Mike B

A client of mine has a 3 season "beach house", that they want to make for a permanent residence and wants to add a propane furnace. I know little about HVAC systems and what's available but told him I would see what I could find out. Being Sunday, my usual HVAC go-to guy isn't answering his phone, so I'll get some opinions here if possible.....I'm not sure he's even done an install like this before, so I want to be armed with as much info as I can before talking to him about it.

There is no basement, only a 3 foot crawl space. It's a 2 story home with aprox. 2000 sq.ft. to heat and no prior ducting. So as part of the rest of the remodel I'm trying to figure out how and where I'm going to locate the unit then get vents into each room.....and still make things look all pretty.

Can someone help educate me?

flashheatingand

How cold does it get? how many months of "hard cold" weather? How hot does it get during the summer months? are there lofted ceilings? Ideally, the air-handler would be centrally located but that isn't always a possibility. Also, make sure you get enough return air vents. That can be a challange in various settings. There are a lot of variables, and other guys are likely to mention a few. Good luck.

Mike B

This is Ontario, Canada......it gets cold.

No lofted ceilings, and it may be possible to centrally locate once the existing stone fireplace is removed.....still working out what they want to see happen with that room. They do have a closet space in the middle of that layout that could contain the unit but I'm not sure how large these units are or how loud it'd be if it were installed essentially in the middle of their living space.

I'll let the HVAC pros dictate what returns are needed.....I'm just on an information hunt.

montanajim

I think that you could probably set your equipment in the crawl space, Return air can be an issue, I have done alot of similar retrofit applications, first thing you need to have done is a good load calculation, Second is a design layout, you mentioned a stone fireplace removal, will you have a chase leftover to possibly run ductwork to the attic. if so that would be the best scenario for heating the 2nd floor. if not you may have to allow for some soffits in some closets for individual supply runs. that means more drywall repair, depending on the owners budget maybe they would like a gas fireplace and in that case you may be able to build the chase large enough to allow a supply to the attic.
most people believe that you have to have several returns but if you can put one large one sufficieint to duct design that is all you need, I usually try to talk a home owner into one large floor vent on a remodel. as long as you can force all of your air back to it from all of the house, another thing to consider is checking the undercut on all interior doors, many houses without a forced air system dont have enough free area below the doors to allow proper circulation, i usually like to see 3/4 to an inch. Good luck in your endevor.

mdshunk

Sounds like a good application for a drop in floor furnace. They still make them. Perfect for recreational properties.

Mike B

Good idea on using the chase, I hadn't thought of that. It would give us a central run to the upper floor via the attic, maybe utilizing the closet area adjacent to the existing fireplace OR the crawl space below that for the equipment.

Are there issues with propane furnaces being in a cold zone and what kind of vapor barrier concerns should I be thinking about if we consider using the crawl space for the equipment?