New Furance

[fishhuntwork]

I'm thinking about replacing my hot water baseboard heat with forced air, any thoughts? I know the boiler is approx. 30 years old and the baseboards are not looking that great anymore, has anyone done this? Also are the baseboards worth anything in scrap?

[Steve Foss]

When we bought our house, it had been abandoned for a year and all the radiators and the boiler were cracked. We installed high-efficiency propane forced air, with central AC. It was a good decision for us.

We were lucky. The house's plumbing was a stupid hodgpodge of galvanized, copper and PVC, and when they added baseboard hot water units to the addition about 20 years ago they used 3/4 copper for the supply and return lines. Enough 3/4 that I was able to salvage it and use it to replumb the whole house.

I don't know enough about the materials in your baseboard units to know if there's scrap value there.

[spearchucker]

Might be expensive if you have to add ductwork to an existing finished house.

[fishhuntwork]

The nice thing is that the basement isn't finished and the house is only a rambler so it won't be hard at all. I think the radiators are cast iron, is there any scrap value at all?

[bgmny]

There is little scrap value to the radiators. You would be better off trying to sell them if they're not coated with paint. Pretty much worthless though.

[BobT]

Why replace the hot water system. That's a much nicer heat than forced air. More efficient in the long run, quieter, doesn't dry out the air, and doesn't blow dust around the home. I wish I had hot water heat. Old systems of this type incorporate a boiler that must be kept hot. Take a look at some of the newer systems. They employ on-demand heating of the fluid so you're not wasting energy heating water in a storage tank.

[fishhuntwork]

I have a very severe moisture problem in the winter with my new windows with condensation on them. I also want to get rid of the window unit. The boiler has to be as old as the house and its not eff at all.