Don't Buy a Gas Furnace Until you Read This!

Don’t Buy a Gas Furnace Until You Read This! written by Chris Carpenter of Affordable Heating and Air, Santa Rosa CA

Have you been told it’s time to replace that old gas furnace? Maybe your furnace is old and you just want to see if you need a new one. Whatever the reason, any reason, give me a call and we will take a look at your old gas furnace. Don’t buy a new unit until you have read this!

“You don’t need a new furnace right now, ma’am!”

I once fielded a call from a frantic lady who was told she needed a new furnace, at a cost of a few thousand dollars. She had only $412 in the bank. So I went to look at her old unit and check out her entire heating system. Well, her unit was not in the best of shape. It needed a few minor repairs which I took care of. Her bigger problems was with her clogged up and loose duct work and registers. She was losing too much warm air to that. A total check of her present system was done and everything was fixed for a few hundred dollars. We bought her a few more years on the old furnace.

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Related articles: Top 5 Furnace Troubleshooting Tips 3 Things to Do to Get Ready for Winter

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Don’t Get Ripped Off – Know The Facts

Before you just decide to buy a new furnace let’s take a look at a few things you have probably been told about your situation. Many years in the business have taught me a few things, well, many things, and I will share some of these with you now.

·         “It’s just time for a new one” – Don’t just take the contractor’s word for it. Many times a furnace can be repaired for a little money with the proper knowledge and know-how. Why would a company tell you this? Just to try to make money off of you or maybe their technician can’t fix your unit.

·         “We have just the brand you need” – And that brand … just happens to be the one the service company is selling. All furnaces have similar safety features, controls, efficiency and heat exchangers. So only a small percentage of your satisfaction (say 5%) is going to come from the brand. The rest comes for the guy who installed it.

·         “You will save money with a new unit” – That may or may not be true. The better question is “Are you saving all the money you should be saving?” Just sticking a new gas furnace in your home does not guarantee savings. A good technician will check your duct work along with your furnace. They will take a look at your entire heating system. Even with a new unit you could be throwing dollars out the window.

·         “This furnace has a great warranty!” – Forget about the warranty on the furnace for the most part. Any reputable manufacturer is going to stand behind their product if something goes wrong. Worry more about the warranty you get from the guy who installed your gas furnace and did any sheet metal or electrical work. Are they going to stand behind their work?

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Related article: Energy Efficiency and the Thermal Imaging Camera That Could

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Your Gas Furnace – Get Competent Help

Maybe you do need a gas furnace. Before you go out and buy one though, let’s look at your old system and see exactly how it looks. That lady in the first part of the story eventually needed a new furnace. Who do you think she bought it from? Give me a call at 707-953-3345 and I will give you best recommendations on what to do with your gas furnace.

For more helpful information, please come visit the blog at ourAffordable Heating and Air website.