With a heavy heart....

Hilly

... we bought a house with forced air. Which wifi stat should I go with? I've never gone fancy but will here. Ecobee, nest, salus, something else?

Jamie Hall

My deepest sympathy. If you want the "learning" capabilities and the internet connectivity, both the Ecobee and the Nest are good thermostats and are designed for and work well with forced air. If you don't want the rest of the world in your house, any good programmable thermostat will work -- I happen to prefer Honeywell VisionPros, which come in a variety of flavours, but there are a number of other good makes.

Steamhead

Start with a heat loss calculation, then size the boiler. Choose which type and style of radiation you and your significant other want, and size them. Then set the boiler and radiation in place and start running pipe!

JohnNY

Steamhead said:

Start with a heat loss calculation, then size the boiler. Choose which type and style of radiation you and your significant other want, and size them. Then set the boiler and radiation in place and start running pipe!

This ˆˆˆˆ.

Hilly

@Steamhead can you run that one by my wife. We have NG in the street to that we can tap into. I would very much love to go with a combi mod-con and throw in a pile of radiators.

Steamhead

Just send her a link to this thread.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Hilly
I lived with FA for 18 years, my allergies were rampant. Not to disparage duct cleaning but not so sure that works. And air cleaners and filters are much improved since way back when

But, with gas available I gotta go with @JohnNY & @Steamhead

Buy the boiler and a HW coil and put it in the furnace. Keep the cellar door locked at all times. Run with the coil she will think it is still warm air. Get all the mains done. Or better yet put radiant in

Then give her enough money for a two day shopping trip. buy the time she gets back you will be all done

Hilly

Does a hydronic coil in an air furnace improve it much? I mean for this home we shouldn't be in it long enough to justify a compete rip out but having oil removed and putting in NG for a boiler with air handler and domestic water would be a better selling feature than the direct fired oil hwt, furnace and oil tank too.

Jamie Hall

If you're looking to move fairly soon, I honestly wouldn't put much money into it -- maybe a decent air filter (the stock ones don't usually do much, particularly for allergens) and a fancy thermostat. Most people don't even really notice the heating system, sad to say, so long as the home inspector says it works -- but they do notice the bling.

STEVEusaPA

Take her to a house with radiant heat...she'll want radiant heat

Gordy

If you came from a water, or steam base system. It won’t take much to convince after living with FHA long enough.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Wouldn't bother unless your staying 5 years or more. Getting rid of oil is a selling point if gas is available.

kcopp

I have purchased 2 homes...both had SHA when I purchased. Ripped it out and installed hydronic BBd in the 1st and panel rads in the second.