Gas Fireplace vs. Furnace

Posted by dantheman on November 10, 2006, 9:26 am

Hi... while servicing my furnace, I fired up a Napolean GD36 gas
fireplace located in my basement. I kept the Napolean on the lowest
setting and didn't fire up the furnace until the next day. Over almost
24hrs., the fireplace kept the house at 71deg (upstairs -- a bit warmer
downstairs) and it felt even warmer since the upstairs floor seemed
warmer on the feet. It's a small 1950s bungalow, 800sq ft, insulated
basement and attic.

I wonder, if my Carrier furnace burns 60,000 btus, and my Napolean is
rated at 26,000 max (don't have minimum spec right now), and if I ran
the fireplace on a thermostat, would it--in my case--be cheaper to heat
with it?

I get this feeling that this is a stupid question.

But I have to tell you that the subjective quality of the heat seems
better with the Fireplace...

Peace, Dan

Posted by Bob_Loblaw on November 10, 2006, 10:29 am

> Hi... while servicing my furnace, I fired up a Napolean GD36 gas
> fireplace located in my basement.
> I wonder, if my Carrier furnace burns 60,000 btus, and my Napolean is
> rated at 26,000 max (don't have minimum spec right now), and if I ran
> the fireplace on a thermostat, would it--in my case--be cheaper to heat
> with it?

Fireplaces are, generally speaking, around the 75 % efficiency level.
What type of Carrier do you have?

--
Respectfully, Bob

Posted by dantheman on November 10, 2006, 12:41 pm

Bob_Loblaw wrote:

> Fireplaces are, generally speaking, around the 75 % efficiency level.
> What type of Carrier do you have?

I have the 58MCA which is 91%. But it seems to be oversized a bit as
it doesn't run long enough for even the humidifier to do much... mind
you, it's only 0deg Celcius at night around here now... I am just
surprised that it may even be possible to at least have the same if not
cheaper season with that little fireplace... perhaps I could just burn
it and use the furnace fan to circulate / filter, humidify, etc....

I might try it for a while to see..

Peace, Dan

Posted by udarrell on November 10, 2006, 10:31 am

dantheman wrote:

>Hi... while servicing my furnace, I fired up a Napolean GD36 gas
>fireplace located in my basement. I kept the Napolean on the lowest
>setting and didn't fire up the furnace until the next day. Over almost
>24hrs., the fireplace kept the house at 71deg (upstairs -- a bit warmer
>downstairs) and it felt even warmer since the upstairs floor seemed
>warmer on the feet. It's a small 1950s bungalow, 800sq ft, insulated
>basement and attic.
>I wonder, if my Carrier furnace burns 60,000 btus, and my Napolean is
>rated at 26,000 max (don't have minimum spec right now), and if I ran
>the fireplace on a thermostat, would it--in my case--be cheaper to heat
>with it?
>I get this feeling that this is a stupid question. (It's an OK question)
>But I have to tell you that the subjective quality of the heat seems
>better with the Fireplace...
>Peace, Dan
>

Hi Dantheman, Whether you use the gas furnace or the Napoleon GD36 gas
fireplace, -it will take the same amount of BTU/hr distributed into the
conditioned space to heat those rooms to a specific temperature.

Too many factors enter into that equation to cover here, therefore I
will only touch on a few of them.

Efficiency Ratings: Which system delivers the most Btu/hr into the rooms
compared to the amount of BTUs going up the chimney; Input BTUs verses
Output BTUs into the rooms?
Proper Furnace Sizing or using a two stage furnace, because short
cycling destroys efficient operation. An over capacity furnace will
short cycle, a factor as it takes several minutes of operation each
startup to get the heat exchanger warm enough to cycle the blower.

How efficient is the furnace ductwork at delivering the output BTUs into
the rooms?
Whether the Supply Air & Return Air are balanced, concerning Negative or
Positive Pressures, will affect the rate of colder outdoor air
infiltration or warm air existing the home to the outdoors.

I believe some of the Napoleon GD model gas fireplaces are rated at
around 67% efficiency, that is very low compared to a 92+ gas furnace.
What is the efficiency rating of your furnace as compared to the rating
of the fireplace?

I like the idea that the Napoleon GD model gas fireplace will heat
without any electrical power input, a great heating backup for power
failures!

You do the figuring, NOT us. Good Luck, - udarrell

--
PROPER A/C UNIT & DUCTWORK Sizing is over 70% of Operating Efficiency
http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_btuh_duct_sizing_air_conditioning_systems.html
Solving - External Static Pressure (ESP)
http://www.udarrell.com/udarrell-air-conditioning.html

Posted by PrecisionMachinisT on November 11, 2006, 1:34 am

> dantheman wrote:

> >Hi... while servicing my furnace, I fired up a Napolean GD36 gas
> >fireplace located in my basement. I kept the Napolean on the lowest
> >setting and didn't fire up the furnace until the next day. Over almost
> >24hrs., the fireplace kept the house at 71deg (upstairs -- a bit warmer
> >downstairs) and it felt even warmer since the upstairs floor seemed
> >warmer on the feet. It's a small 1950s bungalow, 800sq ft, insulated
> >basement and attic.
> >I wonder, if my Carrier furnace burns 60,000 btus, and my Napolean is
> >rated at 26,000 max (don't have minimum spec right now), and if I ran
> >the fireplace on a thermostat, would it--in my case--be cheaper to heat
> >with it?
> >I get this feeling that this is a stupid question. (It's an OK question)
> >But I have to tell you that the subjective quality of the heat seems
> >better with the Fireplace...
> >Peace, Dan

> Hi Dantheman, Whether you use the gas furnace or the Napoleon GD36 gas
> fireplace, -it will take the same amount of BTU/hr distributed into the
> conditioned space to heat those rooms to a specific temperature.

All depends on how much heat gets lost up the stack.

> Too many factors enter into that equation to cover here, therefore I
> will only touch on a few of them.

<snip>

--

SVL

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