The Furnace Book

Introduction

The Furnace Book is the utmost authority in furnace replacement and is becoming one of the fastest selling " do it yourself books".

Before you begin your installation process you need to find out the Btu's of your existing furnace and it's fuel efficiency. If your old furnace has a standing pilot that stays lit, the furnace is no more than 78% efficiency. You can find this information on the rating plate of your existing furnace. Most new furnaces are 95% efficiency now and will save you a lot of money on your heating cost.

The supply house where you purchase your new furnace will make sure that you get the correct furnace for your home.

The next thing that you need to know is if your furnace is a down flow upflow or horizontal. If your existing furnace is in the basement and is standing upright it is a upflow.

If you have  heating ducts in the floor and the furnace is on the first floor then it is a downflow.

A horizontal is easy to see as the furnace is laid on one side or the other. If you are replacing a horizontal furnace, make sure that the air flow is the same and the replacement furnace can be laid on the same side.

You may want to consider either adding central air now or at least make provisions for later on for a central air system. This would be a great time to add an air conditioning coil to either on top or under( downflow models) your new furnace. Doing this will save you time and trouble later on when you do decide to have central air installed.

 The Furnace Book was designed for the first time furnace installer, with the intention of guiding you through each step of the installation process.

This book is in no way the furnace installation manual for your furnace, but is to be used in conjunction with it. This book is to be used as a reference, to make the instruction manual make more sense to you. 

The installation manual that comes with your furnaces tells you what to do, The Furnace Book shows and explains "how to do it".

Your current furnace should be replaced before it actually needs to be.  An appropriate time for the installation process is during the summer spring or fall, before the old unit decides to take a leave of absents on you. It’s important to realize that although a person in the heating business can perform this process in a day, installing your own furnace may take more than one day. In order to make sure that your project is completed successfully, it is crucial that you take your time and not rush the process.  We all know what it’s like to rush something; the final result is less than desirable.

Installing your own furnace has significant financial advantages.  You may be surprised that installing your own furnace can save you a tremendous amount of money.  Completing this task on your own can save you as much as $2500.00.  This amount is an estimate since each furnace is different and some cost more than others do.  You can save even more, possibly another  $1500.00, if you install your own central air conditioning.

 On a natural gas that is converted to propane furnace,  I would suggest either hiring a professional to do the propane conversion or inquire at the supply house if you have any questions.  If you choose to install a propane furnace, you have the option to order the propane furnace or have someone in the business convert it from gas to propane for you.  Approximately $125 dollars or more would be the cost to have someone convert the furnace to propane depending on the cost of the propane kit needed.

Keep in mind that local contractors and the supply houses were you purchase your equipment are very helpful in providing helpful hints