Hot air furnace in limited space

Michael_9

My hot air furnace needs replacing soon...it's rusting out. My particular concern is that I find a unit that can be elevated...the crawlspace that houses the unit (which has about 6 feet of
clearance) floods on occasion (the property is along side a tidal creek) so I want to elevate the thing as much as possible. The current unit is on cinderblocks, about 24" off the floor.

I'd like to replace the unit with something of comparable heating capacity, but that is hopefully smaller physically (or can otherwise be installed
higher) so I can protect my investment in the unit. When I speak with my local oil company I feel I'm being offered a standard package with no consideration for my specific needs or requests. I'm looking for more inspired suggestions!

All help/suggestions/referrals appreciated. Thanks!

Big Ed

Specs

What is the btu , type and size of what you have now ? How much smaller do you need ? What is the square footage of your home? Have you thought of moving it out of there ?Where is the location of the hot water heater ?

flange

why not call someone else who is willing to install a horizontal unit? this can be easily accomplished by building a framework that is supported from the ground or hung from the joists. you will pay extra for rerouting some duct but it sounds justified.

Greg Swob

Once a heatloss calc has been done...

You can get to work on finding equipment to satisfy your needs. Many manufacturers already have or are in the process of introducing equipment that is smaller physically than previous models. I realize that your unit will have a horizontal installation, Bryant as an example, has a series of 80% furnaces that are only 33 inches tall.
You may find widths (vertical installation) which would be heights for most horizontal installs @ 14, 17, 21 inches or similar. This will be depending upon output needed and the compatible A-C coil/housings. Other factors here will be minimum clearances to combustibles and venting options. Start with a reputable contractor who performs proper heat loss calc's and not 'rules of thumb'. My favorite such rule of thumb is a guy who uses a thumb to remove dust so he can read the current Btu input label and size according to whatever is there already. Also, a damp location is never a good choice - are there any other options for equipment location than a wet crawl space? Greg

Greg Swob

Once a heatloss calc has been done...

(Sorry, accidentally double clicked)