OUTSIDE FORCED AIR FURNACE

[CHARLIE VAN FLEET]

hey all

has anyone come across one of these units??? i'm in colorado and it's the first outside residential furnace i've come across. house was built in 1968.

it is a CANADIAN GAS ASSOCIATION FURNACE.--MODEL# bwhd20l12006a--ser # wdgb083849

it is only for heating because house had a evaporative cooler on roof.

all you hvac specialist---HELP

CHARLIE

[Bruce Ramsey]

Can you be more specific? Why kind of help do you want?

It makes fire, the fire heats the air, the fan blows the hot air into the house, the fire goes out, the fan stops blowing. The ducts look to be uninsulated which would seem to be a very silly to have uninsulated ducts exposed to the exterior.

If the unit was manufactured in 1968, then the heat exchanger needs a complete invasive inspection by a licensed HVAC contractor. If it was manufactured in 1968, then it is past its statistical life expectancy. If it was manufactured in 1968, then it is less than 80% efficient and costs significantly more to operate than a newer model. The payback in energy savings would probably justify the expense of a new system.

I would probably flag this as a Repair/Replace Item.

[CHARLIE VAN FLEET]

HEY BRUCE
thanks -yes i know it needs to be replaced--but what i wanted to know is,has anyone encountered this type of unit outside in a windy -snowy-cold climate. and being manufactored in the upper northern part of our hemisphere, does canada know something we don't about furnaces ---my buying agent said there was a strange heating unit at this yet to be inspected house and instead of evaluating at inspection,i decided to drive by in front of inspection to check it out,and see what she meant--glad i did. so that was my question-what the hell is it.buy the way i live five minutes from this house
thanks
charlie

[John Arnold]

Why does it need to be replaced? It isn't 1968, that's for sure.

[Scott Patterson]

I have never seen a unit exactly like that one. I have seen many external package gas units, but not what you have.

As for it being made by the CANADIAN GAS ASSOCIATION FURNACE, I don't think that this is the manufacturer. CGA designs and certifies systems, but I do not belive they make them.

[CHARLIE VAN FLEET]

thanks scott

as i said i haven't inspected yet--but all i could do was get a zoomed in look at the label,because the biggest hornets nest in the world wasinside panel and they were not happy to see me {BEWARE OF BEES ALL}--what did WE DO before digital cameras- I will get a better look at inspection,that is if listing agent gets someone out there to get rid of the bees,so what do you think? manufactored in the land of good beer,canada or what
charlie

[Markus Keller]

I haven't seen that particular unit around here. Rooftop units are very common around here. I used to have a service contract for 2 malls with endless RTU's. The unit doesn't look that bad. One the things I check for on older units like that is if the insulation is still properly attached in the exterior ductwork.

[David J. Smith]

I am in Canada and I have never seen anything like it before?

[David Banks]

Charlie. Check the data plate and make sure it is meant to be used on exterior then go find the install manual on the Internet. Call the manufacturer for the age and your on your way.

[Alton Darty]

I printed the pics off & took them to my HVAC guy. I knew that something was kind of odd on these, but I couldn't get a handle on it. The HVAC guy looked at the pics for about 2 seconds and said "it's mounted backwards". He went on to say that this appears to be a standard gas pack that could have been made by any one of at least a dozen manufacturers, but that the units are typically mounted on a pad or stand and the duct work enters from the rear of the unit. He went on to say that he has mounted units in this manner before and that at one time there were brackets that allowed for this mounting configuration. He also mentioned that the vibration, weight of the units, and improper anchoring would sometimes allow the unit to pull out a chunk of the wall that it was mounted to.
Might want to take a close look at the mounting just to be on the safe side. Oh, and he also said that by the look of the unit it probably isn't the original unit from '68.
Alton Darty
ATN Services
ATN Services : Home (http://www.arinspections.com)

[CHARLIE VAN FLEET]

thanks alton

i plan on being there when the hvac guy gets there, always interested in learning from the experts. will report back to all with his findings
charlie

[Jack Feldmann]

Looks like a gas package unit, but not installed like anything I have ever see.

What made you think it was made in 1968? It just doesn't look like it's 40 years old.

[Alton Darty]

Looks like a gas package unit, but not installed like anything I have ever see.

What made you think it was made in 1968? It just doesn't look like it's 40 years old.
Charlies original post said house was built in '68, consensus seems to be that the gas pack aint from '68 though.
Alton Darty
ATN SERVICES
ATN Services : Home (http://www.arinspections.com)

[CHARLIE VAN FLEET]

alton
mls and listing sheet says built 1968,{house that is}----initial walk around looks that way,because there is also a federal pacific electrical panel,known for that time frame
charlie

[CHARLIE VAN FLEET]

alton
i have not been inside house yet,to see if there was an earlier heat creature
charlie

[Jerry Peck]

Charlie,

That unit is 1995 or newer.

[Trent Tarter]

Charlie,

I believe the unit has been installed backwords. Usually these types of units are installed on a concrete pad and the ducts come directly off of the unit and go straight under the home. The ducts at the exterior are usually insulated with a metal shroud covering them.