Need furnace ideas for low income family

[LadyToysDream]

We have a Uncle who lives very close by. His wife passed away this week. They have a daughter with a husband and their child living with them. The daughter does not work, and her husband just got laid off 2 weeks ago. The house belongs to the Uncle. They have been using wood to heat in a old furnace in the cellar. Furance was put in , in 1965 and was used then. Furnace has been declared unsafe to use by the local social services. They can get some money from SS to put toward a new furnace. But would have to come up with the difference which they don't have.
SS wants them to go propane. They then probably, would have to sell any wood they have now if they change furnaces to get money for the new fuel.

I was looking at the Central Boiler website this morning to see if they still have the small OWB and did not see it listed.

The house is a old farmhouse, 2 stories and the basement should be heated to keep the pipes from freezing. The Uncle is still in the hospital but should be home sometime soon. He fell just over a month ago and broke his hip. He did say the other day when he was home for a few hours, he noticed the wood smell / air quality which does affect his breathing come to find out.

So looking for some ideas for a furnace whick is low in cost to purchase. I did suggest coal to them, also.

So the son in law said he would now be babysitting this furnace all night, by putting a stick/log in it, one a time. Which I find out today, that is what the Uncle did last winter to limp it through.

 

[wapacz]

Well what made them declare it unsafe? Meaning could you weld some metal in to patch it up enough to last them a few years?


Also what area do they live in maybe some one here knows some one or is some one that could help out.

 

[leon]

farm house

We have a Uncle who lives very close by. His wife passed away this week. They have a daughter with a husband and their child living with them. The daughter does not work, and her husband just got laid off 2 weeks ago. The house belongs to the Uncle. They have been using wood to heat in a old furnace in the cellar. Furance was put in , in 1965 and was used then. Furnace has been declared unsafe to use by the local social services. They can get some money from SS to put toward a new furnace. But would have to come up with the difference which they don't have.
SS wants them to go propane. They then probably, would have to sell any wood they have now if they change furnaces to get money for the new fuel.

I was looking at the Central Boiler website this morning to see if they still have the small OWB and did not see it listed.

The house is a old farmhouse, 2 stories and the basement should be heated to keep the pipes from freezing. The Uncle is still in the hospital but should be home sometime soon. He fell just over a month ago and broke his hip. He did say the other day when he was home for a few hours, he noticed the wood smell / air quality which does affect his breathing come to find out.

So looking for some ideas for a furnace whick is low in cost to purchase. I did suggest coal to them, also.

So the son in law said he would now be babysitting this furnace all night, by putting a stick/log in it, one a time. Which I find out today, that is what the Uncle did last winter to limp it through.

You should visit WDheat.com and look at the evergreen line of wood boilers.

They will be able to burn wood and coal with an OWB and heat the basement with zero issues.

The local evergreen dealer is located in Whitney Point NY and unfortunately for me I dont remember his name this gentleman has 5 or 6 OWB's the family uses for home heating and business heating.

I can and will tell you the evergreen boiler is the boiler I will be buying when I replace my interior wood and coal boiler as it is 28 years old and counting.


I will also tell you that you can fill the fire boox half full of standard firebrick or the 12 by 12 fire brick that crappie kieth sells and you will cut your wood and coal use in half and have little to any smoke.

If you call Rick at WDheat on monday they can give you the dealers name to call them.

 

[LadyToysDream]

I have not seen the furnace myself. My understanding was the walls are bad, and the Uncle told the son in law not the throw wood in it, but put it in GENTLE like and keep it toward the front part of the furnace. I just got to thinking about carbon monoxide , and don't know if the have one of those detacters. I asked about smoke alarms, and they do have them.
With the Aunt dying unexpectly , wednesday this week, the household is in a turmoil right now. Furnace is not a high priority. And we had snow on the ground here this morning

We are central NY...about a half hour south of Syracuse.

 

[blades]

I would doubt there would be any way SS would drop funds for a owb.
There is some lack of information as to the type of furnace, hot water heater or just hot air?
More info is also needed on the reason it is unsafe. Flue issue?
There are hot air furnaces for less than 1200, Norseman, Hotblast(USS),Dako, not sure what price Englander is, likely some others also.
With a little searching might even find a used one under 600 or less, they show up from time to time.
I never have researched the hot water units in any depth so can't say much there

 

[LadyToysDream]

Their wood furnace is 45 yrs old and then some. It was used when they got it. So maybe it is just plain wore out. They have floor registers in the house. It is a old farm house. I am hoping to see them keep heating with wood.
I am going to check out aquatherm for prices.

 

[LadyToysDream]

I just talked to the cousin's hubby, and he said the furnace is shot, the ductwork is bad, and the chimney needs replacing. So the whole system.
Not sure what they heat their domestic hot water with, but thinking electric.

 

[leon]

wood heat etc

Ah, so your not very far from me, I would visit the dealer i mentioned in Whitney Point as the small Whispering Pine model can be set in the yard
on a pre fab slab sold by them and you could lay the good pex on the ground and have no worries about heat loss and bury it later.

The ellow that delivers their boilers also works for kilawog porecast and he uses a crane truck to deliver the OWB and the Boiler slabs for them and set them the same day.


The wirng could be snaked through schedule 80 conduit laid on the ground and bury it in the spring when you bury the insulated pex.

About the PEX dont buy the cheap pex tubing buy the Pex that is 11to 13 dollars per foot as you lose only lose 1 percent in heat loss.

Lots of folks just leave it on the ground and it does not melt the snow or ice.


The new insulated furncae ducting is very efficient and much smaller in diameter and as it is insulated and tubular whcih makes it very easy to install too.


It would be easy to use a water to arir heat exchanger in thew basement to make hot air and hot water for the house too.


About settung the boiler up-

They should fill the boiler half full of fire brick to make a huge heat sink which will hold the heat made by the fire and hold it to make the fire burn hotter.

To do this you need to buy a piece of 2 by 12 inch channel iron half the length of the fire box to allow you to shake the grates and stack the firebrick; I am on my third season of using a fire box half full of fire brick with my Switzer boiler and I wish I had done it 28 years ago.

The coal burns hot with few clinkers and the wood burns hot with little smoke even when dampered down to slow the fire.

I have found the boiler is shut down more than open from all the heat retension created by the firebrick.

 

[wampum]

Ma-be you could post on craigslist,explain the situation and someone may have a good used furnace.Or even repair the old one.
Does your uncle attend church? If he does go talk with the Paster or priest,they may chip in and help. To me thats what a local church is for to help those in need,just a thought.
Last thought is to try the government,if his income is low enough they might put a new furnace in for him. Around here I see them putting in windows and insulating for low income folks.I do not know if they do furnaces or not.

 

[Windwalker7]

Try looking at Shaver OWB.


I know they aren't a CB but that is what I have. Much cheaper than CB.

You,ve seen the lengthy threads about them one here.

Most of those threads are about ways to improve them.


They will work as sold but there are many cheap improvements that can be done to make them better.

Check them out!

 

[DSS]

Too bad we are in different countries. I have a propane furnace sitting in a shed. Uses pvc pipe for a flue.

Good luck.

 

[LadyToysDream]

I thought of craigslist but they would not be able to afford anything, paying for it themselves.

The Aunt, now deceased, had gone down to Social Services about 2 weeks ago and did the paperwork in her name. The energy unit/HEAP sent someone out to check the situation out. They said they could go as high as $ 6000 to put in a new unit. The guy they sent to give an estimate was higher than that amount. The Uncle does not have the extra money to go the difference in $$. And now with just his SS coming into the house, it is going to be even tighter.

I been thinking wood would be the way to go for them. But today I found out the chimney is bad also. And all the ductwork. They need a new heating system. I guess it does not matter what kind of fuel, just a low cost unit to put in.

 

[Windwalker7]

$6000 will buy a Shaver


]

 

[Ed*L]

They definately need to stay with wood heat. I don't GARA how efficient a propane furnace is, they can't afford to heat an old uninsulated farmhouse with one.
Tried to go from wood to propane at my Grandmothers house, the new furnace was a waste of money, ended up with a Heatmor.

Hope you find a solution.

Ed

 

[Streblerm]

If they already have a wood furnace, the cheapest option would be to install a new wood furnace. OWBs require not only the cost to purchase, but the cost to install is high also. The bonus of a wood fired furnace is that it will keep the basement warm also.

You might want to check one of these out. They are sold through tractor supply in my area for under $2000. My dad has been using one for 15+ years. Simple and not too expensive.

http://www.usstove.com/products.php?cat=4

 

[LadyToysDream]

I need to update this and thank everyone who responded...thanks

Their furnace was started yesterday, more work today and when they get their fuel on thursday, it can be turned on. They ended up with fuel oil.
Uncle will then be able to come home on friday. Almost 2 months now, he has been in the hospital.

 

[DSS]

Good news....