On May 19, 5:16�pm, wrote:
On Mon, 19 May 2008 13:26:08 -0700, "pipedown" wrote:

"Dairy Godmother" wrote in message
...
Hi there,

Just bought a house in CT and am navigating options (my first house).
The house has an oil tank (which I find hard to wrap my head around,
I'm from CA and we didnt have oil tanks) which works fine, though it
has been patched and the inspector told me it could not be insured as
a result. �So it got my mind to thinking about the options and I
realized I had no experience to even begin to have an opinion, so here
I am. �Here are the facts:

-- Stamford, CT house built in 1925
-- gas lines run into basement but not used
-- oil tank and boiler (not sure of boiler age, I'm thinking not that
new but not too old)
-- radiators in each room
-- electric appliances (but would love gas one day)
-- no central a/c (would love that one day too)

I'd like to know what scenario would make the most sense if I want to
be economical in the long run. �Here are my questions if anyone is
interested / can help:

-- If we put in central air, would it require gas or is electric
possible?
-- if C/A requres gas, does that mean the heat should be gas as well?
I prefer radiator heat, but is it lame to have a sep. system for
cooling and heating? (oil heat and gas a/c)
-- can you run radiators with gas (vs. oil)? seems inefficient
-- given that we dont like it too warm (60-65) and are happy to heat
only those rooms as we need them, is there an electric-based option
that saves money (short of portable space heaters)?

Lastly, anyone from the area able to comment about price of oil vs.
gas vs. electric?

I really appreciate any commentary -- I see other entries along these
lines but some are old and some are not from the Northeast. �thanks!

-- Stamford, CT house built in 1925
Cold enough to think about this now and old enough that the functionality of
unused pipes is in question

-- gas lines run into basement but not used
Get it tested for leaks, and verify it is still connected to the gas company
service end. �Make sure it will pass code (big enough for your use) before
you get all excited about using them for a new service.

-- oil tank and boiler (not sure of boiler age, I'm thinking not that
new but not too old)
Even an Old boiler may have many years left in it if maintained well.
Estimating its efficiency and comparing that to your new heating options
would be a rational analysis.

Oil tanks do need replacement periodically. �New fiberglass tanks are easier
to move and decommission and last longer and don't rust.

-- radiators in each room
You'll want to stick with forced hot water system if you want to use them..
If you go with central air (which also heats) these will be obsolete. �Old
radiators are in demand at salvage yards and newer baseboard radiators have
copper and Al that can be recycled to recover a tiny bit of the cost. �Is
this a hot water or steam system (hard to guess from the date)

-- electric appliances (but would love gas one day)
If you restore the Gas service you might as well stub in a pipe for the
range and dryer and maybe a bigger one (than typical) for the water heater
should you desire a tankless system. �You'll already be paying a plumber
some bucks. �Even if you never upgrade your appliances, it will be a selling
plus when that day comes.

-- no central a/c (would love that one day too)
Residential A/C is almost always electric. �If you go that way, you will
need to install ducting for the whole house as well as a heater A/C unit. �A
very expensive upgrade for a small home. �A less intrusive solution is to
leave your heating system alone and install separate split system A/C units
in each room. �You only need a small hole in the exterior wall to run the
pipe and power through. �The Compressor is outside on the ground and the A/C
fan and cooling coil is hung on the wall. �About $3000 for a system to cool
a couple rooms

Another popular option, especially if it's a one story house is to do all the
A/C ductwork in the attic and ceilings.

If you can avoid switching to forced air heat, you will retain more value in the
home. Many people would never consider a home with forced air no matter how nice
a deal it is otherwise. It's a deal breaker.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

theres high pressure ducting, small lines, a few inches in diameter
used to save costs. can add noise so they have atuneators in the
lines.

you should get some estimates including high pressure, which works for
both heating and cooling