Curious. Anyone remember the Rebublic?

[Glennhvac]

Gyroscopic balance? They may have been more in the Chicago area. I believe they were being installed a number of years before I started out. The company I worked for installed many and I serviced them.

For those not familiar they were probably the most advanced furnace made and the engineering is still incredible when I think back on them. They used two stage stats and a resister that would heat and warp a bimetal. This would move a pin if I recall correctly. In doing so the gas would slooowly modulate up to high fire. It was not even 80/20. It modulated. The longer you called for heat the more gas fired.

Even the belt drive motor modulated up to high speed by physically moving the motor increasing tension on the belt. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find a link. You gear heads would have drooled over this thing.:yes:

[tinnerjohn]

I never saw one, but I remember my Dad telling me about them. What he had to say isn't repeatable in polite company. Does any one remember the oil furnace with the belt drive burner? i wear I remember helping service one several seasons in the late 60's, early 70's with my Dad. John

[Glennhvac]

Ah. Here is the blower I found on Flickr: A heat motor would drive the blower to higher speed by adding belt tension
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/184/474870535_49ea733639_z.jpg?zz=1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kingclipon/474870535/)
The Furnace Blower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kingclipon/474870535/) by kingclipon (http://www.flickr.com/people/kingclipon/), on Flickr

[eglide99]

I never saw one, but I remember my Dad telling me about them. What he had to say isn't repeatable in polite company. Does any one remember the oil furnace with the belt drive burner? i wear I remember helping service one several seasons in the late 60's, early 70's with my Dad. John

I believe they were "Lennox and Iron Fireman" Worked on a few with my father in law. Same time period. Me and my son took out an old "Ac Delco" oil funace last summer late 60's model..cast iron burner the motor and transformer were all painted a funny green my son asked if they were original ..could have been. That was one heavy lowboy. LOL

[craig1]

I have two customers with Republic heating equipment. One is a boiler and one is a furnace.

What an amazing piece of technology. Sadly, both have t-87's and not the original modulating stats.



The furnace is different than the one shown in the picture above. It is a standard upflow like a modern furnace with the blower below the heat exchanger. It had a bunch of mechanical stuff in the blower compartment that had been disconnected. couldn't tell if it changed belt tension or switched motor speeds.


One thing to be careful of on these burners is that they used a unique pilot safety that can be dangerous and needs to be inspected regularly. The pilot heats a bimetal strip which pushed a rod though a tube and tilts a mercury bulb. If water gets in the tube from a flood or A/C overflow, it can rust the rod and lock the mercury bulb in the pilot-lit position even if the pilot is out.

[Glennhvac]

I have two customers with Republic heating equipment. One is a boiler and one is a furnace.

What an amazing piece of technology. Sadly, both have t-87's and not the original modulating stats.



The furnace is different than the one shown in the picture above. It is a standard upflow like a modern furnace with the blower below the heat exchanger. It had a bunch of mechanical stuff in the blower compartment that had been disconnected. couldn't tell if it changed belt tension or switched motor speeds.


One thing to be careful of on these burners is that they used a unique pilot safety that can be dangerous and needs to be inspected regularly. The pilot heats a bimetal strip which pushed a rod though a tube and tilts a mercury bulb. If water gets in the tube from a flood or A/C overflow, it can rust the rod and lock the mercury bulb in the pilot-lit position even if the pilot is out.
The thermostats were just two stage heat. Yes there was a a heat motor much like some zone valves used in the blower module. The longer the blower ran the more the motor would swing up and tighten tension on the belt.
I guess they were big near me (still few dealers though) is because they were made nearby.

[hvacker]

I remember them well. Built like a tank. I worked in the Chicago burbs in the 70's and 80's.
Along with the blower belt slipping device an earlier modle had two motors. One had a larger pully than the other and the controls switched motors.
Another earlier model controlled the gas pressure by closing the gas regulators vent for low fire and opening it for high.
They were built by Republic.
BTW glennhvac, where do you do most of your work? I worked around the Crystal Lake, Woodstock, Palatine areas.

[Glennhvac]

I remember them well. Built like a tank. I worked in the Chicago burbs in the 70's and 80's.
Along with the blower belt slipping device an earlier modle had two motors. One had a larger pully than the other and the controls switched motors.
Another earlier model controlled the gas pressure by closing the gas regulators vent for low fire and opening it for high.
They were built by Republic.
BTW glennhvac, where do you do most of your work? I worked around the Crystal Lake, Woodstock, Palatine areas.

Most of my work is the north shore and west to about Palatine. I'd be in my beloved NM in a heartbeat if it were possible. Doing that new fangled 'refrigerated air" :yes:

Never saw the dual motor one. Yikes!

[hvacker]

I like all the open space here but Chicago is has a piece of my heart and it's the best looking city I've ever been to.

[Glennhvac]

I like all the open space here but Chicago is has a piece of my heart and it's the best looking city I've ever been to.

My daughter in ABQ only misses the food here. Comes home and says the sky feels like it's crushing her. You're right though about Chikawgo.

[craig1]

The thermostats were just two stage heat. Yes there was a a heat motor much like some zone valves used in the blower module.

The ones I work in have a modulating has valve that is operated by a resistor strapped to a bimetallic strip that adjusts the venting rate of the gas regulator. I assumed that the thermostat modulated voltage to this resistor to adjust the firing rate

[Glennhvac]

The ones I work in have a modulating has valve that is operated by a resistor strapped to a bimetallic strip that adjusts the venting rate of the gas regulator. I assumed that the thermostat modulated voltage to this resistor to adjust the firing rate
No. All the Republics I knew used a two stage mercury Honeywell stat. The modulating came from the resister and bimetal. Essentially the longer you called for heat the longer this resister would heat and warp the bimetal.

I have scoured the web and can find little info but the technology was years ahead of anything else. Years! I think in my era and area the next thing that even approached that as far as a whole new concept was the PITA Amana HTM