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    calash's Avatar
    calash Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Jul 7, 2008, 06:14 PM
    More Heat from Hot air system
    I have a forced hot air heating system. House is a small cape. About 1500 SF living area. I. use about 550 Gallons of heating oil in a season. With oil at $4.50 per gal.I want to try to squeeze more efficiency out of the system. Furnace is 24 years old. I know the new burners have a pre and post purge / ignition that helps increase efficiency but I question if a new burner would gain much except in the few seconds of start up and shut down I have been impressed with the Riello burners but I do not know if it would be cost effective to change from the Beckett AR that I currently have.
    The duct work always seems pretty warm down cellar. I was thinking of increasing fan speed to move more air through the system. Would this require resetting the fan controls for fan off and fan on?
    Opinions and advice are most welcome!
    Best Regards
    Calash
    wmproop's Avatar
    wmproop Posts: 3,749, Reputation: 91
    Ultra Member
    		  
    #2

    Jul 7, 2008, 08:37 PM
    Wow, that's almost 2500 bucks a heating season,don`t know where you live,but that's a bunch of money to get through a winter,, don`t blame you I would be looking to make some changes,in 5 or 6 seasons you could have replaced your heat system with something other than a oil heating system.I would look into other choices
    hvacservicetech_07's Avatar
    hvacservicetech_07 Posts: 1,083, Reputation: 75
    Ultra Member
    		  
    #3

    Jul 7, 2008, 09:17 PM
    I agree with wmproop, I think natural gas or propane work be worth looking into, at 24 years old I would guess that your system is very inefficient. I know around here outdoor wood stoves are a big hit, maybe this is an option for you?
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #4

    Jul 7, 2008, 09:21 PM
    You have to use a slower fan speed to transfer more heat to the hot air, not a faster one. Typical AC/Heat use a low speed for heat and a higher speed for cool. Cool gets the higher speed primarily beause the air movement causes evaporationwhich makes you feel cooler.

    For now, I'll leave variable and multi-speed alone.
    Missouri Bound's Avatar
    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
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    #5

    Jul 8, 2008, 09:40 PM
    While fuel oil is considered the "old fuel" by today's standards, it is still more efficient than propane and natural gas. Those factors need to be considered before making any changes. With fuel oil offering 134,000 BTU per gallon, natural gas is 100,000 BTU (equivalent) and propane is 91,000 BTU per gallon the change over needs to be well thought out. But fuel oil is the dirtiest, the highest maintenenence of all. Think about replacing or insulating the ducts. Call in a professional to help evaluate your system, not just a salesman wanting to change your heating fuel.
    Best of luck
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