Gravity Furnace aka Octopus Furnace still in use!
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- November 12, 2018
A functional, natural gas fueled, gravity furnace from around the 1950's! This furnace still provides heat for a two story house outside of Nashville, TN. These were also known as octopus furnaces because of all the supply lines going out in every direction at the top.
It is rare to find one still in use. Gravity furnaces such as this one do not use a blower fan. If there is an electrical outage this unit will still heat the house.
They took up a lot of space and are known for being inefficient (approximately 50-60% efficiency rating.) Usually they had asbestos insulation around the supply lines. On the positive side, this unit requires no electricity to operate, and is nearly silent during operation. Maintenance is relatively minor since there are so few moving parts and the technology is primitive and simple.
One correction....The house air is NOT heated in the burner chamber like i said in the video....the air which heats the house is heated in a chamber outside the visible burner area.
Let me know if you have additional info on this specific furnace!
I have a Homart Octopus furnace in my home right now, but it's cast iron. I believe it's from the 1940's. Pilot might go out about once a year, but other than that, no problems. House stays warm and toasty! I was thinking about upgrading to a newer, more efficient furnace, but being a senior citizen, I figure with regular maintenance and cleaning, this thing will last until I'm dust.
Homart built things to last a lifetime and then some. I believe they may have also been the original makers of Kitchenaid products.
@@seesea-sv3xw That would be Hobart that made the original KitchenAid, not Homart. Similar names, so it's easy to mix them up.
I grew up in Ohio. Our house had one of these. The burner had been converted from coal to oil burning. It kept us warm during the coldest winters. Never a problem!
Yep! Lived in Canton, as a kid with my g'ma. The second 🏠 she had had a huge Gravity furnace. It was a beast. When it ran, it ran. Best heat ever... 😂
@@PoloNius67 Amazing! I'm from Canton! Born in Aultman Hospital and went to Canton South High School.
@@margeshilling7983 I'm from BKNYC. Born and Raised. There was a brief time when I lived in Canton with my G'Ma. I went to Belden Elementary for a spell. Every Summer for 12+ years I spent my 3 month vacations there. I attended every fair, parade, and McKinley game (Go Bulldogs) I could get to. 😆 Of course, I can't forget the fun times I had at the old Natorium. Thanks 👍🏾 for triggering the good memories. I'll always have love for HOF CITY and the rest of NEOH.
PS I also went to BGSU.
(GO FALCONS 🦅) 😆
@@PoloNius67 It's a small world!
I have one in my house now. Can someone show me how to light it plz?
We had one of those in our old house in Northern Ohio. Ran consistently into the late 90's until our house was demolished. We moved into a newer home with a Trane XE 80 furnace now 19 years old. We pretty much had our Trane XE 80 rebuilt 3 times since we moved there in 1998. From control boards going out, fan motors burning out, heat exchanger needing replaced & just about everything else in there all replaced at least 3 times since 1998. That old Homart furnace my grandfather had installed in early 1960's (similar to the one in this video) other than replacing a gas regulator, replacing a burner, thermostat & having to relight the pilot light every now and then was by FAR a better furnace then this new modern junk they build now, asbestos & all. EPA more concerned with emissions & that's all great but if a home is poorly insulated emission laws don't matter.
I see that this is a Sears & Roebuck Homart furnace. Built to last a lifetime! I wish I had one in my house.
The ductwork is wrapped in asbestos, and it's safe as long as it isn't disturbed.
Delicious asbestos
I have some asbestos in my basement. I'm not sure what the safest way is to remove it but I gently wet it with water so as not to get the fibers into the air. After I got it wet I just pulled it off the ducts. I still wore a filter mask. I painted the ducts to prevent any remaining bits of asbestos from becoming airborne. Some of it I didn't remove, I just gently painted it with latex paint to keep the fibers from getting in the air.
My grandparents had a coal-fired (auger-fed) one and my aunt had a gas-fired one. Both houses were very comfortable in the winter. Not very efficient I suppose but quiet and consistent comfort.
This one is late 1950s, c1960. In my experience the white is like color-code for asbestos in the duct coating, but you're right only friable asbestos is an issue. It's really not a danger and certainly not even close to being worth the risk of removal as long as the wrapping is still in one piece and remains undisturbed.
When people start demoing it, that's when it gets airborne and becomes a risk, stupid is as stupid does.
This was the rave in the '80s:
asbestos removal.
I still have one at one of my rental houses and the old gravity octopus fires up and heats up the entire house. We have a few small fans cut into the ductwork to help blow the air upwards. It’s about 1300 ft.² sectioned off into two units, and still going strong. 2021. And same thing my highest gas heat bill Is around $150 and divided by two families at $75 to heat the house in the winter so everybody’s happy and we’re chugging along
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Illinois
I just rewatched a video I commented on 2 years ago about these furnaces. A lot of older Dayton Ohio homes had these in the basement. I'm sure some still do. We had this furnace but we had a really big round one. It was a house built in the 30s and both sides of the double had these furnaces. Scary as a kid lol. that deep whooshing sound when the fire ignited and it was hot so don't get too close. I used to think they would blow up.
ive got a 1954 bryant gravity furnace in my own house. i love it. has a double log type burner with 16 total jets split 8 and 8 between the two sides. 110k btu and rated to about 70% efficiency.i love it. during ohio's being storm in 2019 where outside temps were in the -30 to-40 range it just chugged along keeping the house at about 74 degrees. ive had to change out 1 gas valve and during the storm i had to clean the jets. it doesnt have ther type of cold air return set up like in the video shown. instead it has 2 14x22 cutouts in the sides where cold air from the basement feeds in. (the basement is typically about 30 degrees colder than the main house in the winter. its awesome.
I'd love to see a photo of your furnace.
I think I have the same furnace . I to love this furnace . Will not replace until I'm forced to . See what I did there (forced) !
Brilliant. My neighbor was just praising hers yestwrday, but for some reason had it replaced recently. Cost $16k to replace it was all the asbestos removal.
Another reason it's expensive to switch from a gravity furnace to forced air is that the duct work has to be redone, they are incompatible.
That's an octopus? My family home had an octopus gravity furnace! That still works today! As I grew up in the home, it was always comfortable even on the coldest Chicago night! But that one is tiny compared to the one in my brothers home.
Simple is always best. There is very little that can go wrong wit these furnaces.
I just replaced the whole exhuast mine was installed early 1900s. My house built 1880s. Took me all week but got it done ✔ best damn furnace ive had
I've also heard them called the abominable snowman furnace because they used to be covered in asbestos
My grand mother has one of them in her house. Same age as the house I ran the modle number. The house was built in 1923 the furnace was 1923 made in march.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Ive been looking for some
Hobart still exists as Dornback and still selling American Made gravity furnaces among many others today.
I have an octopus! The building is well over 100 years old and is in the oldest part of town (which was settled early to mid 1800s) and I believe I was told it is the ORIGINAL furnace. When it was first installed it burned coal! It was converted and they added a unit that burns natural gas years ago.
I really hate it, my gas bills are astronomical in the winter, my sinuses get irritated whenever it kicks on after a period of non-use, it takes up an uncomfortable amount of space in an otherwise spacious basement, and the heat does not flow to the master bedroom at all (yes, I checked and re-checked every possible reason for this, it appears that it is just positioned too far away from that room and the room is on a corner of the building with two outside adjacent walls. It gets so cold in that room in the winter even with the furnace running that water can freeze if you leave it overnight. It also has the exact same asbestos lined tubes to carry the heat and they are difficult to not disturb because you have to duck and lean to avoid hitting them with your face just to travel back and forth across the basement so I am perpetually worried that I am living in a big box of poison. It even looks terrifying because the main chamber is a round shape just like a giant basement octopus, it is literally a nightmare furnace.
In your case it sounds like it's time for a modern gas furnace. Should be able to use existing ductwork.
The air doesn't actually go through the burner chamber. It goes through an outer shell so your air cant get flue gasses
I have a Bryant furnace just like this . Works Great . Ihave lived here for over 30 years and love this furnace . the only problem I have had is the Veture adjustment has come loose , so i have to check it every season to adjust it . I will keep this furnace as long as I can.
I live in Erie , PA.
I use window A/C units in the summer. not touching this furnace
My grandfather had one of these but it had been originally a coal furnace converted to oil. My grandparents bought the house in the 1930s it was coal at the time. It took up the whole basement (octopus) in the 70's My grandfather had hot water baseboard gas installed and it was tiny in comparison.
We have one in Minneapolis looks identical. She is ugly as sin lol, but works well. The thermostat has more trouble then the furnace. although, we just today had a filter notification pop up on the thermostat so we are gonna be troubleshooting that tomorrow. first real trouble I've had with it in 15 years.
I still have one In use can confirm it needs no power at all but can use a blower to help it extract more heat
I live in a 4-unit house in Dearborn, Michigan. We have 4 of these in our basement, but they look much older, as this building was erected in about 1929 and I’m sure they are original.
I have one in the house I just bought. It runs like a champ
The house I grew up in was built in the 1870's and originally had a old coal fired gravity furnace. It still has the old duct work from it, but that's about it. I would've loved to see the original furnace intact, but I'm also glad we had a modern system that has AC built-in.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I think they're fascinating because it's such an elegantly simple solution. And unlike steam radiators from the same time, they make no noise and don't leak water.
I also love exploring old buildings. It's fun to see how things used to be built, especially the utility/mechanical parts of the buildings.
I have a 1939 Payne gravity furnace that I adore. No cold spots as with my central forced air heater with vents at the top of my walls (great for when i use the A/C, but inefficient for heat).
Homart, sold at Sears.
Still trying to figure out exactly how the thermostat works since there is no electricity running to the boiler. The plumber who worked on the boiler recently tried to replace the thermostat but had to order one from a specialty supplier and we are still waiting. The original Sears thermostat works but not well. The only plumber from the shop providing the service who understands gravity hydronic said the pilot light somehow produces millivolts of electricity and when that charge is interrupted the heat exchanger ignites. I don't really get it, but it works.
These can be made more efficient by putting a fan in the air return connected to a fan limit switch in the air plenum.
the only issue i could see is a decrease in efficiency. think of it like air mixtures on a gas grill. more air than required for a clean flame requires more gas to reach an equal amount of heat. yes it would be more air but less efficient. with gravity furnaces it uses exactly the amount of air needed to heat properly to sent through the vents.
@@thenicoletti
No, I don't mean more combustion air. That WOULD lower efficiency. I mean forcing the room air on the other side of the heat exchanger. Relying on natural circulation requires very high temperatures, which means the exhaust gases leave at high temperature, which means low efficiency. Forced convection would increase heat transfer and efficiency.
@@gregorymalchuk272 I think using a programmable thermostat is the best way to go . The thermostat learns how long to run the burner . It's pretty cool. It works great .
That was asbestos. Many of those old gravity furnaces were coal burners from the 10s/ 20s, converted to oil/gas in the 40s, and blowers added in the 50s. If you see a big square box with a belt driven motor attached to this round furnace, that was a blower package added in the 50s likely. If you see a house with a concrete bunker under the front porch, with a big hinged iron door on the side of house, (near the porch) that was for coal deliveries. Those rooms / bunkers are often still black to this day. (35 year heating man)
I have one and it works fine been happening it since up took ownership of the house it works great to this day
A radical way to improve efficiency might be to rig up a heat pump that is fashioned into the flue(put a condenser in the exhaust) to pull the remaining heat out and dump it back into the house.
Imagine if they had done that back in the day!
My gravity furnace was installed in 1901. It's a work horse!!
Super helpful, thank you so much for posting!
My grandfathers' old house has one, more cylindrical in design, and does a good job at heating the house, but man, those things are loud
Yessss, they were... 😂... But that heat output though... 😂
Look at all that asbestos!
Asbestos is only a concern when it is disturbed. Otherwise, it will sit there doing absolutely no harm to anyone, and doing what it is a great at: Being an insulator.
If you ever want to change those lines, that is when it is a problem. The fibres get released out of their matrix, and into the air where they can be inhaled.
What a great break down
We still have one.
RE: "If there is an electrical outage, this unit will still heat the house."
A natural gas fired gravity furnace still requires electricity for the gas valve solenoid and for transformer for the thermostat circuit. Unless you were to bypass the gas valve so you could manually operate the furnace, you still need electricity to operate a natural gas fired gravity furnace. Another option is if the gas valve solenoid is 24V and not 120V then, hypothetically, you could operate both the thermostat and solenoid on batteries.
A gravity furnace equipped with an oil burner definitely requires electricity.
A hand-stoked, coal-fired gravity furnace would not require electricity.
Years ago, I spent a weekend in large, 1920s house in northern Minnesota that had coal-fired gravity furnace. However, the owner fueled it with wood. There was a thermostat in the hallway of the second floor that was a lever with a large, bi-metal coil that was attached to a long chain that went down a chase to the basement. The other end of the chain was connected to a damper door on the firebox. As the house cooled, the chain would slowly lift and open the damper and increase the air supply to the fire. Conversely, as the house got warmer, the damper would close.
I'm an estate sale junkie and have been in hundreds of basements in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul. One time I was in a circa-1915 house and its original gravity furnace was equipped with an accessory air-handler. It was mounted on top of the furnace and had a massive, horizontal pulley the was belt-driven driven by an electric motor with a substantially smaller pulley. I had seen dozens of gravity furnaces over the years but had never seen anything quite like this so at first I thought it was a very well-crafted DIY addition to the furnace. However, the air handler did have a nameplate on it which identified the manufacturer, brand-name and purpose.
Yes , Mine has a manual switch (like a flat blade screw driver) on the valve to supply the valve with gas . BUT it will run continuously , you must switch it back and forth. You must be there at all times or some one who knows how to do this.
The best furnace. When you figure in filters, gas and electric, ours is not much more than the modern furnace.
The Bryant is a Natural gas furnace . But your right , no filters , so when it fires up for the first time every year , you get that furnace smell !
Gravity furnaces are super reliable, quiet, and do a great job heating are large home. I noticed a pilot burner tubing on the other side of the chamber coming from the pressure regulator. What is it for?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 That tube is on the device next to the pressure regulator on mine, it's on that gas regulator valve next to the pressure regulator valve, the one that has four wires on it, two thermostat wires that go all the way up to from that regulator to your register in the house and two other wires going into the appliance.
I think you answered my earlier question. So it is supposed to be next to the pilot, because theoretically the pilot goes constantly, whereas the burners are only on when the thermostat's calling for heat?
Bravo 🙏🙏💐💐💐 brilare ancien modèle 🥰🥰🥰👍👍👍✨🇩🇿
Wow! I saw a coal furnace that was converted over to oil fired and forced air and it even had central air added on to it lol
I have one it took forever to heat up my house 🏡 so I installed a big window fan in between the heat exchange problem solved it’s set on high so when the heat kicks in so does the fan no more waiting for the heat to reach me😅
Had one in the home i bought a few years ago and that was the first thing i replaced..you can not beat forced air... saves money and more efficient ...
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Forced air is easily beaten from my experience, those old gravity furnaces when tuned right and with a cover over that large opening can achieve upwards of 70% easily, some can go as high as 80% with some minor modifications, the house I'm looking at has an old Kenmore 70 Power Miser natural draft furnace, I'll take that old dinosaur over an induced draft furnace any day because the old Power Miser is nearly silent because there's no obnoxious inducer blower and the furnace blower is well designed and very quiet as well, brand new Goodman 96% furnace can be heard clear across the house even with the furnace closet door closed while the Kenmore is nearly inaudible standing next to the furnace closet with the door closed. And as for the saves money aspect, all the additional moving parts will cost more than the savings in gas, an inducer blower is well over $100 for most modern furnaces.
how did that heat exchanger look tho........ ive never found one not compromised.
I still have one. It’s been working just fine for almost 50 years.. I have a question. Does the pilot light always stay on even in summer? I don’t see a pilot light when I was just looking after some bad weather.. maybe it’s never on?
We have one. I want to replace one of the supply lines but am worries about espestous
Asbestos ( proper spelling)
@@timtnr.6177 I tried asbestos I could!
‘Home alone’ furnace
Im in nèed to replace my gas valve in my unit. I live in Minnesota
Bravo 👍👍👍🥰🥰💐💐💐🙏🙏🇩🇿
I have a star furnace like that, nowhere near that size and in the floor,(no Central heating throughout the house)
accessible through a crawl space, not in a regular basement.
the problem I have now is I've confirmed there's gas going right up to the pilot, when I crack the line but it's not making it out the orifice to be able to light the pilot light,
nor am I able to bypass the pilot light
All together and turn on the burner have it call for heat and light it that way & have the burners going through bypassing the pilot light
??
?? I'm about to give up on this and call in a technician, if there's any around that are familiar with antique furnace anymore.
Is that a thermal couple on that old furnace, or a thermal pile?
It uses a thermal couple, but the ones in a hardware store aren't heavy enough. Old furnace guys should have them.
all the parts that are needed are for sale online. if you know what you are doing go for it, if not you better pay somebody.
Shouldn’t that opening in front have a cover panel on it like a hot water heater has?
It likely did have an access cover when It was installed, likely removed, discarded or lost at some point over the years.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I've seen then with a solid panel, combustion air is let in through the round door on the bottom of the burner in order to properly meter combustion air for multiple fuels, with a properly installed panel and adjusted air inlet they can be quite efficient
Mine does have the cover . Do not touch while furnace is heating .
Hello I have a problem with one like that I’m never see one.. the flame no coming up.. I dot have no power and any of the components
Any tips on re-lighting this bad boy
Yeah I also have a gravity heat furnace House of built in 54 I'm trying to find a shut-off valve for my furnace cuz I got a leak in there if there's anybody know where I can find a shut-off valve for this cuz the gas guy wants me to replace the whole furnace I love my furnace anybody can help a model number is w86 gravity heat furnace thanks
A gas valve should be located on the gas pipe just before the furnace. Before that there should be a shutoff valve. A natural gas leak detector can easily identify the location of the leak. If the leak you are referring to is inside the furnace then is this a gas leak or a flue gas leak? If it’s a gas leak then the burner can be removed, taken apart, cleaned and reassembled. If it’s a flue gas leak then the outer shell needs to be removed and new higher temperature masonry cement mortar should replace all broken or loose areas.
Expensive to operate,especially when on budget 🙃
I use a programmable thermostat . Works great.
I found one from 1921 today!
So much asbestos
Where can I find a replacement burner plate for these kind of furnaces
Are gravity fed furnaces still being made?
Saw some for mobile homes.
Just found a company based out of Minnesota that makes modern versions ❤️
Parts? My 1955 octo has a weak pilot keeps going out Infrequently and i have never figured it out
@@michaelkruper9775 the pilot orifice gets stopped up. needs to be taken apart and cleaned.
@@alanm2842thanks! I am scared to do that but I sure am interested in that!!
I miss radiant heat. I think it did a much better job keeping homes warmer than forced air. It always seems to get really chilly before the heat acclimates.
Isn't there a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning from leaking heat exchangers in these older furnaces?
My house I rent has this furnace still works..I wanna know where do I grease/oil this..my old landlord would oil this once a year..New landlord 3 yrs ago oiled once..he has passed n his wife doesn't have a clue..i wanna know where I would grease it as my prior landlord did..he used a bottle with a tube on end..help please
I believe there is no oiling to maintain this furnace. I just check the flame every year and adjust the gas valve venture if needed.
Looks like asbestos on the duct
Homemart
Plus, the best part is that the air is sterile. No germs, dander, bugs...nothing but sterile 200 degree air.
It is a nice warm heat . love it
You said it will run during a storm in the event of a power outage? How? What is powering the gas valve?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Thanks. I don't know much about gas heat. I do mostly oil.
Yes , Mine has a manual switch (like a flat blade screw driver) on the valve to supply the valve with gas . BUT it will run continuously , you must switch it back and forth. You must be there at all times or some one who knows how to do this.
Do you have a video of it running?
I have one similar to this and it needs a new gas valve, any idea where to get the parts? Having issues here in ohio.
I would not be so sure it is the valve . mine seems to be bullet proof . check the venture if it seems to be FLAMING UP ! I just adjust the air going into the burner.
I been googling and youtubing these to learn more about them. I just bought a combustion analyzer uei 161 that arrives Monday. Ima take my combustion analyzer when I go back. I had a basic one fieldpiece sox3 and just learned it doesnt do the ppm measurements so I bought uei c161. I'm new to using the analyzers. I had 13.4% o2 4.2% co2 157% ea 160 deg c flue temp. Are these normal for that furnace?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I'm already subscribed to him. I love his videos. And no worries I'll keep researching 👍
?
Hahahahaha pressure switch.... thermocoupler.... try regulator and thermopile
50-60% efficient is a pure guess. Measure it. Tell us your results. Mine is 87%. This 50% or 60% number is worthless information. Measure with a flue gas analyzer.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 A poorly running gravity furnace will run as low as 60% efficient but one that's had all the necessary cleanings and maintenance done and has the proper cover over the burner access will compete with modern furnaces in terms of heating efficiency but at the same time will beat a modern furnace out in the operational noise and ease of service categories
They can be efficient. Look at the information plate on the furnace. It will give input BTU's and output BTU's. You may will find that adusted properly they are 75-80%. Most of the newer furnaces gain the % gain in efficiency by getting rid of the standing pilot light, which is on all year. That way they can quickly claim 90%. (over a year) LOL
@@vacexpert2020 I AGREE! My highest gas bills in Erie Pa are around $125 in the dead of winter HA!, I turn the pilot off in the summer . I use a programmable thermostat . HA!
@@batlwagonwagon5251 that's pretty good, I've never had a gas bill go above $100 with my 90% furnace, replaced a roached 70%