Inspected a house the other day that had a Norge-Borg Warner gas furnace. This thing was as big as a Hum Vee but fired up OK and the blower worked fine but obviously not an efficient unit.
Model # GF1708 and Serial # CED-AIR. I question the serial # but that’s what was stamped on the metal plate. I would think that the furnace is 40 to 50 years old but the client wanted me to check and see if I could get something more accurate.
Any help appreciated.
Not much information on their website, but if the unit is that large it could be about 40-50 years of old age…
I believe those xxx-xxx serial numbers for N-B are pre-1960s, so, yes, around 45-50 years old, at least.
I hope you are recommending a further evaluation by an HVAC specialist for something this old…
I would recommend annual maintenance by an HVAC contractor to keep it going as long as possible.
Today must be the day for old gas furnaces just finished an inspection a couple of hours ago the furnace was a 1961 model Lennox and tested zero% parts per million Carbon Monoxide???
Defective or uncalibrated carbon monoxide detector.
Wrong
I use two meters and both are calibrated by the factory but I am glad you were looking in my bag anyway Russel.
How recently were they calibrated?
Calibrations don’t last forever.
I do not use Carbon monoxide detectors… way too much liability there. If your tool says that there is no safety threat, and there is… you are really screwed. Your intent is excellent, but to be on the safe side I always recommend that the Local Gas Utility Company inspect all gas fueled appliances… and these checks are usually “free”
So I leave it to the Gas Company… for this. Ofcourse I check the venting, make sure it is secure… and check the area where the burners are, if there appears to be rust particles inside and the furnace is aged, I refer for further evaluation including an evaluation of the heat exchanger.
I don’t recommend any specific entity per sé, but I do recommend that all gas-fueled appliances be checked annually.
SDG&E does it for free as long as car gas prices are reasonable. When car gas prices climb steeply, they charge $25 to $50. Additionally, the caveat with the local gas utility company checking the appliances is that they also have the authority to red-tag the residence until problems get corrected. That could really mess up negotiations between buyer and seller, postpone close of escrow, etc., so I always warn my Clients about that little problem just in case they are relying heavily on a certain close of escrow date (such as December 31 to take advantage of 2006 taxes whereas postponement of even one day would result in tax advantages being lost until April 15, 2008. My Clients really seem to appreciate the immense knowledge I have about a great variety of things, not to mention that I can carry on a good conversation with just about anyone about just about anything. That makes it easier to make my Clients trust me and call on me when things go wrong down the road.
Me, too…
Ray I have my meters re-calibrated by the factory every year as recommended by the MFG. and as for the libability after 40 years in the HVAC trade I can handle all the liability that comes my way. On the other hand the old saying goes be like a politician if you don’t know what you are doing pass the liability to someone else.
Hmmm…I think from now on, I will recommend further evaluation by Mr. Bottger!
j/k
My apologies. I thought you were a home inspector.
No apologies necessary:
I take my inspections to the next level keeps my phone ringing. I have a thing about passing liability. I make my own decisions a item either performs as intended or it does not. Ray don’t do so much thinking; actions are much better than thoughts.
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I can’t agree with that. I like to think before I act. Would that the murders, rapists, thieves, etc., had thought about the consequences of their actions before acting.
Ray I kinda have to agree with you about the thinking part. I do also; just get frustrated with the lack of knowledge shown on this board such as the statement above about the furnace being old and hoped that a HVAC specialist be brought in simply because of age. Was the darn unit performing as intended or not. Advise your client that the furnace is 40 years old and should plan to have to replace it at any moment.
I understand where you’re coming from, and that’s why I stick around here. True teachers enjoying teaching day after day after day, month after month after month, year after year after year, answering the same questions day after day after day, month after month after month, year after year after year.
There will always be new people coming along and old people retiring. Those new people have to learn somewhere, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses. I want them to know those strengths and weaknesses be feel free to ask questions on this Message Board about those weaknesses because I’ll be the first to try to help them turn those weaknesses into strengths.
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