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

    Nov 4, 2008, 03:52 PM
    80% eff furnace
    Can I convert an 80% eff furnace to a 100% eff? I have an older furnace that I want to put in a house but the house has no chimney. Any suggestions?

    Thanks

    Jeff
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
    Heating & Air Conditioning Expert
     
    #2

    Nov 4, 2008, 03:56 PM
    Can I convert an 80% eff furnace to a 100% eff

    No

    Add a chimney or buy a 90+ furnace

    By the time you spend all the $$$ necessary to make the 80+ work with a side vent you can just get a higher efficiency furnace.

    I would mention that some 80 % models can be side vented or use B vent for a chimney.
    mygirlsdad77's Avatar
    mygirlsdad77 Posts: 5,713, Reputation: 339
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    #3

    Nov 4, 2008, 04:05 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by jhatten View Post
    Can I convert an 80% eff furnace to a 100% eff? I have an older furnace that I want to put in a house but the house has no chimney. Any suggestions?

    Thanks

    Jeff
    First off there is no such thing as a 100 percent efficient furnace.

    Second, no you can not make your current furnace more efficient. (at least not by large amounts)

    But I believe your questions is, can you side vent an eighty percent furnace. Need to either look in your factory supplied owners manual, or contact the manufacturer of the furnace and ask their advice.
    EPMiller's Avatar
    EPMiller Posts: 624, Reputation: 37
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    #4

    Nov 4, 2008, 05:00 PM
    Man, if you could make a 100% efficient furnace, you wouldn't have to work another day in your life! :p
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
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    #5

    Nov 4, 2008, 05:49 PM
    Note: Electric furnaces are 100% efficient.
    EPMiller's Avatar
    EPMiller Posts: 624, Reputation: 37
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    #6

    Nov 5, 2008, 09:44 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by hvac1000 View Post
    Note: Electric furnaces are 100% efficient.
    Not if you take the efficiency of the power generation and transmission process into account. Then they are much lower than the 80% furnace in your house. I was implying a COMBUSTION furnace. Even power plants can't convert 100% of the heat energy in the fuel to electricity, and they are designed for maximum efficiency.
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
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    #7

    Nov 5, 2008, 10:58 AM
    I understand that. You just said 100% furnace and the electric furnace is 100% efficient. Just having some fun LOL.
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #8

    Nov 5, 2008, 11:50 AM

    Yea, HVAC1000 didn't say where the heat went along the way, but electricity is 100% efficient in converting to heat whether it be the transmissions lines, the heating element or the connections.
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
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    #9

    Nov 5, 2008, 11:54 AM
    How true. Strait electric heat is also expensive except at my second home in Indiana. Strait electric is cheaper than propane in Indiana.
    MarkwithaK's Avatar
    MarkwithaK Posts: 955, Reputation: 107
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    #10

    Nov 5, 2008, 06:41 PM

    That's because everything is better in Hoosier-ville :)
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #11

    Nov 5, 2008, 07:18 PM

    I'm curious:

    Where is the Electric Strait in Indiana?

    Strait - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    MarkwithaK's Avatar
    MarkwithaK Posts: 955, Reputation: 107
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    #12

    Nov 5, 2008, 08:44 PM

    It's called Lake Michigan
    EPMiller's Avatar
    EPMiller Posts: 624, Reputation: 37
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    #13

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:03 PM

    hvac1000,

    No insult taken. Just should have defined my terms better in the first place. :-)

    EPM
    mygirlsdad77's Avatar
    mygirlsdad77 Posts: 5,713, Reputation: 339
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    #14

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:13 PM

    Just to add my input. The way I see it, if there were such a thing as "100 percent efficient anything" then it wouldn't cost you a dime to run it. Maybe 99.9 percent, but 100 percent. I have a hard time grasping that. There will always be a fraction of a percent of heat loss though the wires, even in the furnace itself.
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
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    #15

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:19 PM
    No insult was intended. It was a joke that had been played on me many years ago also. I also believe nothing is 100% efficient if you go back far enough in the supply chain. Power plants are not 100% efficient not even a nuke model.
    mygirlsdad77's Avatar
    mygirlsdad77 Posts: 5,713, Reputation: 339
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    #16

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:24 PM

    I do believe we have gotton off course, and are now debating amongst ourselves. Haven't seen a reply from jhatten for some time. Yet here I am adding another post. Weird. Good times. Lol
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
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    #17

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:35 PM
    Many questions are asked and answers given but never a reply from the poster. Usually it is always a strange question and many are from students looking for help with homework. LOL
    mygirlsdad77's Avatar
    mygirlsdad77 Posts: 5,713, Reputation: 339
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    #18

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:49 PM

    I understand. But why are we still here? Im here because I enjoy chatting with you folks.
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
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    #19

    Nov 6, 2008, 04:52 PM
    Same here.
    mygirlsdad77's Avatar
    mygirlsdad77 Posts: 5,713, Reputation: 339
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    #20

    Nov 6, 2008, 05:20 PM

    Hvac, are you familiar with NDSCS. North dakota state college of science?

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