I recently purchased the Prestons guide so I dont have to keep asking about ages of equipment but…
…The home today had a Bryant Series SE-F Serial # 9Y294567.
Does this mean the furnace was installed before 1965?
Secondly,
I observed a heating duct in the garage and referenced to the code check
No ducts openings into garage…[309.1.1]
Is the reason for no ducts in garage due to the potential for Carbon monoxide being distributed to the other ducts?
Thanks
Dave
Yes to the garage duct question.
No idea to the age question.
David,
Prestons utilizes model #'s only.
As far as Bryant goes, it dates back to 1982. Anything older than that needs to be replaced anyways.
Not necessarily.
Age in and of itself doesn’t necessarily mean that things have to be replaced.
We have lots of very good systems here from the 1960s and 1970s still going strong. I saw one a couple of weeks ago, 1978, looked like it was installed yesterday.
Looks like it’s from the ninth week of 1971.
Russel,
Keep in mind, you’re in California where heating is not a necessity as much as it is here in freezing Massachusetts. Our heating mechanicals get pretty worn out in 15-18 years. When I see an older unit I recommend the following…
***The heating system was paced through it’s normal sequence of operating modes, with no obvious defects noted at time of inspection. However, due to systems age, it is clearly beyond it’s life expectancy, and replacement should be considered. Until then, I recommend annual maintenance from a licensed contractor. ***
I almost like your recommendation.
I have a real nice brochure called “How long will that last?” which I provide my Clients. Then they can make up their own mind concerning whatever system it is.
Even then, though, age in and of itself simply is not an excuse to recommend replacement, regardless of where one is. If it’s an original 1978 unit, and the current homeowners bought the house new in 1978 but never used the system because they like the cold, or they prefer space heaters in individual rooms (like my grandma did), believing that they are less expensive to oeprate, does one really recommend replacing the furnace simply because it was built in 1978? Granted, that’s an extreme example, but not at all as rare as one might think, especially where electricity is inexpensive because of nuclear power, such as, I believe, they have in Ohio, as well as here in Southern California.
This is the sort of thing that concerns me…it goes back to my walking the fine line question…shouldn’t HI’s keep their recommendations for replacement to am minumum?
just curious…but it seems to me that those types of recommendations are a bit over the line…not a knock, please don’t take it that way, just an observation…curious to see what others have to say.
I write them as “Deferred Cost Items”…items that have reached or are reaching their normal life expectancy or show indications that they may require repair or replacement anytime during the next five years.
I don’t recommend that anything be replaced unless I’m qualified to say so. Here in California, qualification often comes with licensing. So if it concerns HVAC, plumbing, electricity, etc., things that a licensed specialist would normally do, then I recommend further evaluation by that licensed professional. He then gets to make the call. Hopefully he will provide my Clients with information, knowledge, and options about the best (expensive) way to do something and less expensive ways.