Old Frunace

[JW]

I have a 50 year old oil furnace am I pushing my luck if I try to get another heating season out of it[?] How long does the heat exchanger usually last[?] What are some of the signs when a heat exchanger is going[?] What is a ball park cost to replace a hot air furnace for a home of about 2,000sq ft[?] Also this has an A coil on top for A/C. If I was to replace the furnace would I have to re-configure my central A/C or will a new furnace accommodate the existing A/C A coil.[?]

[SSN596]

1. There are two possible indicators of a cracked heat exchanger: you wake up in the morning and find that your house hs burned down. or....you don't wake up. You and your whole family succombed to CO poisoning. (odorless and deadly).

The way to check for this is with a good CO detector. This is not the same as a CO alarm you can buy at the store. Get it checked by someone with good equipment. In some areas, the gas company will come and perform tests for you.

50 years is longer that you should expect out of heating equipment, but they made stuff pretty good in those days. It is time to move on.

2. It is very unlikely that the old A-coli will fit a new modern furnace. Do yourself a favor and get this all done right by a good contractor.

[imeduc]

We have smoke bombs that you can put in the furnace to see if you have a leak or not and sure you could get another year out of it. But it is old and you dont say how old the AC is. SO both could be ready for new alround. Id say first go to http://www.warmair.net and compare fuel cost for where you are . This will tell you if you should stay with oil or go with gas or electric. Get 3 bid for the job and lot of companys now if you do the heat and AC all, have a 10 year warranty on the parts .

ED

My mistakes dont define me they inform me.