furnace is sinking

Originally Posted By: wichita
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Hello I’m a visitor and enjoy reading the messages and am amazed at the skill & expertise and the information available at this site. I wanted to ask about my furnace: it’s a 1968 model and is working fine. My house is a one story brick ranch built in 1957. The furnace is in a utility room off of the garage and the floor is a cement slab which has sunk down several inches over the years. icon_sad.gif


The lower section of the Furnace is the A/C coil I believe and the drain pipe is plastic PVC which goes through the wall, through the crawl space, and out an exterior wall.

As the floor has slowly sunk down, the condensation from the coil no longer drains as the angle of the drain pipe is now uphill. ![icon_sad.gif](upload://nMBtKsE7kuDHGvTX96IWpBt1rTb.gif)

I would like to fix the problem by raising the furnace unit 1-2 inches. Am I on the right track? I have owned this home for 1 and 1/2 years. Thank you for you advice.


Originally Posted By: dbowers
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It might be simpler to add a condensate pump to move the condensate. You’d spend less than raising the furnace or slab.


Originally Posted By: dhartke
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Of course it is impossible to remedy a situation that is unseen but when I hear a device has sunken several inches I wonder what else has been affected. If the furnace is gas, has the flue been pulled apart somewhere out of sight or the gas supply pipe over stressed? Has the electrical wiring been stretched and damaged somewhere out of sight? Has the ductwork been pulled apart somewhere out of sight? Has the AC tubing been kinked or damaged somewhere out of sight? If the condensate pan will not drain, has it overflowed and caused damage of other furnace components?


If you raise the unit, closely monitor the effects of the surroundings. Gradually settling over 50 years may allow soft compromising of the above mentioned, but lifting several inches in one day may shock the connections and cause failure. If raising is your choice, do it slow and gentle.

Sorry, no answers but a few questions to consider.


Originally Posted By: wichita
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Thank you very much! It’s a natural gas system and from what I can see the exhaust, ductwork, wiring etc are all ok and did not “pull apart” or


separate as the furnace and floor sunk down over the years.


I think I'll look at installing a small tank and pump (per suggestion).

Thank you again! ![icon_lol.gif](upload://zEgbBCXRskkCTwEux7Bi20ZySza.gif)


Originally Posted By: mtimpani
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Dan and David, good job!! Excellent advice.



Thank you, MarkTimpani


www.pridepropertyinspections.com