Sound advice to DIYer

jim s_2

Did you read the letter the guy wrote?

He seems to think that all furnaces are the same and changing one out will involve no more difficulty than changing a lightbulb.

He seems to think that all he has to worry about is the gas connection,he obviously doesn`t have a clue as to what`s really involved.

John R. Hall

Tim Carter weighs in

Check out Tim Carter's advice to a DIYer. Tim knows how to give a reply. I especially liked this part of the question:

"My central heating installation job doesn't appear to look that difficult. All I need to do is switch out the furnace and reconnect the black-iron gas line."


http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/FEAT03/611170332/1194

Unknown

That`s a...............

Great response John, now there`s a guy that`s been through-it!
I wish I`d have said that, but I don`t have the "gift-of-gab" this fellow does! Well written!

DanHolohan

Little known fact:

Tim is responsible for the creation of HeatingHelp.com. Great guy.

michael malsbury

Confused?

"The removal of the old furnaces was miserable, dirty work. Rust, dirt and grime were everywhere. Rather than lift the old, heavy furnaces up from the basement, we disassembled them in the furnace room. It took hours to clean the mess up and get all of the parts out to the driveway."

Sounds a perfect job for a DIYer.

"You may not think connecting a black-iron pipe gas line is hard, but if you don't have access to tools that allow you to thread pipe, you may be in for a surprise."

Most hardware stores will thread the pipe for you.

"Sizing the new furnace might also be an issue. Keep in mind that furnaces come in different sizes, and you need to ensure the new furnace has a heat output that is slightly greater than the heat loss of your home. Professionals know how to do the necessary calculations to determine both heat loss and heat gain."

If you can balance your checkbook, you can probably do a heat loss calc.

"The exhaust and incoming combustion-air piping can also be very complicated. The length of the piping runs, the amount of turns and the slope are all very important. You must follow manufacturers' recommendations to the letter or your furnace may not work correctly. What's more, if you install the exhaust piping incorrectly, you may create a life-safety hazard, as exhaust gases can contain deadly carbon monoxide."

The installation manual gives all the details, no?

I'm not disagreeing with the article, but the author makes a very bold claim:
"I am 100 percent convinced you cannot successfully complete the heating installation job."

Very bold claims require solid proof, and I don't see any in the article.

Unknown

I thought.............

The letter looked good! Remember its "angled" toward DIY`rs, Tim seems to stand-up for us, what`s the prob? So a "major manufacturer" selling DIY radiant installation kits is better?
John`s just providing information, based on our input(remember he did ask us for-it),and that`s all! Ya-know, he could have not said anything!!!!

Gordy

Mike

Mike what would you have wrote? Do you think I could fly the space shuttle? Just looks like a bunch of buttons N switches, and stuff.

If you ask a total stranger whether you are capable to accomplish a complex task.........It is sort of a dead give away.

When the guy blows up the neighborhood, because Tim may have been reasonably sure he could do the task.

Gordy

Al Corelli_2

Hot air furnaces?

I'm pretty darn sure I can change out a furnace.

But, if I recall correctly, they are nastier and dirtier than boilers. I mean, all that crap in the furnace is pet dander, human cells, germs, etc.

No way am I gonna touch that stuff! That's GROSS!

Give me good old red boiler mud and acidic soot any day.

And besides, that ductwork is SHARP!

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

michael malsbury

It's a very well written article

Gordy,

I would written something a lot poorer. Lots of grammatical errors, run on sentences, and unnecessary passive voice. The letter is an appropriate response to that person.

ishmael2k

HO and DIY'er comment

I agree with you Mike. While I think the reply that Tim gave was well written and to the point, for him to claim that he was 100% sure that the writer could not perform the exchange was a huge leap.

I have changed out several hot air furnaces and one boiler (My current) and I can say with 100% certainty (Pun intended) that the boiler was way more complicated than the blower units.

Now I am not the run of the mill HO or DIY'er, I was in the construction trade for over 25 yrs. and have spent the last 5 years as a facility manager/head of maintenance for a couple of fairly large facilities. I also have the tools/contacts needed to perform such a job.

Do I think the HO that wrote in could do the change out? No idea, for all I know he is totally inept mechanically and shouldn't be allowed to change the filters let alone the system. But he may be very capable and was just exploring all avenues before making up his mind. (I do have to say that from the way he phrased his questions that I doubt he is capable of the change out.)