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I have a home that was built in 1925, most rooms have been updated with insulation. Prior to my buying the house a new oil Weil McLean SGO Gold furnace was put in. It was not used a year when they lost the house. I bought it in 1999, and with the oil prices rising with a 550 underground oil tank I have recently begun thinking about converting either my furnace or just all out replacement. I already have gas in the house with dryer, water heater, stove all using gas. The gas meter is approximately 4 feet from the furnace. The water heater is directly to the left of the furnace and about 2 feet back so having access to the line is not a difficult thing. I also had new liners put in for my chimney at approximately the same time.
I should also add that I am thinking about selling my house in the spring as I am an empty nester. Just not sure what I should do or the cost involved. Weil McLean did say I could convert but I cannot afford for it to be less efficient. With a 550 ust, I keep my house what some would consider to be on the chilly side (put a sweater) one oil delivery lasts me for the entire heating season with 5 inches left (approx. 30 gals).
In my area that would be an obvious decision - replace the the oil furnace with a gas furnace. Nobody here wants to buy a house with an oil furnace, so getting rid of oil heat makes a house much more marketable.
Wherever you're at? Who knows. Do people in your area like chilly houses? Is gas cheaper than oil on a monthly basis? Do people in your area care how the house is heated? If you're planning to sell, figure out what buyers want.
Either way, when you replace the oil furnace, don't forget about the underground tank. You will need to have the tank removed and the soil around it remediated.
No one wants to buy a house with an abandoned oil tank on the property...
When I was young, I lived in a 3 story, 2 family house in Brooklyn NY built in 1902. It had 2 coal furnaces. One for heat, the other for hot water. Grandpa was a plumber, so the house had recirc radiators. There was a coal shoot on the side of the house that went under the porch. Tending to the furnaces was a p.i.t.a. Conversion to oil burner. It was big and bulky. Had a 275 gal tank. Oil back then was .19 a gal. In the mid 70's when oil was about $1.50 a gal, another conversion, this time to gas. Old burner removed, gas unit installed, about a third the size and much more efficient and heating bill dropped by 60%
When family moved on and house sold [1984], empty oil tank was still there, next to the old coal bin. House was sold to neighbors daughter and they were fully aware of all issues.
I am in a house with a very similar situation. I moved in around 2007, and the Weil McLean Gold furnace was less than two years old at the time. The house also has a gas line for the oven. Despite the difference in oil and gas prices, I have yet to convert. The reasons basically come down to:
1. Too new a furnace. It's still in the years when its efficiency is great.
2. The price of conversion. I know you spoke with Weil McLean -- but did you talk to a plumber? Even with the existing gas line, the price of conversion quoted to me by more than one professional would still be in the 8 to 10K range, closer to 10.
The amount I will recoup during the next decade is just not worth it, not to replace a practically new furnace. I'll run it into the ground, and when it starts being a less efficient furnace, I will reconsider my options, if I still live here by then.
Doing this if you are really going to sell in the spring -- no way. Let the next owner have it be their decision.
Keep in mind the exhaust side of an oil to gas system.....A stack that can handle oil may not work properly for gas...
It's a temperature draft issue and is fairly common.....
Perhaps a little chat with an oil guy will allow a selling upgrade limited to an inspection and tune up.....A selling point for you and an assurance for the new homeowner....
Keep in mind that things lie that adorable kitchen you love is going to be ripped out by a new owner...
Last edited by USAGeorge; 10-11-2014 at 12:39 PM..
If you just bought a house and there is a 2 yr old furnace in there, but it carries a costly yearly expense (fuel), it makes no sense to hold on to it because its new. The cost of the furnace is already "paid for" and baked into the price of the house. Its gone. Ya have to think about the best decision going forward, not what has happened. (its like poker, even when ya have a lot of cash in the pot if your hand turns bad you get out because that's the best decision going forward... forget about the money "in the pot")
But.. talking out of both sides of my mouth, your desire to sell next year changes things. Will you get your money back? Will it help the house sell faster? Maybe it is best to just leave it considering its not old. ha
If staying, paragraph 1.
If selling, paragraph 2.
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