So Far 2018, Sucks, I Seriously Hope It Gets Better

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Buffalo20

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I had a minor fire at the house, I was very lucky, all I lost was a furnace. I had a complete heat exchanger failure, and the furnace kept right on running. I had flames shooting out the air intake box, sides are distorted and obviously burnt.

With the temp outdoors is about -11F, so at this point the heating system consist of (2) 23k btu Kerosun heaters. One in the living room and one in the basement,currently it about 65F in the house.

So, first thing,tomorrow morning the quest for a new furnace, starts.

No real smoke damage, I put the fire out, disconnected the electric and the gas, now it’s just a damage hulk. I was very luck, absolutely no other property or possession loss, just a 20 yr old furnace. Looking back on this, if it’s just the furnace, maybe we were blessed.
 
It sounds like the fire was quickly contained before it could spread and we all know how fast a home fire can spread and turn into a disaster or god forbid, a tragedy., the main thing to remember is you and people around you are fine,I know it sucks to start a new year with such unexpected expense to deal with .
 
Glad it wasn't any worse for you.

We replaced our perfectly functional 25-year old furnace a few weeks ago, for fear of a similar malfunction.
 
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My only experience with Kerosun heaters was many years ago in the glass shop. Kept getting sleepy all the time, couldn't figure it out, until the penny dropped. Fortunately before I dropped. Please make sure you have fresh air available when using those things.

-frank
 
I had a minor fire at the house, I was very lucky, all I lost was a furnace. I had a complete heat exchanger failure, and the furnace kept right on running. I had flames shooting out the air intake box, sides are distorted and obviously burnt.

With the temp outdoors is about -11F, so at this point the heating system consist of (2) 23k btu Kerosun heaters. One in the living room and one in the basement,currently it about 65F in the house.

So, first thing,tomorrow morning the quest for a new furnace, starts.

No real smoke damage, I put the fire out, disconnected the electric and the gas, now it’s just a damage hulk. I was very luck, absolutely no other property or possession loss, just a 20 yr old furnace. Looking back on this, if it’s just the furnace, maybe we were blessed.

You are quite lucky, so 2018 is not so bad after all. you could have lost your lives, your house...
I hope your good luck continues. Please be careful with that kero heater. Maybe go buy a couple of electric heaters for the bedrooms so you can sleep w/o the carbon monoxide. I hope you have carbon monoxide detectors so you can be warned if the level gets too high.
 
My only experience with Kerosun heaters was many years ago in the glass shop. Kept getting sleepy all the time, couldn't figure it out, until the penny dropped. Fortunately before I dropped. Please make sure you have fresh air available when using those things.

-frank

Yes... please be careful with combustion heaters that are not vented...
CO (carbon monoxide) is seriously dangerous...

As noted above... the first noticeable symptoms are feeling sluggish and drowsy...
If you sleep with too high a concentration... you may not wake up... :(
Not meaning to throw out scare tactics...
However I run a heating and AC company, and an certified in CO inspection.

Please be careful... and IMO just pay the $$$ and get a new furnace.

If you need some advise on what/when/where...
Here is a forum with an open area:
HVAC-Talk.com...
Look for the AOP (ask our professionals) area and post your situation...
 
Hi Buffalo20,
i'm very sorry to hear that you had the fire, but i'm relieved that you are ok.
 
Glad you're OK Buff, good thing you caught it in time
Mark
 
Happy to hear that everyone is doing okay and that you found the problem before it got worse. I recently lost an old friend to carbon monoxide poisoning. He lived in an old house with an old furnace and had little money due to health issues and being disabled. He and his dog were found in a chair in the front room of the house, they had both been dead for a number of days.

I believe 2018 is off to a better start than you might initially think. Keep your chin up, we're all thinking about you.
 
Glad everyone, and all your stuff, is OK! I replaced a 20+ heater and AC last year, which were working fine but definitely aging. As a bonus though, I figure this year I saved $1000 in electricity and $500 in gas because of the higher efficiency! Look at it as a way to lower your monthly costs for the next 20 years.
 
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