I think I need a new furnace

[pretendastronaut]

Just under a month ago, we needed some service on our furnace and the man who worked on it warned me this would probably be the last winter it would survive, and maybe not even through the winter. I didn't have much choice but to hope for the best for the winter, but I think I just ran out of that hope.

 

I noticed early this morning the furnace came on 3 times in less than 30 minutes. The second time I felt the air and it wasn't very warm, but the third time it was. After work I noticed the same thing, but as the night has gone on tonight the temperature in the house is slowly going down, even as the furnace kicks on.

 

This is the first time I've ever had to replace something like a furnace. Any suggestions? What should I be looking for? Companies? Odds I can get this financed with crappy credit?

[Houlie24x]

I would imagine getting financed would be pretty easy for something like a furnace since it is necessary to survive in WI. There were a lot of tax credit deals going on, but I'm not sure if they have expired now that we are in a new year. If you are in the West Bend area, I would recommend calling Jackson Hardware and Heating on Hwy P in Jackson. I know the owner and he is a very honest guy.

[pretendastronaut]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Of course the tax credit just ended last week, which I knew, but had no real choice but to chance it.

 

However, it had to be installed by then, so from the time I found out about the possibility of needing a new furnace, my odds of getting all of that done was probably about impossible anyway. My neighbor got new windows to cash in on the tax credit and it took them almost two months to be able to get to her they were so backed up.

[Invader3K]

How old is your furnace? If more than 20 years, yeah, it's probably on it's last legs.

 

We had a Lennox unit installed about a year and a half ago and it's been great. Our previous furnace was over 20 years old, and the casters inside kept rusting up due to a build up in condensation. I believe we paid a little over three grand for it, but there was a tax credit (can't remember how much though). Any dealer should be tell you about any tax credits or rebates going on (if any right now).

[Patrick425]

Our Furnace went out last year about this time. It was actually on New Years Day. They came out that day to take a look at it. The next day they were back with a new furnace. We used One-Hour heating (they get pretty good reviews on Angie's list).

 

It stinks, but one of those things you have to be prepared for as a home owner. We used a home equity line of credit to partially help pay for it.

[sgtcluels]

It might just be the ignitor coil that went bad. If it turns on, then shuts off a little later it's because it didn't detect a flame.

 

We replaced our furnace 2 months ago, Carrier Performance 96 from Seider. Pretty happy with the results.

[colbyjack]

If money is an issue, look for some on Craig's List or some other method. Due to the energy credit, a lot of people replaced furnaces in the past few years that didn't necessarily need to. You may even be able to call some heating/cooling contractors to see if they have any deals. I worked with a plumber a few years ago that gave me a great deal on a water heater when he bought a bunch of them (I guess way too many) at a really good price.

 

Most contractors that I've dealt with seem to be connected to a certain brand. I have a Lennox high efficiency, no issues at all with it, although I wouldn't expect to after 2 years. If you're not aware, high efficiency furnaces vent out the side of your house, as opposed to the chimney. You can get a small energy credit for capping your chimney as long as nothing else is being exhausted out of it.

 

I have used Droegkamp for about 10 years with very good service and prices. You could probably save some money by shopping around and buying the furnace on your own and hiring an independent plumber to install it.

 

When you do get a new one, you may want to get in the habit of getting your furnace cleaned every 2-3 years. They usually suggest once a year, but that seems unnecessary tome. You can usually find a coupon in the paper/coupon fliers to have this done.

 

Good luck.

[fondybrewfan]

I got a Carrier installed in December for about $2,750 and couldn't be happier. It is extremely quiet; plus the real price will be less than $2,000 once I get my tax credit this spring.

[pretendastronaut]

Thanks for the info from everyone. Finally needed to replace the furnace this week, and it is being installed right now. I ended up going with Gross, who had installed the original furnace in this property 20 years ago. Met with several companies and they still came out on top and treated me well from the get go. Fortunately I met with enough companies to recognize the one who was trying to take advantage of me.

 

It turned out my furnace qualified for a $975 trade in allowance, which is reimbursed to the dealer, not to me, so it just comes off my bill. All but one dealer I talked to told me about this yesterday. Oddly enough, that dealer's cost were about $400 less than all the other quotes I had. Seems to me he was hoping to quietly pocket $575. And that's just the most egregious thing that company did, to say nothing of how they tried to tell me a higher-end model was a mid-range model, and that their quote for an AC unit, while the same as everyone else's for a mid-range cost wise, was a lower-end model if you looked at the specs.