MrTed46 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Well I purchased my home about 2 years ago and this is the second winter I finished there. My heating unit absolutely sucks! When I purchased the home the home inspector told me the unit was on the "weak" side to power the house. Basically, I paid through the nose in heating bills and I was still freezing and I've had enough. I'm not in a rush (just finished winter) but I need help/opinions. I currently have forced air unit and ducts going to every room in the house. I had one professional come give me his advise (he's retired) but his stance was to get a boiler and install radiators in every room. He said it is the best heat (not dry) and the new boilers are very cost efficient. I can set it to three zones (1 per area of house) and heat the zone I want at a given time. My other friend told me to look into halcyon inverter's and install them in every room. Eg, http://www.fujitsugeneral.com/wallmounted.htm Someone suggested me getting a more powerful forced air unit, but I am VERY skeptical because the one I have now sucks and its single zone (all or nothing). The professional who came, inspected the unit and said it is in TIPTOP shape, he thinks it might be light for the house or the ducts not positioned correctly. Geothermal is fascinating but I don't think I want to plunk down that much capital right now. How much does this cost anyway? I'm assuming over 25k. I'm going to get more people come in and give me estimates and their opinions. Right now, if I was to make a decision right this minute, I would probably lean towards installing radiators and a boiler while using my current forced air to cool my house (which it does a terrible job at doing but not as bad as heating it). Thoughts/opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Cheif Dick is in the field. he will be of service. One thing i will offer as far as the dryness is this. I have forced hot air and I had a humidifying system hooked right up to my furnace. It cost about 850 and helped a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) Probably a dumb question, but have you made sure you have adequate insulation and inspected the house for areas that could be leaching out your heat? In my old house, I went around with a couple cans of that foam-in-a-can insulation and a couple rolls of fiberglass to hit all the spots - especially in the basement - that were either uninsulated or even exposed to the elements. Anywhere a pipe went out of the house, got a circle of foam. The space between the first floor joists on top of the foundation got the fiberglass. Etc. I still paid a lot for heating, but it was a little less and my comfort level was much improved. Edited March 17, 2009 by The Irish Doggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) Forced Air units are perfectly fine if they are sized properly and in god working order. When the heat tech came out did he inspect the duct work undr the house or in the attic? I assume the heat tech checked the filters? I use to work on radiator syatems and they work very nicely. However the initial expense may be far more than replacing the FA system. You don't have a heat pump do you? Some peolpe don't like them because they can sem cold even though they are working fine. ETA: and btw the boiler and radiator system would only take care of the heat. If you want AC you would need to install another system unless the AC is working well in the unit you have. Edited March 17, 2009 by Footballjoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 What part of the country are you in? I would be glad to talk to you about it if you want some advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 What part of the country are you in? I would be glad to talk to you about it if you want some advice. New York City Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) New York City PM sent. And definitely no mini-split (fujitsu, et al) for your climate. Give me a call: I have some good info for you. Edited March 17, 2009 by Chief Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 You probably can't put in a Timber Ridge Outdoor Furnace like we just did for our new house at the farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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