Did your "friend" perform a manual J load calculation to determine what size furnace you need? That is the only way to reliably select a furnace size.
As to the furnace running continuously, there's nothing wrong with that. If it cycles on and off during extremely cold weather that's a good indication it is too big. You and the furnace are better off with long cycles in terms of both comfort and efficiency. Modern equipment is designed to run continuously.
The issue of raising the temperature from 60 to 67 may indicate that you have too big a set-back when it is so cold. A furnace which can recover under colder than normal conditions would be oversized.

 

Being off for 60 seconds seems fishy. I'm kinda thinking you may be a couple burners shy of a full load. That's a lot of house in MN for a 45K furnace, even a 95% model. MN has been awfully cold. If it runs non stop at -20 and keeping 67, not too bad. But if above zero and has to run non stop, bit shy.

 

I agree with B.L. and k dean, you want the furnace to run a long time vs. short cycles. However, to be off for 60 secs. and then re-start right a way doesn't seem right. Unless the home is very drafty which you say it isn't.

 

According to Wundrground. Your area has had temps as cold as -22°F(JAN 6). A properly sized furnace should be running continuously, or all but.

The other company just wants to sell you a furnace. Your friend seems to have sized it correctly.

 

Another pertinent issue is the location of your thermostat. It may be getting cooled through the wire opening, but means of a draft coming out of the wall.

Have your friend seal the hole where the wires come through, so that the stat is ONLY sensing the room temperature.

BTW, I recently learned that continually implies a series of interupted events, so your heater IS actually "running continually."

With a 60 second off time, it is running almost continuously.

 

If it can recover 7 degrees in very cold temps, it's not undersized.

 

If it's a Honeywell thermostat you may be able to adjust a CPH setting to get the 60sec off deal resolved

 

Thanks everyone for the input... we will keep track and see when it warms up a bit if it slows down and runs a bit less. I'm hoping that this is the right size for our home.

 

If it maintained temp when it was -22 outside, its definitely not under sized.

For your area. Jan 30, low temp 0, Jan 31, low temp -5, Feb 1, low temp 1, Feb 2, low temp -7, Feb 3, low temp -2.

 

45k @ 1800sqft @ -22f.
Makes me wonder how many houses really need heaters bigger than 45k..

 

45,000 BTU/HR 92% efficient furnace is sufficient for modern 2,100 square feet residence at -10'F design temperature
45,000 BTU/HR 92% efficient furnace is sufficient for modern 2,500 square feet residence at.. 0'F design temperature
45,000 BTU/HR 92%...."............."....."........." .........."........3,050 ...." ....." ......."....... at 10'F design temperature.
45,000 BTU/HR 92% efficient furnace ......."............"...........3,700 ...."......"......." ........ at 20'F design temperature.

That group of parameters ought to cover at least half the houses built in the last 10 to 20 years
with more stringent energy efficiency codes.

The state building code requirements of Blower Door and Duct Blaster Testing
will also start to have an impact
on the increased use of 45,000 BTU/HR or smaller furnaces.

http://www.energycodes.gov/resource-center/resource-guides

Of course, anything smaller than 60,000 BTU/HR is going to have some impact on
air flow and blower sizing requirements for the A/C systems.

However, a house with < 40,000 BTU/HR heat loss _may_ only have a Heat Gain
that is approximately 50 to 80% of the heat loss. ACCA Manual J is a fairly simplified, objective
decision making tool that can be applied nationally in each specific case.

 

We had a "friend" who has a heating and plumbing business install a brand new 45,000 BTU Armstrong Air furnace
in our 1800 sq. ft. home the day before Thanksgiving (2013), so it is just 2 months old.

We live in Minnesota and it has been cold, but not THAT cold!

Here is our specs for our home:

We heat the house at 67 when we are home, with supplemental heat in the living room or family room from the gas fireplaces when we are in those rooms.
In the night and when we are gone it automatically goes to 60 degrees. We are a raised ranch with 1800 sq. feet.

It takes hours to heat from 60 to 67. How fast should that take to heat up those 7 degrees? We have decent windows and just had new insulation in the attic this summer.

So... any suggestions? Is my furnace big enough?

-22'F .. NOT That Cold.????
In the realms of most humans used to modern conveniences
and trying to run automobiles, that's probably in the damn cold category.

I would say to heat up from 60' to 67'F,
when it's < 10'F out would probably take at least 3 hours.

Was your house built in 1999 or 1899?

What is the furnace model number?
Is it a MODulating furnace? [Yes, __then] Of course, it's going to run continuously.

If your house is < 20 years old, a properly running 45,000 BTU/HR 92% efficient furnace seems PERFECTLY Sized to me.
[ Total window area < 220 square feet and U-value < 0.33.]

Just don't expect to be able to have set-backs > 2'F with relatively short recovery periods when it's < 12'F out.

Don't expect to be able to reach 68'F when it's -30'F without a little supplemental heat.

If you are a raised ranch WITH a basement,
the basement should be insulated to well below ground level
if the ducts are in the basement [or crawl space].

 

Sadly most manufacturers don't offer "advanced features" on their 2 burner models. Trane won't even give you a 3 ton blower until you buy their 60k furnace. Rheem is still showing a 4 ton x-13 blower on one of their 2 burner furnaces, but I heard it was discontinued Maybe if more started installing 2 burner furnaces manufacturers would offer more features on them.

 

That's why I'm looking at going to hot water heating, or a heat pump, for my house.
No 40k btuh furnaces with VS blowers, and even just a 40k 2 stage furnace with a standard blower is a special order(pay a lot extra) item...

 

dan sw fl... our home was built in 1967. New windows Anderson windows 15 years ago. Super insulated the attic and ridge roof vent last year. We had an Alliant Energy audit last year and they said our house was nice and tight.

I am at work, so I don't know the model number of the furnace.

I think we just need to get used to it running more and not thinking that it is costing us more. In December (the coldest December in Minnesota history), it was just a few bucks more than last year's bill, with the cost per therm being higher and a little bit more, but that would be expected. Now January was probably one of the coldest in history and February is definitely looking like we will break the record again... no good comparison to last year really.

 

Please thank your friend and apologize for second guessing his work as what you describe setbacks and alike is in your best interest and two many contractors will over size a furnace especially for a friend or relative as so

 

There is no a/c system or furnace designed for conventional home use, that can keep up with the extreme heats or extreme colds, this is why they have design temps. Of course there is a Pro or two here that have systems in their homes, that will keep the temp in their home @60° when it's 125° out with 100% humidity, well at least that's their story. :grin2:

 

Just don't ask them what it costs to keep it 60 on a 125 degree day! !

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Trying to put the last few months in Meteorological Perspective

Description: Fahrenheit-based heating degree days (H.D.D.) for a base temperature of 65F
Source: www.degreedays.net (using temperature data from www.wunderground.com)

The monthly average temperature for January was 7'F

JANUARY_ 2014 WAS 27% Colder than the average of the 2 previous years.
DECEMBER 2013 WAS 14% Colder than the average of the 2 previous years.
NOVEMBER 2013 WAS 10% Colder than the average of the 2 previous years.
COLDER = Ratio of the Heating Degree Days

Station: Albert Lea, Albert Lea Municipal Airport, MN, US (93.37W, 43.68N)
Station ID: KAEL ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 2012 and 2013
---- ---- ---- ---- HDD ---- ---- HDD ---- ---- ---- Average
---- ---- 65 1/1/2012 1294 ---- 1/1/2013 1421 ---- 1/1/2014 1725 1357.5 ---- 1.271
---- ---- 57.5 2/1/2012 1093 ---- 2/1/2013 1212 ---- ---- ---- 1152.5 ----
---- ---- 7.5 3/1/2012 564 ---- 3/1/2013 1193 ---- ---- ---- 878.5 ----
---- ---- ---- 4/1/2012 500 ---- 4/1/2013 711 ---- ---- ---- 605.5 ----
---- ---- ---- 5/1/2012 176 ---- 5/1/2013 298 ---- ---- ---- 237 ----
---- ---- ---- 6/1/2012 49 ---- 6/1/2013 66 ---- ---- ---- 57.5 ----
---- ---- ---- 7/1/2012 11 ---- 7/1/2013 33 ---- ---- ---- 22 ----
---- ---- ---- 8/1/2012 79 ---- 8/1/2013 50 ---- ---- ---- 64.5 ----
---- ---- ---- 9/1/2012 235 ---- 9/1/2013 126 ---- ---- ---- 180.5 ----
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2011 & 2012
10/1/2011 439 ---- 10/1/2012 608 ---- 10/1/2013 526 ---- ---- ---- 482.5 ---- 1.090
11/1/2011 814 ---- 11/1/2012 871 ---- 11/1/2013 989 ---- ---- ---- 901.5 ---- 1.097
12/1/2011 1177 ---- 12/1/2012 1279 ---- 12/1/2013 1573 ---- ---- ---- 1375 ---- 1.144

 

OK... we've been dealing off and on with the furnace problem for the last few weeks since I posted this... it has been running better and getting up to temp, but today again (and last Friday as well), after 4-1/2 hours (on return), the temp has gone from 60 to 62... not up to 67. The outside temp is 19 degrees. It runs for a little bit (the opposite of what it was doing when I posted this) and is now running about 10 minutes and shutting off for quite a while before kicking on again, but not heating up the house. Is this a thermostat problem????

 

It could be, might also be a high limit problem in the furnace.

 

What's a high limit problem entail???

 

Could be low airflow.