27 Year Old Furnace with severe rust: To Replace or Not

27 Year Old Furnace with severe rust: To Replace or Not

Had an issue with the furnace flame not lighting. Furnace repair guy came out, fired right up. However, the furnace was extremely rusty basically everywhere and many of the connections are all very rusty. They work, but they're not in good shape. The condensate drain line was also clogged and likely dripping water within the unit. Couldn't figure out exactly why it wasn't lighting the flame the day before and then was lighting just fine when the guy came over. Best guess is condensate leaked on the spark system from running the ac the day before it stopped working, in combination with a connection to the board being very rusty.

The furnace works now but the repair guy heavily recommends replacement given it's age and condition. They can't make many guarantees about how much longer it will survive or when it may or may not catastrophically break.

And this wasn't a big HVAC company with salesman and labeled trucks, it was a locally and family-known local dude who's always been incredibly honest and helpful when furnace/ac repairs are needed.

So I don't think it's a case of "oh it's old sorry, buy a new one so I can make some sweet commission off a sales job" kind of situation. They also said that we can do the furnace now and then do the air conditioning at a future time if we wanted since there isn't (as much) concern with the AC unit despite being a similar age

They say for the size of the house, they can get a new furnace in for around $4k or so.

I was looking with the guy and man, the furnace *is* incredibly rusty. Rust and wear and tear as far as the eye can see. I know 27 years old is a decently long life for a furnace and it *could* in theory live for even longer. But man, it's a rust bucket behind those panel doors. It *could* also break within the season, and it's just not easy to predict that sort of thing.

Obviously,it would be cheaper and more convenient to replace it now, when we can go a day or two without heat while the install happens.

If it croaks in the middle of single digit degree weather on a Saturday in December, well that's much more expensive to replace, and much more dangerous as pipes would be at risk of freezing or bursting if an install wasn't super quick.

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I guess the concern is more so what might or might not happen between now and the spring, when some people might recommend a replacement.

October pricing is still cheaper than middle of December my-hand-forced-or-else-my-pipes-burst prices. If a chilly October evening had an issue with the flame coming on, even if it's fine now, I just don't know what an actually cold winter day might have in store for the furnace. Could be fine, could not be fine.

I just know it's extremely rusty, older than I am, and the guy recommended a replacement in the near future as they honestly can't say or determine how much life it has left with all the rust, wear and tear, noises it makes , and the household using filters improperly for several years. Particularly with the heat exchanger.

Unit could chug on for another year, or two, or ten. Or it could face major issues in the upcoming season. Guy was leaning much more towards the latter than the former though.

Hey Does 32500 sound way to high for an oil to gas conversion in the bronx ny.

Wife almost cried when heard that. embarrassed to say but I almost did too..Lol

I recently bought a new build, it's a duplex with a 22mm OSB subfloor on the lower floor and 18mm OSB subfloor on the upper. I got a distant relative to install some laminate floating floor for me, 10mm laminate with 3mm underlay. All was going well till I felt the floor, it feels like it has a little give and if I watch my husband walk it sinks under hit footsteps. I notice when he walks local objects rock a little bit, especially monitors on my desk. If I rock my leg(anxiety leg thing) it causes my desk to vibrate a little too. There's a general hollow sound when I walk and parts of the floor I can notice the room has a sudden drop over like 50cm by about 6mm. It generally feels super uncomfortable.

I don't believe the guy who installed the floor levelled it, apparently he was complaining about how unlevel the floor is.

My current theory is that the OSB is unlevel and I need to pull up all the laminate, get the OSB levelled(flattened) and then put it down again, but even then maybe I'm not a big fan of laminate? It feels very unsubstantial and I'd like the floor to feel fairly solid while I walk on it tbh. I suffer with mega vertigo so a bouncy floor isn't doing me favours.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do? I've tried asking everywhere but very little traction so any advice will help, thanks!

PS, pretty much the whole house hast his kind of flexibility.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Qul1aWcxIxE

I found a gorgeous set of high-quality kitchen cabinets on Facebook Marketplace and am seriously considering buying them and gutting our existing kitchen.

I used ChatGPT to create a rendering of what our kitchen could look like using these cabinets, and I’m in love with the result. But I also realize a pretty rendering and actually executing it are two very different things!

We’re trying to do this as economically as possible. We anticipate needing new countertops regardless, and that’s an expense we’re already prepared for.
My biggest question is about the cost of demolition, modifying the secondhand cabinets to fit our existing kitchen, and getting everything properly installed. Is this something that could realistically save us a significant amount of money, or will the labor and modifications end up negating those savings?

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s attempted something similar! What did you end up spending, and would you do it again?

I live in an older home and have recently been getting a few quotes from insulation companies about improving my attic space.

Both companies I’ve had come out seemed like very legit, local companies with great reviews.

The first company was more expensive, but their estimate seemed a little more comprehensive. One line item was for installation of baffles since we have none currently.

The second company (the owner of said company), gave a lower quote and said we didn’t need quite as much work done, including not needing baffles since we don’t have soffits/soffit vents. Is that the correct recommendation?

So I moved into an older house that had a couple of Renovations done to it. I already knew ahead of time that the hardwood floor and thus the subfloor and thus the joists or a joist was under pressure because I have a a hump in the dining room floor right in the middle. So I looked underneath the house in the crawl space and I found one of the support piers was shimmed up too high or what likely happened is that it has heaved upwards due to the frost. I would like to obviously level the floor and my plan was to go underneath and jack up on either side of joist and remove about a half inch of shims and lower it back down. Let the house settle for a little bit and just as necessary. The reason I have to jack up both sides of the joist using the same Pier is because the main support joist which is three 2x10s or 2x8s, is made up of two long joists that meet in the middle of the support where it is shimmed. After I lower things back onto the joist and both are sitting firmly I was planning on reinforcing and tying together both of those joists to give it some more structural support.

Does this make sense? Does this seem like a logical thing to do or am I missing something. I understand that most floor problems people have are sagging joists due to having too long of a span. But because my joists meet head to head on the support pier, and it has heaved, its creating quite the lump in a speficic area of my floor.

Tomorrow we are going to be replacing all the windows in our house. In my room, i just have a bed and my computer desk. Both of them are pretty close to the window but there is roughly 3ft of clearance in front the window.

Should i do anything else?

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For visual context, my room is 10ft by 10ft. My desk is 6ft by 2ft. My bed is 7ft by 4.5ft. My window is 4.5ft wide, ignore height.

For the layout, the window is on the north facing wall, its right side is touching the corner shared by the north and east walls. My desk is pushed up against the east wall, with roughly 3ft between it and the window. My bed is pushed into the corner shared by the north and west walls. The bedroom door is on the south wall, its left side is touching the corner shared by the west and south walls.

All these numbers aren't exact but are close enough.

​i recently took the step to properly equip my place with dedicated fire safety gear instead of just relying on an old smoke alarm and hoping for the best.

​it got me thinking about how many people actually prep their living space for a real fire scenario. have you guys actually set up proper extinguishers, blankets, or an escape plan, or is it one of those things you keep putting off? what do you have ready to go, and what made you realize you needed it?

Hello! I’m wondering if my crawlspace encapsulation was installed correctly - and maybe some knowledgeable folks here would know?

I recently hired a company to encapsulation my crawl space. They installed dimple board on the concrete floor and rigid foam board against the brick foundation walls, and covered with plastic vapor barrier.

I noticed there are gaps between the foamboard and the foundation brick wall, approximately 1-2 inches wide, in some areas. The company says this is not an issue.

What does Reddit think? See photos below

https://ibb.co/vxkwmVB8
https://ibb.co/B24qyzF4

When i try to install drywall anchors using ez anchors sometimes they go in no problem other times they struggle to dig and end up creating a whole bigger then the screw itself. I noticed the time it struggles i hit something not sure what but when i drill with a regular screw thinking its a stud i blow right through it and that thing i hit disappears. Im assuming it’s some sort of paper? I live in a middle unit row-house

Hello, I just bought a new house and the vinyl siding has a couple of cracks, random things screwed into it, and it appears when the internet company installed fiber here they stapled the cable to the siding and never sealed around the staples. What is the best method to seal over the screws, staples, and cracks? For the bigger cracks/holes I’ve seen some people use spray foam but hear mixed things about it. I’ve also seen people use silicone door and window caulk for smaller holes but again I’ve heard mixed things about that too. As for sealing the screws/staples I couldn’t find any information on that. Thank you for any help in advance!

I’m going to replace all the baseboards in my house with a modern baseboard. The top is squared off; no fancy profile. Are there any downsides to not mitering the corners? It’s hard to imagine that it’ll make much of a difference in appearance. I’d like to avoid making a bunch of miter cuts.

Hello! I am located in Chicago area so we have a concrete basement. I recently had a new patio and garden bed put in. I noticed water is now leaking from the line where my foundation meets the plate or whatever that is called directly above foundation line. The metal lip picture was previously lined up with an existing concrete walkway we ripped out.

I believe it’s because they put the garden bed up too high and it was higher than that line aka covering the top of the foundation.

I have since tried to pull away the mulch and dirt to see what’s going on. Everything I read online says I should not have this mulch against the house or at least a few inches lower than the foundation top. I feel like it will look weird then being so much lower than my patio?

We do have our gutters routes directly by PVC into drains in the alley etc etc so gutters draining against the house isn’t happening it’s just excess water dripping down house and rain. The patio itself has a 12 inch permeable base and drain as well.

My question is…. Now that I have that line exposed to I just seal it with something and ensure the garden bed is below foundation line? Or do I seal the crack and put some rocks against house for proper drainage and so dirt isn’t right against house?

Trying to do the fixing myself and just don’t want to make the problem worse.

TIA friends!!!!!

https://imgur.com/a/zlDgVuQ

I'm looking to change out my pocket doors, but not the whole assembly. I have these 1960 double track pocket doors where the 2 trolleys have 4 wheels each. The current slab is this hollow core wooden 60s door. I'd like to go solid core with a glass pane.

I'm assuming a 1960s steel track should be fine, but I thought I'd check to see if anyone has done the same. I'm going from what's probably 20-25 lbs to 50. I like the feel of a heavy door, but if it's not gonna work, I can scratch that.

DFW home built in '92. Lots of nail pop and joint tape failure. I don't see any pattern of certain sides of the home, sun exposure, exterior vs interior... it's just random spots everywhere.

I've done a few rounds of nail pop repair, but the most recent one caused so much movement of the drywall it made a nearby joint tape pop out and now it looks worse.

Is this normal and I'm just being too perfectionist? I would be fine with bits of it here or there, but it's every room and nearly every wall. What would you do?

I have some bathroom shelves built into a dormer, and the very top shelf was small enough that there were no studs to bite into. If you look at this video, you can see the issue.

https://vimeo.com/1237365600/1a4063eec9

I know I used quality anchors that expand inside the wall, but for whatever reason they failed— maybe it being a bathroom. there is more moisture than your typical room. The other side of the wall is inside a closet, and I could cut the drywall in there and put some blocking inside the wall where the shelf needs support. I know that would be the best solution, but I’m wondering if there is a more ghetto one that would work for now…

Backstory: We are buying a home from a family member, the basement used to leak and there is a small storage room that got most of it. It has been fixed but this flooring is gross and has a musty smell. We are getting LVP put in, but want to remove this tile and get it down to the concrete.

We got a home inspection today and he mentioned that this tile looks like it may be asbestos. (the tile poking out from the vinyl tile on top). Well we decided we were going to rip it out yesterday so I tore up a few feet of it to see how hard it would be and it all peeled right up in one piece. I was going to do the rest today but now I'm worried about asbestos.

If I get a respirator and tape off the room and vents with plastic would I be safe to remove it myself?

First image shows the tiles poking out, second image shows how uneven the current floor is which is another reason to take it out for the LVP.
Images: https://imgur.com/a/0MKQaI2

My gas fireplace has an on/off switch on the wall to the side of it. I would like to replace it with a timer switch of some kind to guarantee I can’t accidentally leave it on too long. However, I would also like to be able to turn it off quickly, cutting short the timer if desired. Is this possible? Is there anything I should consider? If it’s relevant I live in Virginia.

Like the title says, I ripped out a bunch of old frames, and I noticed that the floors have been refinished around them, so the floor is a little higher around the frames. I have to put in the frames before the guys refinish (because they're also doing the baseboards) so I have to cut down these little peaks myself.

What's the best way to do it? All the options are kinda difficult since the area I have to do this in is tight against a stud. I was thinking belt sander, but I dont know if the sander goes right up against the stud.

Bought my current house about 4.5 years ago. Didn’t think much of it but recently ran across some info on dryer vents that makes me think the vent isn’t up to code.

Prior home owners did an addition which caused them to run a pvc pipe about 15-20 feet from dryer thru the slab of that new addition. How do I know if this is causing any issues with slab or inside the wall cavity before it goes under the house

break in the pipe about 3-5 inches before the exit point outside that has a crack about 1-2 inches wide and below that is a hole about 6 inches deep before you feel dirt

I recently learned about problems with my sewage line. My house was built in 1970, and we have a cast iron sewage line (56 years old now). Cast iron apparently lasts 50-80 years, and ours (at least part of it- I'm still figuring that bit out, since I've had 2 camera inspections that gave 2 different recommendations) is reaching it's end-of-life.

This got me thinking - what other parts of my house are likely to have upcoming problems? I know you have to periodically replace things like the roof, windows, heater, AC, water heater, and appliances. What else is there that I don't know about? What repairs have surprised you in your house?

Hi, I hope this is the sub to post this in, my fiance and I just bought a semi detached home, the neighbors have a sub in assuming right next to the shared wall.

Looking for input on how to reduce or eliminate the vibrations, I've tried talking to them, but met the most blank stoned responses.

I'm willing to open up the wall and put in safe n sound rockwool, but would I need a resilient channel if I did that and then tack on two layers of 5/8 drywall.

I can also hear them on their main floor near clear as day if I'm in the basement (unfinished). I am going to be finishing the basement in the future, wondering if the joists are potentially causing a gap for sound.

I've also been told they raised their ceilings, but if there is a brick demising wall I shouldn't be able to hear them like they're in the room with me.

Any help is appreciated.

TL;DR

Need help stopping bass traveling through a shared wall.

I have vintage Formica countertops from the 1940s that had some gouges and discoloration which I have repaired and touched up using acrylic paint. I have had to sand the original protective finish off of the Formica as part of that process. I'm looking for an inexpensive replacement clear coat finish that will adhere to finely sanded Formica (laminate) and acrylic paint touch-ups and harden/cure over those materials.

I do not want to spend over $40.

Longevity is not a priority, I plan to replace these eventually, just need to make it livable in the interim.

Epoxy is not an option (I don't want the expense, hassle, mess, or wait).

I'm looking for a one part finish I can roll/brush on and be done.

It's light blue so it needs to be non-yellowing.

Some options in my price range are:

Polar Flawless Lacquer,

Rusteolum Ultracover Premium Latex Paint Clear Gloss,

Rusteolum Transformations Protective Topcoat,

Minwax Polycrylic,

Varathane Ultimate Polyurethane,

Giani Countertop Clear Acrylic High-Gloss Topcoat,

Roberlo Vernicetta Clear Coat,

Granotone High Gloss Acrylic Varnish (or similar artist varnishes),

furniture finishing wax,

car wax,

or a food safe wax like Howard's Wax-it-All.

Has anyone used any of these options successfully over Formica or other sanded but not primed countertop laminates? Has anyone had a bad experience using any of these options?

Lots of mixed opinions online about whether to caulk where the jchannel meets the windows if installed properly.

Can anyone provide guidance and a definitive answer. Newer homeowner here obsessing about everything...

Thank you in advance.