PRIORITY 1: I have a 21 (yes 21) year old water heater (go AO Smith!) that I want to replace with a tankless water heater (live in MD).
WANT 1: I have a chimney that needs to be lined and a fireplace that can be converted to gas according to a level 2 inspection that I had done by a chimney company.
WANT 2: A high-efficiency furnace. I have a 10 year old furnace that one HVAC person said had a 'cracked' (cant remember the exact phrase used) heat exchanger (he said it was stills safe). He offered to replace it with a high-efficiency furnace. HVAC guy #2 did not mention any of that and fixed a problem with our furnace cycling on-off-on-off.
Both the water heater and furnace vent to the chimney. But both a tankless and a high-efficiency furnace can vent out a side wall.
QUESTIONS:
- Should I be having one company do all the work (or most of the work?) The HVAC person offered to do the water heater and the furnace (didn't have the chimney inspection until after that)? The HVAC company? A contractor?
- Is there some order or some consideration of what is done first? Obviously my water heater is what I need the soonest, but I'm worried I won't take something into consideration.
- Any idea if anyone would finance all this work? (HVAC said they would do water heater and AC same as cash, not sure about if I added chimney to the mix)
Best Answer
Consider the options these upgrades unlock
The conversion from tank to instant water heating can free up substantial space on the floor. It might cause you to think about reconfiguring the room (positioning of work bench and other furniture/storage).
Some tankless water heaters use a single concentric type vent. That's an assembly of two pipes; the inner exhaust pipe is about 3 inch diameter and the outer pipe is about 6 inches diameter. Intake air flows through the space between the two pipes. Concentric venting is kind of nice, but routing is a little more challenging so use of a water heater with concentric vent might limit your placement options.
Do you have air flow problems in the HVAC system -- parts of the house that don't heat or cool well? There is sometimes an advantage to be had in moving the furnace so that the trunk ducting can be arranged better. An HVAC contractor might avoid suggesting this degree of work because it'll take extra time, drive his price up, and (in his mind) decrease the odds of winning the job. If these issues are applicable, bring up the idea of moving the equipment so they'll know it's something you want to consider.
Consider the future
If you have any hint of plans to install a finished ceiling in this space, make that clear to the contractors now. It would be all too easy for them to install new piping, or fail to move existing piping, in a way that could make future finishing a real headache.
Deal with the gas piping
A tankless water heater does not require a dedicated gas supply. Like all appliances, it needs sufficient supply. The existing piping is likely not sufficient to carry the added load of tankless water heater and fireplace. Consider whether it makes sense to remove and upgrade some of the existing piping or to add new piping. The existing pipe likely is sufficient for supplying the furnace and new fireplace, so adding new piping to supply only the tankless water heater is an option.
Sequencing
The tank water heater may be on "borrowed time" so it makes sense to upgrade first -- unless you would be moving the furnace also and wanting the new tankless water heater to use space occupied by the present furnace.
Financing
There's a lender for everything. That doesn't mean their terms are great. Larger service companies may carry the financing or have a partnership with a third-party lender. The financing doesn't have to be tied to the HVAC and water heater work, though -- you could consider a personal or "signature loan," a home equity line of credit, or a new or refinanced auto loan to generate some cash.
Combining the work
There are advantages to having one contracting company do all the work. You can expect them to coordinate so you won't have the two trades tripping over one another, for example. You'll have one number to call if there are any questions or problems during or after the work. You might also get a pricing or financing advantage (but not necessarily).