Like you, I had second thoughts and was going to pass this one up so I could go out cut down a few trees but Val talked me into checking on this one..
Being new to an OWB, I started reading all the sites and happened to find this one. As some of you know, I started out with plans of buying one type of OWB and ended up buying the 5036 (to arrive soon). My underground pipe is on order and in the meantime we have been clearing up the dead falls and stocking up on wood.
I had plans on converting a car radiator into a heat exchanger for the garage and Val’s craft room but after reading a posting by ‘mtfallsmikey’ on how he converted a used forced air furnace, I started looking around and kept an eye on our local HVAC contractors for one.
A few weeks ago I started looking on CL and it seems like everyone is asking $100.00 or more for their used one. Then I got the idea of posting a ‘Wanted! Used – Non working Forced Air Furnace. Will pick up for free. Yeah Right!! I had better than 20 emails’ from people wanting to sell theirs. One guy wrote me, he wanted $150.00 for his furnace. This week the same guy posted it for $100.00 and yesterday it was for free. But because I wouldn’t buy it from him last week, he would not answer my email for the free offer.
Today I received an email from a guy 40 miles from here telling me that he is pulling out his old forced air furnace 18x26 w/blower and I could have it for free but I had to be there by the afternoon or the HVAC guy was going to take it.
We call the guy for directions and drove down to his house. The furnace was in the driveway and looked like something I could use. He tells me that the furnace was 15 years old and Red Tagged because it has a cracked heat exchanger (stainless Steel) but the blower works.
As we were talking, I told him what I wanted it for and I hope to find another one some day. One for the garage and one as an add on in the basement for the new addition so I can work in there this winter.. The guy tells me that maybe his neighbor might give me his also. I asked him for the neighbor’s address and he told me ‘like next door’ (not 60 ft away) There in his driveway sits another furnace just like the one he has. It turns out that both homes were built around the same time and both furnaces went bad this spring.
So, I take my two wheeler and load the first furnace. I walk next door and load on the second one. When the little boy came out to see what I was doing, I gave him $20.00 for his mom so she could buy him a treat and gave the first dad $20.00 for his son.
Two hours later, I had both furnaces gutted, cleaned and ready for painting. I kept the 24 volt transformers because I plan on using one in the garage with a thermostat to control the fan and the other in the basement of our older farm house. The other controls will be given to a HVAC friend who will use them when some older person needs a furnace fixed but can not afford it. The scrap will be donated and I end up with two blowers for the price of none.
If not for this group, I would have never thought of using an old furnace. Thanks again!!
