[N_Fiddledog]

Did anybody watch "Olsen on your side" on BCTV last night?

You can still see it here, by clicking on the Chris Olsen video link

He was talking about how after the new year you won't be able to get a mid-efficiency furnace in Canada anymore. They won't allow them to come into the country.

This creates some problems. You can't hook the new high efficiency furnaces up to existing B-vent links in a lot of homes. You have to rip out walls and such to install the new plastic venting. The whole process takes about 2 days.

The new high efficiency furnaces by themselves cost about double the price of the old ones. The old ones work just fine. Ours is about 40 years old.

You can get grants and such for the new ones, but there's a lot of hoops to jump through.

The basics are described here

I've been trying to get in touch with my furnace guy for about 2 hours to get a mid-efficiency furnace, but the phone's busy. It's never busy like that. Olsen must have freaked a lot of people out.

[Brenda]

I bet he did. I also bet the mid efficiency furnaces in stock are sold out before the week is out.

I am renovating my whole house, and just put up a whole new floor, hooked to my old (very old, green ) furnace... I am not willing to redo my whole house when this thing stops working...

[Choban]

Actually, if you have an older furnace in good working shape your better off to refurbish it than pay all the $$$ involved in replacing it with the newer high efficiancy ones.
Like everything else these days the new ones are made cheaply and massed produced, the older ones will outlast many brand new ones and really don't cost all that much more to run, want to save energy and $, re insulate your attic and roof areas, and weather strip or replace your windows and doors.

[Chumley]

N_Fiddledog wrote:

This creates some problems. You can't hook the new high efficiency furnaces up to existing B-vent links in a lot of homes. You have to rip out walls and such to install the new plastic venting. The whole process takes about 2 days.

Why not? What difference does it make whether its plastic or metal?

[N_Fiddledog]

Chumley wrote:

N_Fiddledog wrote:

This creates some problems. You can't hook the new high efficiency furnaces up to existing B-vent links in a lot of homes. You have to rip out walls and such to install the new plastic venting. The whole process takes about 2 days.

Why not? What difference does it make whether its plastic or metal?

You got me. All I know at this point is what Olsen said. I did finally get in touch with my furnace guys. The receptionist said she's going to contact the service guy, and get back to me.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

If I remember correctly I believe that's accurate as far as the venting outside goes. I had to replace my old furnace about 10 years ago, and it was a museum piece by then
I got a high eff. and in order to vent it, they had to do it through one of the basement windows. They were cool about it though. They cut some sheet metal to the size of the window, cut a hole in it for the venting and sealed everything up. Didn't cost me any extra.

[Alta_redneck]

N_Fiddledog wrote:

Chumley wrote:

N_Fiddledog wrote:

This creates some problems. You can't hook the new high efficiency furnaces up to existing B-vent links in a lot of homes. You have to rip out walls and such to install the new plastic venting. The whole process takes about 2 days.

Why not? What difference does it make whether its plastic or metal?

You got me. All I know at this point is what Olsen said. I did finally get in touch with my furnace guys. The receptionist said she's going to contact the service guy, and get back to me.

I believe it has something to do with condensation. I bought a rental property 10 years ago that had a 2 year old HE furnace. In 8 years I had to put out close to 2 grand for repairs. I finally got rid of that piece of shit and put in a ME furnace. Hopefully the newer ones are better. That one also needed a floor drain to drain off the condensation, so if you haven't got a drain close, you may also have to jack hammer your floor to put one in.