There are times when, just glancing at a furnace, it does not look so bad. But a look up under the draft hood can be the first clue that time is not on our side. The furnace above was in that category. Further investigation showed that it was installed in 1981, so that makes it 28 years old. That puts it well-beyond the high end of the design life of a gas furnace. There were other issues with the venting and the room it was now in had been converted to a bedroom. When a furnace is in a bedroom a number of very specific steps must be taken to assure proper combustion air, adequate venting and isolation from those sleeping. None of that was taken into account either. Steven L. Smith Bellingham WA Home Inspections 
Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Aging Furnaces
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19 comments • Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector • July 23 2009 08:37AMComments
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Steven, when I bought This Old House, my gas furnace was about 40 years old. It was still working well when I replaced it twenty years after that, but my contractor was doing a bunch of stuff to the system and suggested it might be time. That the new ones are built to last only 20 or 30 years just amazes me!
We bought a house once that had the dryer vented under the house alongside a rusted out furnace with flames leaping out of the box. How had that house NOT gone up in flames? Kate
Pat,
Part of the thing today is the newer furnaces are more efficient and the high efficiency furnaces produce lots of condensate and that rusts a furnace faster.
Kate,
You would have known about that in advance had you had a certifried home inspection by Barbara's capable and intelligent Godson.
Kate that sounds more Nutsy than Nutsy----and that is hard to do.
Thanks for pointing out the things we should be on the lookout for!
Time to go. A new one would pay for itself with energy savings I am sure.
Nutsy WAS the certifried inspector, boss. Sorry for the bad advert. Kate
PS The truth emerges.
Ms. Barbara keeps asking me why I have an ax to grind with Nutsy but I never wanted to go public. And I certainly did not want to burst your bubble, boss, because you seem like a decent fellow.
But I just can't quit thinking about the house Nutsy inspected for us before he became your assistant. There, now you know.
Ms. Kate, Founder of Truth Emerges LLC
Mrs Kate,
I should have known that you were one of those shifty Las Vegas types. I have never, once in my life, set foot or tail in Las Vegas and you know it. I once played Reno.
Nutsy, miffed and offended
Nutsy, you can try and spin this however you liked but we have lived in LV only a couple of years and YOU KNOW very well the location of that house. It was a shody inspection, admit it.
if the truth offends, then it just does. My public deserves the truth. I just feel for the classy Ms Barbara and that nice guy Tony along with Mr. Boss.
Ms. Kate, Founder of Truth Emerges LLC
PS I met your mother while hiking in Red Rock the other day and took a picture of her. I'll share it when you are least expecting it.
Mrs Kate,
Lies and more lies. And you are still trying to hide behind the Canadian flag. You should not post it at the bottom of your vile posts. These cruel untruths leave me cold.
Nutsy,
The wise one
Nutsy, the icicles on your hood are melting. I advise climbing into a freezer and securing the door.
That furnace looks like toast.
Nutsy the squirrel-cicle.
Mrs Kate,
The wisest man I ever hung with and pal'd around with, Mr. Elvis Presley, once sang about you. The song was called Devil In Disguise. I am sorry to say that your disguise is not covering you so well anymore. Some of the horns are hanging out. In case you wanted to know, that is what Nutsy thinks.
Nutsy S Wallenda
Fashion tip #9 Elvis and squirrel do not mix in fashion or friendship for that matter.
Ms. Kate Ford, The Elvis Estate: Manager, CPA
PS We already discussed my red hair and Irish temperament. I'd be watching the words from your snout lips muzzle.
Mrs Kate,
I thought that, as of this morning, you might want to know what Nutsy thinks. Nutsy thinks that the heartbreak that has led to your anger is a very sad thing. I am pleased that you too appreciate this outfit.
Nutsy
Nutsy, take the blindfold off and the earplugs out. I am your greatest ally because I speak the truth.
Plus now I know your mother and we all know the stories mothers can tell, the secrets they know about their children. So you'd best be thinkin' about being a little nicer to me.
BTW, I had to break the news to your mom that you were in the slammer and she was horrified. Ms. Kate
I see the furnace bedroom all the time!
Steve - I had a transaction where the 6 year old boiler looked this bad too. It was rust from the humidity after pipes had burst.