How do you install a gas furnace?

Question

Is it as simple as hooking up the gas and electric to the furnace and then hooking up the ducts and vent? Am I missing something? I am trying to decide if I can replace my old furnace on my own. Thank you.

Answer 1

Dont forget the a/c coil if you have central cooling too.

And nothing to the gas, Cut the gas valve off, Woohoo, thats hard huh. LOL @ some of the contractors thinking there special to do things

Note 1: Not all furnaces are the same size. So you may have to adjust the plentum to fit the new furnace.

Answer 2

It can be a little more complicated than that. You should ground the gas pipelines in case your house ever gets hit by lightning. You'll need to connect the thermostat. You'll also want to have a gas meter to make sure there are no gas leaks after you've installed it. Also, you normally want to put in to vent ducts one high and one low to remove any gas that might leak into the room in case the furnace ever does start leaking. Also, for any gas connections you'll want to make sure you use the same kind of metal for connections or use an insulated connector so that the electrical resistance between the two metals doesn't cause it to start rusting at the junction.

I won't mess with the gas connections myself. I think it's too dangerous to attempt if you are not a professional.

Answer 3

If anything, the contractor saved you from having to replace the furnace the first year. He was making it run hotter so less soot would build up(as it was burned away and sent up the stack) Compare it to a campfire. There is the smoky campfire where there is hardly a flame . Smoke and soot are the same thing(unburned Carbon) You can almost wrap your body over the campfire and take in all its heat. And there is the "other campfire" No smoke. Nothing but flames as it burns every bit of carbon present. This is the lower efficiency campfire as heat goes everywhere...you standing 8 feet away and all that air in between. This requires burning a lot of fuel making it less efficient. Once the fuel is gone so is the flame. >Saying propane got wasted is like saying gasoline got wasted< It is highly flammable so it burns Old smoky can go on for another month as it is burning its fuel slowly.(Kind of like a candle - just to heat you) . So the "fish" you want to fry legally, is the furnace makers. They have not done their testing properly, or there is the lack of an air inlet pipe from the outside to the furnace(which would also make the flame suffocate or go sooty) That could be because the contractor did not follow all the installation instructions which means he "forgot" or someone else did not do their job to run a pipe under the floor joists to an outside grate "the air inlet " /// or you did some siding work, concrete work, garden work dumping a pile of dirt in front of and blocked the feeder pipe opening. This would be about ground level height as air flows upward. Fire needs air to burn and a door or window is not always open to the outside.(which defeats the purpose of heating). So expect to pay court costs yourself. The loss of propane? You have a thermostat which turns off the flow of propane once the desired temperature is reached in the room. No loss at all. All furnaces whether they be 60% efficient (meaning a lot of the hot air is going out the roof stack like a chimney - which is lost heat) or 95% efficient meaning that burned hot air is within the exhaust pipe but it has a chance to divert its heat to the walls of the exhaust pipe and be extracted off by radiating the heat back into the building so by the time it is exhausted out the stack, the air is only warm. I would be more concerned with obtaining another one and the contractor may be your best connection for getting a used one say taken from a demolished building. You don't want to tick them off for something you did after he did his job correctly. Go legal and you won't get squat. These guys know each other and which jobs to avoid. You will make that list. Try negotiation first. I bet if it is a blocked inlet, the contractor will find it fast by just looking outside. They know where "they themselves" are in a habit of putting it. It may take him 10 minutes to find the problem.

Answer 4

You can replace the furnace, but do not remove and install the gas line yourself. You need some one who is certified to do it. Gas is too dangerous to take a chance.

Answer 5

I don't see why you cant,just be very careful. sounds like you have it under control. If your furnace is real old be careful ! it may have asbestos on the old duct-work

Answer 6

You might do it yourself, however, it may not be protected under your home ins. or home warranty insurance. Have a certified plumber for gas piping come and inspect your work just to be sure before you switch the gas back on.
Risky otherwise. Good luck. :) Peace.