4 ms·

In my younger years, I lived in an apartment in an older house (early 1900s). The house had steam heat (and no air, which was kind of awful). Steam heat is a bi

In my younger years, I lived in an apartment in an older house (early 1900s). The house had steam heat (and no air, which was kind of awful). Steam heat is a bit noisier and I’m guessing the systems are finicky, but the heat they produce is incredibly comfortable. I live in the Midwest, so temperatures can get quite cold. I felt warmer in that apartment than in any other place I’ve lived, and it’s not a drying heat the way that forced air is. The house was a bit of a dump, and the quality of the heat didn’t really make up for the lack of air conditioning, but I still have fond memories of that steam heat 20+ years later.

bunderbunder 8y ago
I currently live in my first ever apartment that's heated by a furnace. We've seriously discussed moving again just to go back to having steam heat. The dry air from the forced air system makes the winter that much less pleasant. The previous place had a fairly modern boiler, no more than a decade or two old. Being a tenant, I have the luxury of getting to largely ignore these things, but, from what I could tell, it required less maintenance than the current place's furnace.
- wallace_f 8y ago
  To play devil's advocate: can't you just boil a pot of water, run a hot bath, or just buy some humidifiers to improve this?
  - euroclydon 8y ago
    Having N sources of dry air (the vents) and one or two sources of humidity, scattered over your house, coming in and off all the time is a lot let desirable than a static system linked to your opening and closing of doors plus house leaks. It’s difficult to tune.
    - wallace_f 8y ago
      Sure, less desirable, but you you can buy n humidifiers
  - thrower123 8y ago
    That is the simplest method. I grew up with a hot-air wood furnace in the basement, and we just stuck a giant galvanized pan on top at the start of the ducting. About once a week I'd have to fill it back up. Man, I miss wood heat.
- astura 8y ago
  What maintenance does a forced air furnace need? Other than air filter changes? I've only had steam heat. I have a modern boiler and the only maintenance I have to do (so far) is pay a professional to do the yearly servicing.
  - larrywright 8y ago
    It depends on the model, quality and features. The one that came with my current house was very finicky and needed a fair amount of handholding (including pouring water into a little tube at the start of the season - something about a proper vacuum). I replaced it a few years ago with a new, near-top-of-line Trane with an air filtration system and a whole house humidifier. This one only needs to have the filter vacuumed monthly (three-stage electrostatic filter), and to have the humidifier water panel replaced once a year. Otherwise it’s basically no maintenance. Any forced-air system has ductwork, however, and that can get filthy over time and need cleaning.
  - bunderbunder 8y ago
    I don't know about furnaces in general. It's just that the old place's steam heating never really gave us any problems, whereas our furnace has needed repairs multiple times over the past few years. Maintenance was bleeding the pipes occasionally, which I generally found to be less of a bother than replacing filters.
  - jackhack 8y ago
    former HVAC tech here. Sorry for the wall of text but here's most of what I would do as a seasonal change-over inspection: Every year, a full visual inspection of the heat exchanger, especially important after 5 years of life. We're looking for the first signs of perforation, and/or cracks. A "smoke test" isn't sufficient. Visual inspection of ductwork take-offs on plenum - leaks, seals, etc. Same for system cabinet. Check the safety switches -- roll out/limit sensor (millivolt), draft induction (exhaust blower) pressure switch, cabinet switches, etc. Clean the flame sensor. Visual inspection on the ignitor. Cracks = replace. Check values on start capacitor for blower motor. Replace if > +/- 15% of spec. Blow out P-trap on condensor drain (only applies to condensing furnaces, of course -- the >85% efficiency models, but that's most of what is installed these days). Oil blower motor and draft induction fan bearings. Observe flame color. After 10 years, or as needed, check exhaust with combustion analyzer for proper C0/C02 range. Observe 2 startup/cool down cycles for proper operation. Look for proper ignition, flame color/depth/shape, listen for odd sounds that would indicate issues (vibration, flexing, etc.) Replace the filter unless it's obviously new. (btw, This filter is there to protect the unit from dust/lint, not there to clean the air in the house.) Replace CO detector battery Not just "ask homeowner to do it" but do it myself. Replace detector out of date (they only last 10 years or so). This is mandatory if you are operating a fuel burning appliance. And Remind homeowner to change smoke detector batteries. Present a written report of all findings. Compare to last year's report -- look or trends. Keep copy of new on on record at the shop. This takes about an hour. If your "HVAC Guy" just shimmies into your crawlspace or attic for 15 minutes before climbing back out and saying "everything looks great, see ya in the spring" you're risking your safety and being cheated. Most don't do the whole job. Also, what most shops call a "tune up" isn't anything of the sort; at best it's a cursory visual inspection with gauges on the A/C unit and a check of the start/run capacitors. Most don't even bother to oil bearings. Every shop is different. There is a wide spectrum of hacks and pros.
- sandworm101 8y ago
  Dry air is only bad in dry climates. Im in the pacific northwest, a literal rain forest. Moisture is constant. We want that dry air to keep the house free of mold. And it can do a gew things steam cannot, such as move air around without adding heat, a great form of air conditioning without actual AC.
- larrywright 8y ago
  A good humidifier is a must with forced air heating. The Wirecutter usually has some good recommendations for those.
- overcast 8y ago
  Whole house bypass humidifiers are cheap ~$500, and pretty quick to setup and easy to maintain. It sits inline where the dry hot air exits the furnace. You tap into the hot water line from the boiler, and a little solenoid spills water onto an evaporator pad. Replace that once a season. Amazing how quickly your humidity will ramp up after that gets in there. Definitely should be mandatory with ANY forced air furnace.

bunderbunder 8y ago

I currently live in my first ever apartment that's heated by a furnace. We've seriously discussed moving again just to go back to having steam heat. The dry air from the forced air system makes the winter that much less pleasant. The previous place had a fairly modern boiler, no more than a decade or two old. Being a tenant, I have the luxury of getting to largely ignore these things, but, from what I could tell, it required less maintenance than the current place's furnace.

wallace_f 8y ago
To play devil's advocate: can't you just boil a pot of water, run a hot bath, or just buy some humidifiers to improve this?
- euroclydon 8y ago
  Having N sources of dry air (the vents) and one or two sources of humidity, scattered over your house, coming in and off all the time is a lot let desirable than a static system linked to your opening and closing of doors plus house leaks. It’s difficult to tune.
  - wallace_f 8y ago
    Sure, less desirable, but you you can buy n humidifiers
- thrower123 8y ago
  That is the simplest method. I grew up with a hot-air wood furnace in the basement, and we just stuck a giant galvanized pan on top at the start of the ducting. About once a week I'd have to fill it back up. Man, I miss wood heat.
astura 8y ago
What maintenance does a forced air furnace need? Other than air filter changes? I've only had steam heat. I have a modern boiler and the only maintenance I have to do (so far) is pay a professional to do the yearly servicing.
- larrywright 8y ago
  It depends on the model, quality and features. The one that came with my current house was very finicky and needed a fair amount of handholding (including pouring water into a little tube at the start of the season - something about a proper vacuum). I replaced it a few years ago with a new, near-top-of-line Trane with an air filtration system and a whole house humidifier. This one only needs to have the filter vacuumed monthly (three-stage electrostatic filter), and to have the humidifier water panel replaced once a year. Otherwise it’s basically no maintenance. Any forced-air system has ductwork, however, and that can get filthy over time and need cleaning.
- bunderbunder 8y ago
  I don't know about furnaces in general. It's just that the old place's steam heating never really gave us any problems, whereas our furnace has needed repairs multiple times over the past few years. Maintenance was bleeding the pipes occasionally, which I generally found to be less of a bother than replacing filters.
- jackhack 8y ago
  former HVAC tech here. Sorry for the wall of text but here's most of what I would do as a seasonal change-over inspection: Every year, a full visual inspection of the heat exchanger, especially important after 5 years of life. We're looking for the first signs of perforation, and/or cracks. A "smoke test" isn't sufficient. Visual inspection of ductwork take-offs on plenum - leaks, seals, etc. Same for system cabinet. Check the safety switches -- roll out/limit sensor (millivolt), draft induction (exhaust blower) pressure switch, cabinet switches, etc. Clean the flame sensor. Visual inspection on the ignitor. Cracks = replace. Check values on start capacitor for blower motor. Replace if > +/- 15% of spec. Blow out P-trap on condensor drain (only applies to condensing furnaces, of course -- the >85% efficiency models, but that's most of what is installed these days). Oil blower motor and draft induction fan bearings. Observe flame color. After 10 years, or as needed, check exhaust with combustion analyzer for proper C0/C02 range. Observe 2 startup/cool down cycles for proper operation. Look for proper ignition, flame color/depth/shape, listen for odd sounds that would indicate issues (vibration, flexing, etc.) Replace the filter unless it's obviously new. (btw, This filter is there to protect the unit from dust/lint, not there to clean the air in the house.) Replace CO detector battery Not just "ask homeowner to do it" but do it myself. Replace detector out of date (they only last 10 years or so). This is mandatory if you are operating a fuel burning appliance. And Remind homeowner to change smoke detector batteries. Present a written report of all findings. Compare to last year's report -- look or trends. Keep copy of new on on record at the shop. This takes about an hour. If your "HVAC Guy" just shimmies into your crawlspace or attic for 15 minutes before climbing back out and saying "everything looks great, see ya in the spring" you're risking your safety and being cheated. Most don't do the whole job. Also, what most shops call a "tune up" isn't anything of the sort; at best it's a cursory visual inspection with gauges on the A/C unit and a check of the start/run capacitors. Most don't even bother to oil bearings. Every shop is different. There is a wide spectrum of hacks and pros.
sandworm101 8y ago
Dry air is only bad in dry climates. Im in the pacific northwest, a literal rain forest. Moisture is constant. We want that dry air to keep the house free of mold. And it can do a gew things steam cannot, such as move air around without adding heat, a great form of air conditioning without actual AC.
larrywright 8y ago
A good humidifier is a must with forced air heating. The Wirecutter usually has some good recommendations for those.
overcast 8y ago
Whole house bypass humidifiers are cheap ~$500, and pretty quick to setup and easy to maintain. It sits inline where the dry hot air exits the furnace. You tap into the hot water line from the boiler, and a little solenoid spills water onto an evaporator pad. Replace that once a season. Amazing how quickly your humidity will ramp up after that gets in there. Definitely should be mandatory with ANY forced air furnace.