“Don’t Buy A New Furnace – Before Knowing the Facts!”
5 Insider Tips That Will Prevent You From Getting Ripped Off!
First, Not All Connecticut Heating Contractors Are Alike.
Below are five insider tips that can prevent you from getting ripped off, but read on before skipping to the good stuff.
Your furnace is one of the most expensive appliances you’ll ever buy for your home, due to the intense labor and all of the materials that are necessary for a proper installation.
Furnace manufactures state that your furnace must be installed as per the Local & National Mechanical Safety Codes.
All licensed CT contractors are supposed to follow the Local & National Mechanical Safety Codes. “If they ain’t pullin’ a permit to replace your furnace, you can bet that their not following the safety codes.”
It used to be that these codes were all about safety, but they started mandating efficiency codes as well. WHY? I’ll tell you why. Because consumers were being ripped off by furnace installation companies. Many of these companies were (and still are) taking shortcuts so they can get the job done quickly and charge the homeowner less money, just to land another job. A cheap price is not always the best option.
It is almost impossible to replace a furnace in 2 hours and do the job right (up to code).
And since you’ll be living with your new furnace for the next 15 to 20 years, it only makes sense to avoid such nightmares.
If you’ve been told that you need to replace your furnace, we will happily give you a FREE SECOND OPINION so you will have all the facts. Call: 203-315-0323
Below Are 5 FREE Ways To Avoid Getting Ripped Off.
1. You’ve may have heard this; My Furnace Guy Said I Have To Get A New One.
Many furnaces are replaced that don’t need to be. Why would a deceiving heating contractor condemn a perfectly good furnace? Either to make money or their service technician wasn’t trained properly to fix it.
Many of these furnaces could have been inexpensively fixed compared to the price of a new furnace. The 3 reasons to get your furnace replaced may be: it has a cracked heat exchanger, it is old and inefficient or it’s too expensive to repair. If the repair man tells you that there is a crack in the heat exchanger, ask to see it.
Do you really need a new one? READ ON BEFORE BUYING A NEW FURNACE.
2. What Brand Is The Best For Me?
Furnaces and boilers manufactured today basically all have the same safety features. Similar controls, similar heat exchangers, similar choices of efficiencies, etc. Many of the manufactures buy their parts from the same factory and put their name on it. All furnaces (no matter what brand) should last 12 to 18 years with the proper maintenance. Ok I lied… a furnace can last much longer than that, BUT the cost of keeping that old clunker going can cost more in fuel and repairs than a new high efficient furnace. I have replaced 1000+ furnaces. Many of them were “The Brand” (in their day) and most of them were about the same age. Now, here’s the “dirty little secret” they don’t want you to know. Only about five percent of the satisfaction you’re going to get – is the result of the brand you choose. The other 95% is how well it’s installed. And there are 8 crucial procedures that should be done properly (if not, the brand is irrelevant).
3. Will I Save Money On My Fuel Bills If I Get A New One?
Simply installing a new furnace isn’t going to guarantee better heating and lower energy costs. If the HVAC contractor isn’t careful about checking to see that your ductwork is clean and unclogged, you could be throwing heating dollars out of the window. The installer MUST make the proper size measurements on sheet metal fittings to connect to the new furnace. (Now you tell me how they can do that out of the back of a van or pick-up truck)
If the Sheetmetal fittings are not done properly, air will be leaking all around the furnace or even worse the air can be restricted, causing premature failure of your brand new furnace. That is one of the 8 crucial procedures that should be done properly.
Having a programmable thermostat installed is another way to save money on your fuel bills.
4. How Much Will It Cost For A New One?
“Time to give away the Trade Secrets”
$1,350… High Efficient Furnace
$ 125… Sheet Metal Fittings
$ 50… Condensate Pump & Piping
$ 50… Fuel Piping
$ 75… Smoke Pipe and Fittings (Flue)
$ 30… 4” X 8” X 16” Solid Concrete Blocks
$ 100… Electrical Wiring, Service Switch & Receptacle
$ 25… Fire Safety Switch
$ 60… Digital Thermostat or Digital Programmable Thermostat
$1,000… Installers Labor
($75 per hour for the Licensed Installer and $50 per hour for the helper x 8 hours)
$ 716… 20% Net Profit
$ 398… 10% Sales Commission
$ 80… Installers Incentive if they do a superb job
$ 258… Connecticut Sale Tax (6.35%)
$4,317.00… Total Fair Price Installed
And that’s how we price our jobs.
Some furnace installations may be a bit more, some less depending on the size of the home and ease or difficulty of the installation. If the installers have to work in tight conditions, if your home is larger or you need more ductwork than others then it will be more. If your furnace is in an open basement and/or is easily accessible then it may be less.
Also, you may want to consider other products to improve the air that you breathe in your home, like a humidification system or a good air filtration system. These are what we call accessories or indoor air quality products (IAQ). They run about $500 to $1500 and a little more labor plus a 20% profit on top of that.
We try our hardest to make a 20% net profit so that we can fix our trucks or buy new ones, give incentives, provide health insurance, provide warranty service, give to charity or the community and other things that are important to the individual contractor. BUT it never seems to work out that way. The average furnace contractor earns about 2% net profit or less. And that is why so many go out of business within 5 years. Many Contractors will under-price a job, just to get the job. They are not helping the customer because it will be impossible to find these contractors in 5 years, when things start to break. Some older companies fall into that rut too. They have been in business for so long that they forget to raise their prices or are simply afraid to because they think they will loose customers. Well the problem with that is, you can’t take care of your customers if you are not making money. They will eventually end up in the same boat as those other contractors, WORKING FOR ME!
Well, that’s basically how a good solid HVAC contractor prices their jobs.
My competition is going to hate me when they read this…oh well.
5. How Many Years Is The Warranty?
There are two types of warranties in the furnace business. There is the manufactures warranty and the furnace contractor’s labor warranty. The manufactures warranty covers the equipment and all of the parts in it. The furnace contractor’s warranty covers the labor costs involved in making the repairs to the equipment and any other work that was done, like sheet metal work, electrical wiring, etc.
The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) products have a separate warranty (usually less) than the furnace so be aware of that when purchasing them.
Some companies have a warranty that stops the minute they leave your driveway. Or they will say that they’ll give you a 10 year warranty and POOF, they’re gone in 5 years.
For your own protection, INSIST on a written 100% Money Back Guarantee on the Installation Work.
So You May Not Have To Replace Your Furnace.
You can always call me to get a FREE SECOND OPINION. This way you’ll have all the facts.
Also, there is NO cost or obligation for one of our FREE estimates. Call: 203-315-0323
The post “Cost To Replace A Furnace” 2017 – 2018 appeared first on Air, Inc CT Home Heating and Cooling Blog.
