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It's Scary Furnace Foto Friday. Have you had your furnace checked recently?

Reblogger Maureen McCabe

Real Estate Agent with HER Realtors

October 11, 2010 03:33 PM

It's Scary Furnace Foto Friday in Central Ohio

Since Halloween is coming up, I declare this 'Scary Furnace Foto Friday' in Central Ohio. You could not find a scarier furnace photograph than Mike Jaquish's below could you?

Perhaps home inspectors have scarier furnace photos. I shudder to think of it.

Every Friday is Furnace Friday on my blog... if I remember. I search for home maintenance info. regarding the "HVAC" components of a home. I try to find something a home inspector has posted about furnaces. Some times a real estate agent like Mike will provide the best fodder for Furnace Friday.

We are going to be doing some serious heating in Ohio long before Cary North Carolina. Look at your furnace. Have a professional look at your furnace. Follow Mike's advice, in the post originally titled "It's heating season in Cary NC. Have you had your furnace checked recently

Thanks Mike for allowing a Re-Blog of your post and scary furnace photo. Happy Scary Furnace Foto Friday!

It's heating season in Cary NC. Have you had your furnace checked recently?

It's that time of the year again, where we will turn on furnaces that may have not been used since April. Do you have your furnace checked every year? Every other year? If you cannot remember, it might be wise to have a licensed HVAC serviceman look at it before you really need it on a frosty cold night.

It is all to common for homes in the 8 to 12 year old range to have seriously corroded heat exchangers. At minimum, this is tremendously inefficient, as conditioned air can bleed away to the outside, after you have paid dearly to condition it.

Much more compelling is the specter of carbon monoxide poisoning, with combustion fumes leaking into the house. Beyond efficiency, that is the real reason to have the system assessed. Commonly a service tech will look at one or two furnaces for $90 to $160, with any needed repairs quoted on top of that fee.

That is a small price to pay for a lot of peace of mind. Additionally, if you heat with gas, oil, or wood, seriously consider investing in a carbon monoxide monitoring and alarm system.
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___________________________________________________________________________________________

Mike Jaquish, REALTOR®

919-880-2769 www.MikeJaquish.com

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Broker Associate, KELLER WILLIAMS® Realty, Cary, NC

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Michele Miller ~ REALTOR®, LMC, HSE, CHS, SRES, CMRS

ERA Key Realty~Worcester County Realty Group - Worcester, MA

'Helping You Make the Best Move"

Wow, that is a scary looking furnace Maureen and dangerous too!

Great information and much needed this time of year.

Thank you.

Oct 15, 2010 01:40 AM

Tom Robinson

Keller Williams Realty Kingstowne/Alexandria, VA Office - Fairfax, VA

Experienced Real Estate, Professional Serving No. VA and DC

This is extremely important if you have a gas furnace for the safety of your family. I recommend that when you replace the furnace you get a hybrid (heat pump/gas). The gas doesn't come on until the temp drops below 35 deg. If the furnace detects a leak in the gas it automatically shuts down the gas, sends an alarm and switches to the heat pump. It may even go the other way if the heat pump fails.

Oct 15, 2010 01:42 AM

Maureen McCabe

HER Realtors - Columbus, OH

Columbus Ohio Real Estate

I sold a FSBO (for sale by owner... featured post yesterday telling us not to talk in code, I know you know but readers many not) with a baaaaaaaad furnace a few years back. Vacant house, I believe it was an estate but the executor was selling the home. The home inspection showed it had a gas leak and a carbon monoxide leak. I saw that furnace and it was no where as scary as this one. No visible signs of leaks even when the home inspector and then HVAC (heating, ventilation? air conditioning) guy took the panel off. Gas line warranty (a Central Ohio phenomenon ) saved the deal.

Oct 15, 2010 01:47 AM

Tom... I may write my own Furnace Friday on the 22nd around your comment!

"I recommend that when you replace the furnace you get a hybrid (heat pump/gas). The gas doesn't come on until the temp drops below 35 deg. If the furnace detects a leak in the gas it automatically shuts down the gas, sends an alarm and switches to the heat pump. It may even go the other way if the heat pump fails."

We do NOT have a lot of homes with heat pump and gas furnace here, at least not in affordable home prices... but I have a listing that does have this. It is in an area that was built during the gas moratorium, some homes in the area don't have gas, the owners have never converted, run a gasline in.

I understood hybrid system was more economical year round. I don't know that I understood the safety aspect "If the furnace detects a leak in the gas it automatically shuts down the gas, sends an alarm and switches to the heat pump."

I have only lived in a house with a heat pump (no gas heat) once, over 20 years ago. I love gas heat. I hate hearing the carbon monoxide poisoning stories in the news.

Oct 15, 2010 02:02 AM

Mike Jaquish

Realty Arts - Cary, NC

919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

I ain't askeered...

Thanks, Maureen, for the reblog!

Oct 15, 2010 02:04 AM

It skeered me from the first time I saw it...

I thought it was snakes the first time I saw your furnace foto... I think I was looking at your blog and did not think much of the post until I saw scary snakes. I had to look closer to see it was horrible, horrible furnace pipes.

I's skeered of snakes. I'm skeered of furnaces with pipes that look like snakes.

I'm a skeeredy cat...

Oct 15, 2010 02:10 AM

1~Judi Barrett

Integrity Real Estate Services 116 SE AVE N, Idabel, OK 74745 - Idabel, OK

BS Ed, Integrity Real Estate Services -IDABEL OK

Maureen,

I was skeered when I saw Mike's post because it's obvious that this didn't happen overnight and someone lived with this for some time!

Great choice for a re-blog!

Oct 15, 2010 10:50 AM

Thanks Judi

I have to believe it was not occupied for years and years for the furnace pipes to get like that. Otherwise it is just too skeery for me.

Oct 15, 2010 11:26 AM

Donna Yates

BHGRE - Metro Brokers - Blue Ridge, GA

Blue Ridge Mountains

Now that really is scary! Very helpful post. Thank you.

Oct 16, 2010 05:24 AM

Missed Donna's comment... I saw someone reading this today, over a year later. Belated thanks for the comment Donna. It's furnace Friday.... maybe next Friday Mr. Jaquish would give me permission to use his photo for a scary furnace Friday post just before Halloween.

Oct 21, 2011 03:52 AM

It's Scary Furnace Foto Friday. Have you had your furnace checked recently?

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Maureen McCabe

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