hvac dream intall

I am embarking on a huge task to redo my hvac system in my 2000 square foot modular system. I am looking for advice for the best system without a huge bill. A little history on the systems I have, I have two completly seperate spropane furnace systems, one in the attic and one in the basement, both have thier own duct system, thermostats and air conditioners. The basement unit has been replaced once and has failed me twice (currently not working) in the past six years. The attic unit has frozen in the winter and the mother board had fried (replaced two years ago). the propane furnaces are manufactured by NORDINE and am thinking about installing a trane system. I installed a keystoker koker 160000 btu coal stove this past fall due to the high price of propane, about $3.20 in north east PA. The coal stove is ducted to the first floor only due to not having any chase to the second floor. My goal is to remove the attic unit completly and running duct work from the basement to the attic taking a corner from the living room and through a closet in the second floor. I still want a propane furnace for the fall and spring and also need an air conditioner, which means that the furnace in the basement needs to be big enough to heat and cool 2000 square feet. The coal stove will be ducted into the main trunk with a dual zone damper with a zone one the first floor and a zone on the second floor, which will I think work in the cooling mode also. Hving the coal stove there is a noticable dust problem so I will install an electronic filter that wiil hopefully communicate with the coal stove and intall a humidifier. Any sugestions on my install will be greatly appriciated.

coal boiler + baseboard or radiant in my next home. Ranch so no attic air handlers only basement air handlers. Maybe geothermal too if it ever becomes reasonable.

coal boiler w/ coils inn the ducts seoerate zones w/ anti frese use the blowersin the existing furnaces

jim d wrote:coal boiler w/ coils inn the ducts seoerate zones w/ anti frese use the blowersin the existing furnaces

What Jim Said!

Also I'm glad you are here asking for advice cause someone has given you some bad advice previoulsy. A 2,000 sq. ft house with two separate forced air systems? Makes no sense. And a 160000 btu unit coal heat for a 2,000 sq. ft. house also is overkill unless you have no windows.

sorry for the confusion, the new propane furnace will need to heat 2000 square feet and the coal stove heats 3000 square feet. I will not heat the basement with the propane furnace, only the coal stove will heat the basement once it is started in colder temperatures. Same for the cooling season, the basement will not be cooled. The two seperate systems were installed becasue there was not a chase from the basement to the attic but as I stated I will have to take a corner of the living room to run the duct to the attic, hopefully about a 14"X14" chase. I am working with a contractor if I need a return from the attic or can I cut a hole in the second floor above where the first floor return is and that will pull the conditioned air from the second floor to the furnace in the basement.

coalkirk wrote:

jim d wrote:coal boiler w/ coils inn the ducts seoerate zones w/ anti frese use the blowersin the existing furnaces

What Jim Said!

Also I'm glad you are here asking for advice cause someone has given you some bad advice previoulsy. A 2,000 sq. ft house with two separate forced air systems? Makes no sense. And a 160000 btu unit coal heat for a 2,000 sq. ft. house also is overkill unless you have no windows.

I've been in HVAC for 30 years, and this is basically what I did. The hot water coils can be set up to have a constant trickle of hot water so they don't freeze in the attic and if they are insulated properly it won't be a problem. What I should have done was installed a wood/coal burning boiler and used that along with my oil burning boiler. I did use heat pumps, in the spring and fall they are efficient enough to be cheaper to use than coal. The reason for the coal stove is twofold: I didn't think of it during initial construction and the stove is independent of electrical power. I am working on a simple solution to use the basement mounted air handler to move the heated air in the basement up to the living space.

Two systems in a 2k sq ft house makes perfect sense to me if its a two story house. if you run one system in a two story, you'll have a warm 2nd floor under AC and and a cold first floor/basement for heating. The added cost of installation vs the improved efficiency and comfort break even at about 12 to 15 years.

Ops

an open smokey fire in the middle of the floor -- to huddle around while the snow blows under the cardboard of the entrance hole

the best system without a huge bill.

Hmmm, seem to have heard that line a thousand times before. In my horse business it translates into, I want a million services for nothing and usually ends up with me asking them to get off my farm. So poster let's rephrase - what are my options and how much? Now you get experts to chip in and a dialog ensues and that will guide you to your end point. Dream installs always carry a dream price.