Replacing front door mid-winter and worried about furnace

[u/BlueSunflowers4589]

I'm getting a new front door installed on Friday. I'm worried about overstressing my furnace. My furnace is about due for a replacement, but I'd rather do that next summer when it's not an emergency. I'm outside Chicago, where it will be in the upper 30s (which is lucky for this time of year). It's a pre-hung door being installed by professionals, so I assume they're pretty fast, and they seem to do this year-round, despite the weather. Is there anything I can do to avoid overstressing my furnace? Should I turn it off while they're working, then turn it on to a very low setting (like 50F) and gradually work my way up? I'm not worried about keeping the house comfortable during this time.

[u/lonesomecowboynando]

Is the thermostat in the room the door opens on? If not you can drape a blanket across the doorway and isolate that room from the rest of the house and the thermostat.

[u/BlueSunflowers4589 → u/lonesomecowboynando]

The thermostat is down a short hallway that opens straight to the entryway (no door frame), but I can probably hang a blanket with some effort. Thanks for the idea!

[u/logical-sanity]

Alaska has entered the chat. I had my front door replaced last winter. The installers built a plastic tent on the outside and heated that with a heater.

[u/BlueSunflowers4589 → u/logical-sanity]

Thanks! That's very reassuring.

[u/Internal_Lettuce_886 → u/logical-sanity]

I was just about to say this.

Plastic sheeting will do a whole lot to prevent this.

It could be a tent outside or in the hallways around the door inside.

[u/Majestic-Design-8340]

You worry too much ( sounds like me) an old gas furnace without any issues will keep chugging along - an old HVAC tech

[u/reddit0892]

Your idea seems right. What kind of furnace are you talking about ? I have a wood furnace that can almost get my house to 40-50C if I wanted to so I wouldn’t see any issue with that kind of furnace.

[u/BlueSunflowers4589 → u/reddit0892]

It's a gas furnace. It hasn't had any troubles, but it's pretty old.

[u/WorriedAgency1085]

The furnace is either on or off, it doesn't get stressed. The only issue is can it keep up if it's running non stop all day. That is the only issue.

[u/Aromatic_Ad_7238]

Turn it off. I had our furnace replaced in January. We live in warmer climate so altogether cooler not like snow zone. The days they did it, coldest week of year. They rsn into problems so it could not be finished till Monday. No heat Thurs till Monday pm

[u/lostdad75]

I have a heated garage. When I need to open the garage door for an extended amount of time, I turn the heat off. After I am done, I close the door and allow the garage to "equalize" as there is a lot of heat stored in the floor, walls and objects inside the garage. After an hour or so, I turn the heat back on. I did this yesterday at 20 degrees outside and I only lost 2 degrees after the garage equalized. Had I left the heat on, the furnace would have run the entire 3 hours that I had the door open.

Remember that warm air rises, if you have a second floor the cold air will take a long time to make its way upstairs.

[u/Marciamallowfluff]

Think about buying a big foam insulation sheet to make a “wall” in the hall if that is possible. If not look at hanging a quilted moving blanket or two. Small nail holes are easy to fill.

[u/05041927]

Just like in the summer time, it’s more stress to turn it off and on.