Not your buddy

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Re: Not Your Buddy
There seem to be a few possible misunderstandings with respect to just what Furnace Buddy™ is ,what it does, how it actually does it, and why someone might consider buying a Furnace Buddy. The following might offer some clarifications:

1. Furnace Buddy™ is not some form of “Magic Mixer”. In fact Furnace Buddy™ is just an electronic furnace control device and does not affect the flow of gas or its designed “Burn Patterns” to or from your Manufacturer designed furnace valve in any way. As is clearly indicated on the website:
"As a furnace improvement device, Furnace Buddy™ identifies your furnace’s sweet spot, and ensures it operates within this range."
Furnace Buddy™ is based on a rather basic Physics (not just engineering principal) – that of the thermal saturation of any given material, after which either the material changes state (melts like an ice cube). or the material reflects any further heat applied to it. We are talking about the HEAT EXCHANGER in every furnace which will only get so hot before it reflects (or wastes) any additional heat applied. A simple analogy is found in a water sponge, once it is saturate, it will not absorb any more water – just drip or run it off.
Furnace Buddy™ LEARNS where that Saturation point is for each furnace that it has been installed on. Then based on observation and resulting algorithms Furnace Buddy™ defines a slightly lower heat exchanger temperature at which the heat exchanger is most economically transferring its heat to the air passing over it within the furnace itself. Those two points in temperature constitute what is called the “Sweet Spot”, and once learned by Furnace Buddy™ then become the controlling factors for turning the gas on and off while the furnace itself continues to deliver its heat to the home at the sole request of the thermostat.

2. Furnace Buddy™ is NOT a Duty-Cycler! Furnace Buddy™ responds to needs and conditions as learned from the furnace itself. The relationships between the gas valve On and gas valve OFF depend on the length of time that the furnace is demanding heat. On/Off ratios vary with what the Furnace Buddy™ has learned from each furnace. One size does NOT fit all!

3. Furnace Buddy™ has been tested and certified to a Canadian Safety Standard – CSA 22.2-3, by Intertek Testing Services (File # 3035909). Intertek is one of the world’s largest independent testing companies, with more products and files even in North America than CSA and UL/ULC combined. Intertek’s credibility is Furnace Buddy™’s credibility.
As for other “Government Testing” – in Canada there is no such thing. The right to sell and use furnace related products are determined by “The Authority Having Jurisdiction”, and Furnace Buddy™ has such permission!

4. As for warranties; lifetime warranties in the furnace industry are rarely even for TEN YEARS these days, after which there is no further manufacturer’s warranty.
This does not however mean that your home insurance becomes null and void as soon as your furnace becomes 10 years + a day. If that were true, insurance companies could be even sell homeowner insurance to homes with older furnaces!
Furnace Buddy™ is designed specifically for furnaces older than 10 years old, and its use does not void any insurability any more than the attachment of any replacement or after-market thermostat or humidifier would. Or are you suggesting that an off-set thermostat would invalidate your home insurance too?

As for a new furnace, wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could afford one! A new furnace (installed with all the ducting and other changes required) typically costs between $4,500 and $6,500 in Canada. A Furnace Buddy™ for self-install has a MSRP of under $300, and with professional installation which would include other highly recommended maintenance and remediation is often less than $500. Not everyone can afford the $6,000+ but many people can afford the $300 (which is just 5% of the cost of an installed new furnace).
And Furnace Buddy™ is easier and safer to install than most Humidifiers that people purchase and then self-install. The web site contains a copy of the “Installation and Operations Manual” that is even downloadable!

Furnace Buddy™ is a safe and responsible response to the Government of Canada’s “One Tonne Challenge”. It is offered to people who want to save money, reduce their harm to our environment, and only have so much money with which to do so.