Help Choose Furnace Replacement

If Ohio code allows it you could just bolt on a modern retention head burner and improve the boiler by 10- 20%. Brand new a burner costs about $500 (here anyhow) and the install/set up/testing maybe 200 ish. You might need a chimney liner to bring down the size. This all would be do-able on Ontario where I am but there are additional hoops with the TSSA so add on another 3-600!! If your chimney really does need those cleanings (and I'm skeptical if all it's venting is the oil burner) then its so poorly set up your boiler would be plugged up too.

__________________
Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup........

I was mistaken -- brain poof moment -- it was $125/cord for the wood. Don't know if that is a price we can count on, or if we just got lucky.

We had a sales guy come over today, seems like a decent fellow, though of course we will shop around. Looks like we may be replacing it with a propane burner for the baseboard heating, I think the guy quoted us about $4700. We're not making any decisions for some time, though, and plan to limp along on what we have through the winter. The oil tank's full, anyway.

One suggestion the guy made is that when we replace our a/c unit, which won't be long either, we get a heat pump. I'm not sold on this idea because our a/c vents are in the ceiling and there aren't any in the lower level of the house. But the idea is that when it's not super cold outside, we would use that instead of the boiler, and we could always build a fire (fireplace/insert is in the lower level). Something to think about, I guess.

I don't know the purpose of going to propane. Propane is more expensive than heating oil on a btu for btu basis. You'll be spending $4700 for the privilege of paying more for heat.

__________________
Ask Me About Linux System Administration