who is currently heating their home with it.
that is the standard tool most sites give to calculate fuel comparison based on averages. Some more, some less efficient.
Unless you're burning an old smoke dragon that number is bogus.. Modern wood stoves are very efficient.. This stove is more efficient than my oil FHW boiler (~78%).. Not trying to give you a hard time but the comparison needs to be accurate.. Either way LP gas is expensive though! Ray
Ray, you are not giving me a hard time. I am only using the figures and comparisons that are available to me, and are the ones found on most sites. I think the whole idea in updating equipment is to increase efficiency and not waste resources. Higher efficiency usually means less pollutant in the air. One good thing is that every wood burner has some conscious control about what equipment is being used. Can be as low as 30% or as high as 90%. I have no idea what the majority falls into. http://ezinearticles.com/?Wood-Stove-Efficiency---The-Secret-To-Low-Cost-Heating&id=5465018
I would probably use NG if it was available here. However, even "cheap clean natural gas" has price volatility and nearly doubled in price from 2000 until the 2008 crash. Its nice to have a 3 year hedge against these market forces stacked outside
