Getting a furnace down the steps into the basement.

[fields_mj]

For those with a wood furnace in the basement, I'm curious how you got it down there. I currently have an add on wood furnace that's circa 1980 that I'm going to need to replace in the near future. I'm planning on getting a Heat Commander to replace it with. At the top of the basement steps, I will have to turn the unit 90 degrees after coming through a door before it can go down the steps. I know the shipping weight of the HC is over 700 lbs, and I'm not sure how much weight can be removed before moving it inside, but I'm guessing the final product will still weigh 500 lbs or more. The stairway is a normal width, so having 2 men on the bottom end is going to be a tight fit, and +250 lbs per per person still seems like a lot of weight. I like to plan ahead, so I'd like to figure out a way to do this before I actually spend the money and find myself on the downhill side of the basement stairway with nowhere to go.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm lucky and have a basement garage, so easy peasy...but, that said, that weight is SHIPPING weight, so pallet etc included. You can take the weight of the plenum off (kinda heavy!) take the blower and its housing off, you can take the doors off (cast iron!) and the firebricks out too...I'd say you can certainly get it under 400lbs.
I have put a couple in other houses with stairs though, (straight, no turns) and I like to mount the furnace on a couple planks and slide it down the steps...works pretty well for me.

 

[travis8352]

This sounds like exactly my situation. Dont over think it, it was way easier then expected. Me and my brother supported it from the bottom with my dad helping at the top. We used some 3x10 carpets rolled up to help cushion each step. The hardest part was the 90 degree turn and that really wasnt bad once we removed the blower. We removed the doors, firebrick and grate plus the blower and everything in tje back.

 

[salecker]

You could use a come along to lower it down the steps on planks as skids

 

[fields_mj]

I wasn't sure how much weight I could get it down to. If it could get down to 400lbs, it seems like 2 or 3 guys could handle that pretty easy.

I thought about putting it on runners like that. So long as they aren't much longer than the unit, I could spin it 90 deg pretty easy. The runners would also allow me to roll it through the house and basement on some pipes or dowl rods (favorite way to move gun safes). Sliding it down the steps would put the majority of the weight on the steps, and and only a fraction of it would be trying to slide down hill.

I don't have any thing to attach a come along or block and tackle to at the top of the steps.

 

[Turbo89]

I feel like I more more heavy crap up and down stairs than I’d like. My solution is always make whatever it is as small and light as possible, then I strap it well to a dolly (I have one that has stair slides on it). Then it’s usually 2 or 3 strong guys and a come along to truck trailer hitch when necessary (or winch if needed).

 

[brenndatomu]

If it could get down to 400lbs

Pretty sure you can.
So how will you get the wood down there? Humping it all down the stairs sucks.

allow me to roll it through the house and basement on some pipes or dowl rods (favorite way to move gun safes)

Ever tried the hulu hoop n golf ball method?

 

[all night moe]

As a note, make sure your steps are up to par.
I would not trust my own interior stairs. I have exterior concrete steps thankfully.

 

[brenndatomu]

As a note, make sure your steps are up to par.
I would not trust my own interior stairs. I have exterior concrete steps thankfully.

Good point...I've seen some pretty sketchy basement stairs.
I pulled a Yukon Big Jack out of a guys basement that had scary steps...he was losing the house to the bank so he didn't care about the house...we winched the furnace up the steps using a winch attached to the truck hitch out in the driveway...which was basically a side pull.
Looked like a beaver chewed on the door frame when we were done, he loved it! (dude was a little bitter!)

 

[fields_mj]

I feel like I more more heavy crap up and down stairs than I’d like. My solution is always make whatever it is as small and light as possible, then I strap it well to a dolly (I have one that has stair slides on it). Then it’s usually 2 or 3 strong guys and a come along to truck trailer hitch when necessary (or winch if needed).

That sounds really familiar I've spent most of my life doing things that way, but I'm getting old enough that I need to use my brain more and my body a little less... I bought the existing wood furnace used almost 20 years ago. I unloaded it from the truck at the edge of my yard, and used a 2 wheel truck to move it 80 yds to the back door. I was able to get it through the door by myself, but I didn't dare try to go any further than that on my own. At the time, I had a neighbor 3 houses down who was basically a big ol farm boy. He helped me carry it downstairs and man handle it into place. Neither of us are as young as we used to be, and he moved over 10 years ago. I just upgraded from a worn out 1983 Ford 1710 tractor and loader to a TC40 with a loader that has a lift capacity of a ton at the pins. If there was a way to tie the furnace off to something outside and lower, drag, raise, or lower it into or out of the basement, you can bet I'd be gong that route even if it was overkill. I only have 1 strong back, and I've rolled the dice on it too many times in the past 50 years.

So how will you get the wood down there? Humping it all down the stairs sucks.

My house was built to heat with wood and/or coal. I have a 26" wide concrete chute that I drop my firewood through. It lands in an 8'x12' area that's next to my existing wood furnace.

I have not used that method for moving a safe. I'm always concerned that the point load on the golf ball will damage the flooring underneath. Unless I'm on concrete, I prefer wooden dowels because they do flex just a little bit and they distribute the weight across a larger area. On concrete, I use steel pipe because I have scrap pieces of galvanized left over from when I switched everything out to copper.

As a note, make sure your steps are up to par.

That's a very good point. As I mentioned, we caried the current unit down the stairs many years ago, and the neighbor that helped me probably tipped the scales at 400 lbs by himself, so we should be good. With that said, I think it would be worth putting a couple of 2x6s in as jacks to provide some added support in middle. Seems like good insurance for $10.

 

[all night moe]

That's a very good point. As I mentioned, we caried the current unit down the stairs many years ago, and the neighbor that helped me probably tipped the scales at 400 lbs by himself, so we should be good. With that said, I think it would be worth putting a couple of 2x6s in as jacks to provide some added support in middle. Seems like good insurance for $10.

If you're just going to slide the furnace down, a couple planks can help distribute the load and, carpet like mentioned will protect the furnace ad slide easier.

 

[travis8352]

Since i started heating with wood 3 years ago i said id get something setup so i wouldnt have to hump all the wood downstairs but here i am still carying arm load after arm load down the steps each october lol

 

[all night moe]

Since i started heating with wood 3 years ago i said id get something setup so i wouldnt have to hump all the wood downstairs but here i am still carying arm load after arm load down the steps each october lol

I hear ya. At least with my exterior stairs I can throw them down. Then unclog the mass of wood, carry across the basement, stack, rinse and repeat.

Yea, I hear ya. Gets old.

 

[trx250r87]

I used a small appliance dolly and ATV with powered winch. I also removed the green load button assembly in order to get it through door at the bottom of the steps which had a 90 degree turn just past the door.

Eric

 

[brenndatomu]

I also removed the green load button assembly in order to get it through door

Yes, that needs to come off for most doorways, and better safe than sorry anyways, its only 1 screw and 2-3 wires to unplug.

I have not used that method for moving a safe. I'm always concerned that the point load on the golf ball will damage the flooring underneath.

The one I seen they probably had 20-30 golf balls in there rolling around.
Ever seen the inside of a golf ball? Its just one big long rubber band rolled into a ball with a plastic cover on it.

Since i started heating with wood 3 years ago i said id get something setup so i wouldnt have to hump all the wood downstairs but here i am still carying arm load after arm load down the steps each october lol

I like the guys that use an old treadmill on high speed to "shoot" the wood through the basement window!
An old plastic slide through the window works pretty good to fill a wood box on wheels too.

 

[CatfishHunter]

You could probably use shoulder dollies too.

I haven't had to take a furnace down to the basement, but our treadmill was several hundred pounds. I set 2x4s on the stairs and slid it down with a couple of neighbors. It worked well.

 

[fields_mj]

If you're just going to slide the furnace down, a couple planks can help distribute the load and, carpet like mentioned will protect the furnace ad slide easier.

That would be my game plan at this point. I'd basically build a small sled for it out of 2x6s. It may be as simple as having a pair of 2x6 runners bolted to the bottom of the unit. I'll just have to figure out how to attach them once I see the unit. If it required a little more lumber than that, its no big deal. The runners or sled would let me roll it through the house on dowel rods. Its not hard to rotate a load that's sitting on a few dowl rods so spinning it 90 degrees won't be a problem either. Once its on the steps, I'm not convinced that I want any carpet that would allow it to slide easier. I'm pretty sure gravity will provide all the help I need in getting it to move down the steps.

The one I seen they probably had 20-30 golf balls in there rolling around.
Ever seen the inside of a golf ball? Its just one big long rubber band rolled into a ball with a plastic cover on it.

The other reason I use dowl rods and pipes is that I have them laying around. I have no other use for a golf ball

 

[coaly]

That would be my game plan at this point. I'd basically build a small sled for it out of 2x6s. It may be as simple as having a pair of 2x6 runners bolted to the bottom of the unit. I'll just have to figure out how to attach them once I see the unit. If it required a little more lumber than that, its no big deal. The runners or sled would let me roll it through the house on dowel rods. Its not hard to rotate a load that's sitting on a few dowl rods so spinning it 90 degrees won't be a problem either. Once its on the steps, I'm not convinced that I want any carpet that would allow it to slide easier. I'm pretty sure gravity will provide all the help I need in getting it to move down the steps.

The other reason I use dowl rods and pipes is that I have them laying around. I have no other use for a golf ball

If there is a doorway at top of stairs I put a 4X4 across it laying on floor. Winch up or down. No wheels on ramps. Only keep dolly or rollers under it on level terrain. Crossing yards I carry plywood, then 2x6 runners. I also have a bucket of black iron pipe cut offs about a foot long. I double planks, then pry them apart with pinch bar to place rollers between them.

Some stairways need 2x4 or 2x6 bracing as post in the center of span to floor.

 

[mikieb]

I was able to unattach my stairs at the top of the stairway, push it up and out of the way and was able with a pair of 2 X 8's to rig an ATV winch above the stairwell opening and used it pull a 600lb wood furnace in the door and get it lifted and swung over the stairway hole and lowered it onto a furniture dolly and rolled it across the basement to put it in place.

 

[salecker]

When i took my furnace out of my basement when i went with a remote boiler building i was able to get it into my stairway opening with pipe rollers then i stuck the boom of my tow truck into the stairway and winched it up and drove away with it

 

[Triumph562]

I hired an industrial rigging company. They lowered my EKO 25 and 300 gallon storage tank down my bilco door. Then they used a pallet jack for final placement. I think I only paid $1200 for half a day and four guys with an industrial crane. They did me a favor.

 

[all night moe]

I hired an industrial rigging company. They lowered my EKO 25 and 300 gallon storage tank down my bilco door. Then they used a pallet jack for final placement. I think I only paid $1200 for half a day and four guys with an industrial crane. They did me a favor.

Sometimes it's just easier to have someone else deal with it. No matter the cost.

 

[salecker]

Here you don't have that choice...
If you can't do it, it's not getting done.
That's how i got into learning about hydronic heating. If i hadn't learned and built my own system i would be heating some other way
But we grew up in the middle of nowhere, so it was learned early you have to be able to fend for yourself when the nearest neighbor/store is 35 miles away

 

[all night moe]

Here you don't have that choice...
If you can't do it, it's not getting done.
That's how i got into learning about hydronic heating. If i hadn't learned and built my own system i would be heating some other way
But we grew up in the middle of nowhere, so it was learned early you have to be able to fend for yourself when the nearest neighbor/store is 35 miles away

My father raised me the same. Although I didn't grow up in the middle of nowhere, he taught me to be resourceful.
Today I live in the middle of "nowhere'' but I'm 5 mins outside of the village of the nearest town. This town has practically everything anyone could ever need. Including a Chevrolet and a Dodge dealership.

I still practice being resourceful as possible. Just lucky to have a nearby town for goods.

 

[brenndatomu]

This town has practically everything anyone could ever need. Including a Chevrolet and a Dodge dealership.

Well, I suppose if'n that whats you drivin, you gon need a repair shop!