savannah Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I'm looking for the age of a Montgomery Ward furnace, unit #84A-6203A. No luck on the age charts or anywhere else I've looked. Any help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 There does seem to be a lack of info on these. The best I can come up with is that it's probably 1982 or older but that's only based on a couple of people thinking they stopped making them then. Someone else might be able to find it in the Preston guide but they will likely need model AND serial number. Even better would be photos of any and all data plates on the unit. There may be other clues to its age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 There is a hole cut in my living room floor (roughly 4 X 4 ft) that was used to get it into the basement. They redid the joists as well. They then used newspaper and linoleum on top of the floor to cover it up. That newspaper was Jan. 1958, so I'm thinking it's at least that old, if not older. Curiousity killed the cat. Can't find any serial number. Just a "unit #". It's rated at 140,000BTU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 If you can post a pic, I'm usually pretty good at guessing the decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have the 1965-2000 Preston's, and there's no mention of Monkey Ward. Would they be listed under the name of another company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have the 1965-2000 Preston's, and there's no mention of Monkey Ward. Would they be listed under the name of another company? Dunkirk made furnaces for both Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have the 1965-2000 Preston's, and there's no mention of Monkey Ward. Would they be listed under the name of another company? Dunkirk made furnaces for both Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Nothing. And I checked the cross-reference section, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 The plate only mentions the "unit number." The wiring is similar to the knob and tube (no plastic sheathing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Click to Enlarge 37.95 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Download Attachment: IMG_4002.JPG 1354.25 KB Click to Enlarge 52.69 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTL_Inspet_Man Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 usually there is a dapalate or manufacturing date on the gas regulator (flying saucer shaped contraption) that may help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Click to Enlarge 37.95 KB Hi, That looks like a Homart - anyone got data on Homarts? OT - OF!!! M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 The only thing printed on the regulator is "HM" R20A "Pat. Pend." On the piece of metal that the manufacture plate is attached, an "FS" is stamped. That's all I've found for stamping or writing. I've looked about everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 There is a hole cut in my living room floor (roughly 4 X 4 ft) that was used to get it into the basement. They redid the joists as well. They then used newspaper and linoleum on top of the floor to cover it up. That newspaper was Jan. 1958, so I'm thinking it's at least that old, if not older. Curiousity killed the cat. Can't find any serial number. Just a "unit #". It's rated at 140,000BTU. Looking at the photos and going by the newspapers, I'd say your guess of 1958 (or a wee bit earlier) is probably right. Out of curiosity, when was the last time you had the beast inspected and serviced...and what did the tech say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Hi, I should have thought about this hours ago. Open up the air handler, remove the air filters and examine the blower housing very closely. I've found a date stamp on the blower housings in at least a dozen of those old oil furnaces over the past dozen years and it doesn't seem to matter who manufactures the furnace; so I'm thinking the same manufacturer was probably supplying blowers to a bunch of different manufacturers. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Lewis Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Mike, that furnace is for manufactured gas not oil. Not that would matter with the blower housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 It is gas, and the wiring predates anything modern. I will check the blower housing. I am in an "old furnace" contest, and trying to find out the age. I appreciate the help/suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 This link (page 3) is the closest description/picture of what I have. But I think mine predates these. The catalog numbers are similar to mine (84AN-6203A). http://www.heatinghelp.com/pdfs/254.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Mike, that furnace is for manufactured gas not oil. Not that would matter with the blower housing. You're right on both counts. I hadn't even tried to figure out whether it was gas or oil; I'd just assumed it was oil. That's a good clue though. I've seen probably a dozen furnace from the 50's which were nothing more than oil furnaces with gas burners. When I'd looked at them more closely, it was readily apparent that they weren't conversions; these had been designed to be either gas or oil. I've never seen one of those that wasn't from the 50's. I think at some point the HVAC industry decided that it was smarter to use tube-type and ribbon-type heat exchangers than to just plast a gas flame, which has a much lower temperature than an oil flame, into a big steel can. You still might find that date stamp though. Use a mirror, the location isn't always consistent. It looks like it's placed by some guy using a rubber stamp pad and either red or black ink and sometimes the number is only half rolled on. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfSwamp Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 This link (page 3) is the closest description/picture of what I have. But I think mine predates these. The catalog numbers are similar to mine (84AN-6203A). http://www.heatinghelp.com/pdfs/254.pdf The brochure looks very sixties to me. The industrial design on the furnace looks like 50s to me. In any case, that furnace is almost surely obsolete, and a serious gas hog. Time for a new one, I'd say. RE an old-furnace contest: In old neighborhoods, one might find "octopus" furnaces -- like the one that blew up the hotel in "The Shining" -- made in the 10s or 20s. WJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I looked at the motor itself for the blower. It's an Emerson (St. Louis, MO). The numbers that could be considered model numbers are: SA55 NXSFA-4865 Cat. 8000 -or- E22922 Mfg No. A86 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Click to Enlarge 88.61 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I found no rolled on date anywhere. The Emerson motor is 1997, so I would think that it's been replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 My guess is mid-late '50s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savannah Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 There's a guy coming to look at it tomorrow or the next day. I was just trying to get a close "ballpark" to see if our dates jived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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