Furance Service/Repair

TheAnswera

Hi, does anyone have any suggestions on a good furance service/repair company?

Thanks

tapioca

sears do furnace repair and maintanence. I don't know if it is expensive when comparing with other companies, but at least it needs to keep it's reputation.

pkphilip

I had Flame Heating replaced my furnace before tax season to take advantage of the reno credit.

They are fast, and the inspection person just took a 5 min "look", not check and approved it.

Philip

Quest

I'd had enough of those subcontractor through sears and frankly, I'm not impressed.

To oP: if your furnace is over 30+yrs old (single stage natural gas furnace heater), you should seriously consider replacing it. This is simply due to the fact that the heat exchanger maybe on it's way out (they all come with a predefined service life and 20yrs is about the most service it can provide before they develop holes/cracks and leak CO into the house).

Too bad it's illegal to get a single stage furnace since Jan 1st, 2010 (federal gvt mandate) for they would be typically cheaper than that of a 2-stage (bare-minimum, legal) which now typically costs anywhere between 3200CAD to approx 5500CAD (with labour incl.).

I took advantage of the federal ecoEnergy program.+ provincial govt energy retrofit program, Terasan gas rebate, Home Depot rebate, etc. (totalled 2K back) to get a Traine XV95 2-stage variable speed motor and I cannot be more happier.

Quest-TD

TheAnswera

Thanks for the replies guys much appreciated

I've considered replacing my furnace too since it is making a very loud noise once in a while.  My furnace is about 17 years old and I read on the web that most furnace can last anywhere from 20 to 30 years.  I'm tried to repair it last year but the technician couldn't find any problem.

Quest: do you have any more info about the rebates?  All I can find is the livesmartbc rebate which is only about $600.  If I could get 2k rebate, i'll just replace my furnace.  Thanks!!

cherrio

my furnace is about 35 years old, I am thinking to replace it before winter comes. i find the Terasan gas rebate is around $1,000. but I couldn't find the other rebate infor. could you provide more details? thanks

Quest

If you get your furnace from reputable (remember, the word is "reputable") sellers, shops or servicemen, they should be able to provide you with the most current list of rebates available for you to claim.

Federal ecoEnergy retrofit rebate already closed  for stage 1 (initiation for energy audit). Stage 2 is to be officially come to a close in MAr, 2011.

Got my federal ecoEnergy rebate cheque a month ago.

Terasan gas rebate was to file it through your installer (need info such as jobber's license #, model #, copy of your work order/receipt, etc.) and rebates it through gas billing credit. I got mine during Mar, 2010 for 250CAD, so that's good enough for 2mnths of free gas for my family.

I got the rest of my rebates through manufacturer (Trane) which makes up to 2K in total.

Provincially, I think LiveSmartBC still has some rebate programs for you to file claim for so you better hurry:

http://www.terasengas.com/Homes/Offers/LiveSmartBC.htm

BTW: I researched this topic (to replace our 70s Airco 1-stage furnace which is only approx. 63% efficient) for 3mnths, and lost the opportunity for getting the older (expired when I committed to the program) LiveSmartBC rebate program, which rebates (just this program alone) over 1850CAD back....but that was 1.5yrs ago and many furnace manufacturers came with their own incentives/rebates also.

Lastly: 3 things in mind:

(1) when talking to estimator/installer, ask to see if all the labours included (2-stage requires drilling holes and running additional intake/exhaust pipings and such. Large installer/contractor usually gives you that guarantee.

(2) make sure that the estimator is capable of making proper estimates of your need based on the # of vents and the size of your air ducts. My colleague has an issue where because of the lacking of this part(proper sizing based on your airduct count, duct size, etc.) he's furnace is now making more air rush noise than mine...

(3) check to see if your installer obliged to install with a permit (they usually file that through your area's city hall beforehand). Some shady installer/contractor will cut corners by not filing for a permit before the work begins. If something happens down the road which lead to your insurance filing and if your insurance company finds out that you don't have a permit issued from your city hall to get that furnace work done, you won't get compensated.

(I got all the permits for both furnace and hot water heater (natural gas)) for the house.

Q.

cherrio

Thank you so much!!!

DO you mind PM me your estimator/contractor's information?

TheAnswera

Thanks Quest!!! Very useful information!!!
Would you mind pm your estimators/contractors info to me as well?

pkphilip

Old furnace needs to be checked annuall for gas leaks, mine was doing that for a few years until it was at a "dangerous" level and had it replaced with a more energy efficient one.

Philip