quote:

Not busy because they are robbers!!

Even they are busy now.

We just replaced ours last year.

Was $2800 OTD.

We just did a new direct low efficiency replacement (80%) for the one we were replacing.

80% 60k BTU S8B1B60 Furnace. Home is about 1,300 square feet.

If we went up to a new S9V2B040 96% high efficiency 2 stage, it would have been around $5.5k installed.

A mid line S9X1B040 95% 1 stage would have been $3760 installed.

These are all for Gas, American Standard Furnaces. Retained existing thermostat, filter housing and A/C.

quote:

The other ones I've contacted say they are 2 to 4 weeks out,

Around here a new install would be significantly longer than that. If done on a emergency basis you pay through the nose. They are tied up doing heat repairs.

I scheduled to have a 20 year old boiler replaced. Works fine but I want it done before any major issues come up.

Quoting costs is really meaningless as there are too many variables. This is my standard HVAC guy and they have a large staff of people in three locations. Last guy was good but he was a one man operation. A emergency when he was on vacation meant you were screwed.

quote:

Originally posted by Cookster:
In early Nov. I had my gas furnace and AC replaced with a 3.5 ton 16 seer / 90K btu 2-stage Amana system for ~$8,500.

GREAT warranty!

Happy so far.

A little over a year ago I got an American Standard split system 3.5 ton 16 SEER AC/Heater installed for $7,100.00

Sounds high for a simple unit replacement, however living in FL I think we've turned on the heating element 4 or 5 times in 30 years so what the heck do we know LOL.

Providing it's just an simple unit swap it may be high, then again prices for everything are high now, nobody discounts, rebates are few and far between since demand is outpacing supply.

You know that old economic theorem of supply and demand, capitalism etc.

Have to agree, even if it's a week or so out and you can handle it without big issues, get competing quotes, at least two so you know if you're in the market price for your area.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out..
Be interesting to see the results.

HVAC companies are right up there with car stealerships. You need a car or else you can't get to work? Pay up. You want to heat your house in the middle of winter? Pay up.

10 years ago this month I had to replace the oil boiler. Back then oil was $400+ a barrel so I decided to go with a tankless propane system. Install cost back then was $9700 and that's because they had to redo all the piping to fit the existing zones to a wall mounted unit. Had I just replaced the oil boiler with another it would have been about $3500 IIRC.

On a side note, since then my "maintenance free" propane system has been anything but. After the 2 year parts warranty expired I've been getting hit with 2000 hour services, flushing, 3 way valves failing, mixing valves failing, water sensors failing, etc. all to the tune of at least $500+ each time every 1-2 years like clockwork. Combined with the fact that propane costs more than oil (per BTU) the 98% efficiency of my new unit still costs more than the 80% efficiency of the old oil boiler.

They say timing in life is everything and I really wish my boiler didn't crap out when oil was so high because replacing it for $3500 would have saved me a lot of time, money and aggravation.

Be sure to understand what type of warranty comes with each of the quotes you receive. If I had paid closer attention I would have found a manufacturer who had a better warranty than just 2 years on parts (they kept referencing the 12 year warranty on the heat exchanger).

I just had Mother's heat pump replaced. The old was an Amana. A local HVAC company with Lenox replaced it for $7000+. The Lenox people I have known for years. High school classmates of mine. They did commercial work for me at a public facility. Their kids went to school with my kids. I trust them.

Not in your neck of the woods, but just had our downstairs ac/furnace replaced. Trane; 5 ton single stage ac (16 SEER), 2 stage furnace. New footing for outdoor unit. Also added an air return upstairs because the current setup was lacking in volume. And they threw in a free water heater, installed, because they apparently get extra from the manufacturer and have leftovers at the end of the year. Took 2 guys just about 6 hours, very professional job left no trace they were even here. All for $9900 out the door.

They were the 2nd company I contacted, first one wanted $12,700 for same getup and without the water heater. So definitely pays, or saves, to shop around!

Okay, here's the update. Our current furnace is an 80% efficiency single stage non-variable speed unit and we are getting a 92% 2 stage variable speed unit. That means new venting and it turns out that some of the duct work needs to be redone. A new thermostat is needed as well. They figure a full day for two techs. The sales guy said we were lucky because they gave us the slot because of an order cancellation and the furnace and other parts needed were available.

I called 2 other company's in the area and as I stated earlier they are out weeks. I asked if our cost sounded reasonable and one wouldn't say and the other one said it didn't sound unreasonable to him and that the cost of everything is up 20-30% since the covid era started.

After all was said and done I will pay the $8,600 and be happy we don't have to be in the cold for any longer than a week. It could have been worse. I'm a pragmatist and understand that there are times that you just need to suck it up and resign yourself to some realities.

I have to say thanks to all that responded to this thread and a special thanks to Para for personally getting involved. I had a total of 3 members email me with offers to help. There aren't enough words to say just how special this place is.

Thanks again,

Jim

I am glad your all set I am looking down the same path

I’ve bought 6 in the past 2 years, the last two were both 3 ton gas units. One was 4,700 to other was 5,200. Just the unit was changed, nothing done to the duct work.

OP:

I don’t think that quote is unreasonable given your update.

We paid $12,000 in 2018 for a new Lennox heater/AC and new water heater. New gas piping and new PVC vent piping but using existing ductwork.

My friend just had almost the same system put in minus the water heater 3 weeks ago and he paid $15,000

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
OP:

I don’t think that quote is unreasonable given your update.

We paid $12,000 in 2018 for a new Lennox heater/AC and new water heater. New gas piping and new PVC vent piping but using existing ductwork.

My friend just had almost the same system put in minus the water heater 3 weeks ago and he paid $15,000

And that was before the covid insanity. I'm no longer surprised by the cost of anything today when there are so many excuses due to the 'world wide pandemic'.

Jim

Heat Pump/Elec furnace. 2 ton. $5600.00. Agree with the don't go with the one man shop. Other companies will refuse to work on it for the first year and you be SOL

quote:

Originally posted by oldbill123:
Heat Pump/Elec furnace. 2 ton. $5600.00. Agree with the don't go with the one man shop. Other companies will refuse to work on it for the first year and you be SOL

HP w/ electric heat vs furnace install...

One man shops are normally some of the best installs you'll ever come across.
Someone who wants to stay in business vs some employee who is there for a paycheck. And wants to be done by 5 so they can go home, no matter if the job is done correctly or not. Afterall, it's not coming out of the employee's pocket book when the company has to go back to straighten something out.

Other companies will refuse to due warranty work (manufacturer's do not pay for warranty work).
They will be happy to service/repair/replace what Billy Joe Bob 'the plumber' screwed up for a cost. Why would they want to turn away money?

quote:

And that was before the covid insanity. I'm no longer surprised by the cost of anything today when there are so many excuses due to the 'world wide pandemic'.

And this is exactly why I will not contribute to this non sense.

I hope you get a good job Jim. I understand your position. Good luck

This one comes with a 10 year parts and labor warranty.

Jim[/QUOTE]

Not bad, on the warranty, and getting a two stage is a good expense. That’s what ours is, and I think ours is 95% efficiency as well. Getting some extra work done too for that price is reasonable, especially in this time when things are so hard to find and prices keep increasing. We are grateful we did ours when we did, would most likely be higher cost now.
Good luck, hope you can feel the difference once all is done.

I am in agreement with the previous posts of obtaining a couple additional estimates.
I am finishing up a small "Tiny" home build. Attempting to find a qualified gas tech was extremely difficult.
There seems to be few young people going into the trades and the price of materials has skyrocketed.
I did the duct work in an attempt to save a bit of money.
Best of luck with your furnace install.

All of my initial concerns would have been eliminated if the rookie salesman would have provided more detail from the get go. I'm partly responsible for not asking more questions, but I know absolutely nothing about furnaces. I do now.

Jim