Need new hot air oil fired burner that can be switched to gas in a year

fred9

My 22 year Heil has cracked heat exchanger and I just got a letter from the local natural gas company that gas may soon be available. So I'm looking for a furnace that can be easily converted. I now have a stand alone Bock 32E hot water heater that's one year old (but they go bad quickly with my well water).

Robert O'Brien

The only warm air furnace I would even consider converting is a Thermopride. Why not just use any oil furnace and if gas becomes available, install a combi gas boiler and use furnace as an airhandler with a HW coil.

fred9

Thanks Robert for what looks like a very good solution. I'm very new to all this so could you give me a little more detail or example or brands? I have never replaced or bought a heating system (only 3 hot water heaters).

JUGHNE

One case I know of was the oil burner heat exchanger burned thru. A condensing NG furnace with side wall venting was installed with an LP kit. When NG pipeline was available then NG kit put back in furnace.

Your city codes might not allow an above ground LP tank if any at all. No problem here for that. But was a good temp solution.

In this case the water heater was electric. I don't believe you can switch gas water heaters NG to LP and back again.

fred9

Is a System 2000 from Energy Kinetics a viable option for my warm air system?
Web site says "with easy natural gas conversion".
Thanks
http://www.energykinetics.com/system2000-quietest-most-efficient-boiler.shtml

Aaron_in_Maine

I would put in the gas furnace now and run it on propane until natural gas becomes available. I have done it with a Thermopride and the customer still spent less even buying propane for a year or two.

fred9

Aaron, Thank you for the recommendation.