Converting from Gas Furnace to Hot Water Heat

jp_2

I would suggesting firring the outside walls, spray foam, then any siding you prefer. that'd be much easier than trying to add insulation to the inside. good way to seal the envelope too!

Patrick_30

Converting for Gas Furnace to Hot Water Heat

We live in a 1600 sf ranch house (brick and block with no wall insulation) in Maryland. It also has a full finished basement. The current heating system is a natural gas furnace, about 20 years old, and very oversized (150,000 BTU!).

The house has central AC and the air handler would need to remain in place. A boiler could go nearby in the current laundry room.

Thr house is just plain cold.

The furnace is nearing the end of its life, and I have suggested to my wife that we consider having some sort of hot water heat installed. I figure that with PEX piping, wall-hung European radiators or baseboard heat could be installed without significant renovations. The finished basement precludes radiant floor heat.

Is this a realistic idea? Are we looking at 2-3X the price of furnace replacement or the price of a new Mercedes?

Am I being realistic that minimal renovation would be needed, especially since I expect contractors to do a reasonably high standard of work on my house?

After all, I can be a hack all by myself...

David Sutton_6

Hot water?

You can also run a inderect off the boiler also.many more options with a boiler, hydro coil can be used.

jp_2

INSULATE!

put the money into insulation! keep your heat.

Steamhead (in transit)

Patrick, what part of Maryland

are you in? We're in Baltimore, and Wayco Wayne is nearer DC. One of us should be able to help you.

You have a LOT of options when installing water-based heat. I wouldn't use a duct coil ("hydro-air") since you'd still have to blow hot air thru ductwork. This would still make you feel cold.

My personal favorite is cast-iron baseboard, since it will hold its heat longer than steel panel radiators or fin-tube baseboard. But it does get pricey.

The very first thing I'd do is what JP suggested- make the house as tight as you can. Insulate, weatherstrip, install new windows- you know the drill. Once all this is done, you won't need to buy such a big boiler or so much radiation. And it will cost much less to operate.

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Patrick_30

We're in eastern Montgomery County...

While we have been improving insulation (we'll have R44 in the attic by New Year's), the biggest problem is the walls. There is less than an inch of airspace, leaving the only insulation solutions to be either covering the brick with insulation and either vinyl siding or stucco, or tearing off the plaster walls to place insulation and replacing with sheetrock.

Probably better to move than to do either.

Windows are single pane wood with aluminum storms and reasonably sound.