My oil furnace is 26yrs old & running fine right now.

The combustion chamber looks good-- the bricks are solid - the plenum
was taken apart for a thorough cleaning last year & it looks good- and
there is no rust on the outside of the furnace.

But I know something major will break one of these days [last problem
was a limit switch 3 years ago- the air circulating fan the year
before- -- 5 yrs before that a transformer. These haven't been
major problems and I replace parts myself so it hasn't been that
expensive.

3 years ago the guy who tuned up the furnace put his meter on it and
said it was 85% efficient. [He retired and since then I've had
idiots do the furnace & I've re-done it after they left. But I'm
guessing it is still close. It sounds good & burns clean.]

I only burn 420-500 gallons of oil a year. At current prices that's
about $11-1300/yr. A high efficiency burner might save me 15% of
that- so say $200 a year. That's a 15+yr payback for a new
furnace-- so buying a new furnace now to save money isn't feasible.

I've considered buying a new gun or chassis, and see that they can be
had for about $300. On the surface that seems like cheap
insurance to just have one standing by. Unfortunately I don't see
any that match what I have.

The furnace is a Borg-Warner- U-447102
[also a # P2UFD17F0801A on it]
and the burner is a Ducane DMR-10A

It is rated for 85,000 BTU & I'd say from usage is about right-- on
the rare days when it hits 20 below zero it heats the house, but
doesn't shut down much.

Any thoughts?

thanks,
Jim

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

My oil furnace is 26yrs old & running fine right now.

The combustion chamber looks good-- the bricks are solid - the plenum
was taken apart for a thorough cleaning last year & it looks good- and
there is no rust on the outside of the furnace.

But I know something major will break one of these days [last problem
was a limit switch 3 years ago- the air circulating fan the year
before- -- 5 yrs before that a transformer. These haven't been
major problems and I replace parts myself so it hasn't been that
expensive.

3 years ago the guy who tuned up the furnace put his meter on it and
said it was 85% efficient. [He retired and since then I've had
idiots do the furnace & I've re-done it after they left. But I'm
guessing it is still close. It sounds good & burns clean.]

I only burn 420-500 gallons of oil a year. At current prices that's
about $11-1300/yr. A high efficiency burner might save me 15% of
that- so say $200 a year. That's a 15+yr payback for a new
furnace-- so buying a new furnace now to save money isn't feasible.

I've considered buying a new gun or chassis, and see that they can be
had for about $300. On the surface that seems like cheap
insurance to just have one standing by. Unfortunately I don't see
any that match what I have.

The furnace is a Borg-Warner- U-447102
[also a # P2UFD17F0801A on it]
and the burner is a Ducane DMR-10A

It is rated for 85,000 BTU & I'd say from usage is about right-- on
the rare days when it hits 20 below zero it heats the house, but
doesn't shut down much.

Any thoughts?

thanks,
Jim

http://www.oiltechtalk.com/discuss/v...f053f f9c976a

t'other jim

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

I only burn 420-500 gallons of oil a year. At current prices that's
about $11-1300/yr. A high efficiency burner might save me 15% of
that- so say $200 a year. That's a 15+yr payback for a new
furnace-- so buying a new furnace now to save money isn't feasible.

Straight out, it's a seven year payback, not fifteen. But there's the
opportunity cost (the interest earned on simply putting the money in the
bank). Or possible other options such as using the $200/year in improved
insulation, windows, or whatever.

HeyBub wrote:
Jim Elbrecht wrote:

I only burn 420-500 gallons of oil a year. At current prices that's
about $11-1300/yr. A high efficiency burner might save me 15% of
that- so say $200 a year. That's a 15+yr payback for a new
furnace-- so buying a new furnace now to save money isn't feasible.


Straight out, it's a seven year payback, not fifteen.

I think you underestimate how cheaply he can replace it.

But there's the
opportunity cost (the interest earned on simply putting the money in the
bank).

Which is included in a proper payback calculation.

Or possible other options such as using the $200/year in improved
insulation, windows, or whatever.





--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Jim Elbrecht wrote:
My oil furnace is 26yrs old & running fine right now.

snip

Any thoughts?

thanks,
Jim

I'd say yer a lucky guy and if it was me, I'd stick with it as long as
it's economical. The neat thing about oil burners (I think) is that you
can put in a different nozzle to burn less fuel ... if you want to.

OT: unfortunately my old oil burner was on it's last legs (and with new
standards the tank was too old, and no chimney liner) else I'd probably
still have it. On the brighter side the gas company made me a deal I
just could not refuse ... $200 rebate, 5 years parts and labor, the
condensate pump ($120) for free, some extra duct work for free ... that
sort of thing. A thought ... watch for deals if you think you might
switch.

Speedy Jim wrote:

-snip-
http://www.oiltechtalk.com/discuss/v...f053f f9c976a


Consensus is that the Ducane DMR-10 or parts for it aren't available--
that's why I'm considering a new furnace.

It isn't clear what I can use as a replacement chassis. I disagree
with those who say that the firebox and cabinets were all junk---
Mine is nearly mint after a quarter century & I doubt I can look
forward to getting 25yrs from a new one.

Jim

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 13:37:54 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

I only burn 420-500 gallons of oil a year. At current prices that's
about $11-1300/yr. A high efficiency burner might save me 15% of
that- so say $200 a year. That's a 15+yr payback for a new
furnace-- so buying a new furnace now to save money isn't feasible.

Straight out, it's a seven year payback, not fifteen.

Here's my math-- tell me where we differ;
$1300 a yr for oil- save 15% or about $200a year
New furnace $3000
Without taking into consideration what else I might do with $3000-
3000/200 = 15 years.

Or do you know where I can get a 85K BTU oil & air furnace for $1400?

But there's the
opportunity cost (the interest earned on simply putting the money in the
bank). Or possible other options such as using the $200/year in improved
insulation, windows, or whatever.

Reducing heat loss is usually the quickest payback-- and has the added
value of a more comfortable and attractive environment. I'm down
to one room left for a remodel and all my windows will be high
efficiency tight windows. The walls are already R30+ - attic about
R50.

Jim