Old boiler vs new furnace

[Letsgobowhunting]

I purchased a new house several months ago and it had a 50 year old boiler that still works properly. The air conditioner and air handler are extremely old (GE brand). Im getting ready to have new air installed.

The dilemma i am struggling with is should i install air and a furnace or just the handler? If the boiler craps out in the dead of winter i would still install a new one but the furnace could be a back up or for the chilly spring mornings when you want to kick the temp up several degrees quick.

The cost difference between the handler and a furnace is about $400. Is it worth it?
Also, how important is brand? Concord, York, American Standard, Lennox, Goodman. Brand really changes the price.

 

[volleyball]

Live in the house. See where the current system is weak. Maybe you need different placement/sizes for the way you will live.
If you insulate the house, your heating/cooling needs will change and you'll want the new system to fit that.
A new system will be more likely to fail.

 

[mygarageone]

For the 400 xtra go for it , but it also will need gas and venting which will add to the install.
Having a back up is always a good thing. Especially with a old boiler.

Brand to many people is very important and there are advantages going with a brand name ,
One is they have better quality parts in them and they are parts most suppliers carry.
The one thing I would suggest is buy the most popular furnace being used in your area
Then you know it can be serviced.

 

[badss98]

We had the same problem and just went with air handler and sure enough the boiler went out . We had the option as you do for similar price.My only reason for sticking with boiler was the heat is so much more even in house than forced air so the cost of new boiler was worth the extra cost. But if cost will be the issue go for the forced air now

 

[yeldogt]

Does the AC work currently? If it does I also would live in the house a bit before changing it. You may notice things about the air delivery or the size that you may want to change. Also, adding insulation or other items like upgrading windows and doors can lower the AC size.

Is the boiler NG? I assume you have hot water heat and not a hydrocoil in the air handler.

Why not install a heat pump -- the new ones work great .. and down to very low temps if you had to.

I have a boiler running my radiant heat ... but on the milder days when little heat is needed the HP is great and the boiler is off. I also have a VS blower.

All the brands make good.. better ... best systems.. find a good installer - that is the most important thing .. and someone who will do a BTU load on the house so you get the correct unit ... you don't want to oversize an AC unit.

 

[abbiepeach]

I'd prefer a new unit, of course. But, before installing a new unit, try to live in the house first. Let your unit work for a few days and monitor its performance. That way, you'll be able to determine if it's still working well.