Furnace replacement service: choosing the firm that installs it

How furnace replacement firms works

1. Check the licence and the insurance first. Ask for the state or local mechanical licence number and the certificate of insurance, and check that both are current. Refrigerant handling is federally regulated work, and a firm that hesitates over either question has answered a different, more important question already.
2. Ask who does the load calculation. A firm that sizes by the plate on the old unit is guessing with your money. Ask whether they perform a room-by-room calculation, whose signature is on it, and whether you can have a copy: the calculation is the document that makes every other number in the quote defensible.
3. Get the scope written line by line. Equipment, labour, ductwork, venting, condensate, electrical, thermostat, permit, inspection, disposal, and commissioning. Three quotes with the same lines can be compared; three totals cannot, and the difference between them is almost always an item one firm listed and another did not.
4. Ask what commissioning includes. A proper handover measures airflow and static pressure, checks the refrigerant charge against the manufacturer's method, verifies combustion and venting on a fuel-burning appliance, and leaves you the readings. A crew that leaves without measuring anything has installed equipment rather than a system.
5. Read the two warranties and the finance. The manufacturer covers parts and the contractor covers labour, and the labour warranty is the one that decides what a failure costs you in year four. Where finance is offered, compare the cash price against the total repayable rather than against the monthly figure.

The average furnace replacement cost, and working with a firm on a claim

On an insurance job the contractor writes an estimate the adjuster reviews, so a firm used to claim work and to itemising in the format adjusters expect will settle faster than one that is not. You choose the contractor, not the insurer, though a carrier may recommend a preferred network. Where the loss also needs restoration, keep the restoration scope and the HVAC scope on separate documents so neither absorbs the other.

Common questions

How many quotes should I get?

Three, on the same written specification and the same load calculation. Fewer leaves you with nothing to compare, and more usually repeats what the first three told you while delaying a decision that is often being made in an unheated house.

Does the brand of equipment matter?

Less than the installation. Major manufacturers build to similar standards at similar tiers, and the differences that show up in a house are sizing, duct condition, airflow, refrigerant charge and commissioning, all of which belong to the installer rather than the factory.

Should I use my insurer's recommended contractor?

You may, and you are not obliged to. A preferred network firm is used to the paperwork, which speeds a claim; an independent firm you chose works only for you. Either way the estimate should be itemised and the work permitted and inspected.

What should a furnace installation service hand over?

The commissioning readings, the model and serial numbers, the registered warranty, the permit and inspection record, and the manuals. If nobody offers them, ask before final payment: that paperwork is what a future contractor and a future buyer of the house will rely on.

How do I choose an HVAC replacement company?

Check the mechanical licence and the certificate of insurance first, ask whether they size from a room-by-room load calculation rather than the old plate, get the scope written line by line, ask what commissioning includes, and read the labour warranty beside the manufacturer's. Compare three firms on the same written specification.

What should an a/c replacement service include?

A load calculation, a scope written line by line, and commissioning with the measured results handed over. A firm that will not put those three in writing is quoting for a box swap rather than a replacement.

Claims data by state

• Water damage claims in Arizona
• Water damage claims in Florida
• Water damage claims in Georgia
• Water damage claims in North Carolina
• Water damage claims in Texas
• Water damage claims in Washington