Here are the facts.
My furnace is on the fritz and needs to be replaced
I just moved into my home about 6 months ago.
I have a home warranty (:mad: A topic unto itself)
I had an independent HVAC guy come out today (I’ve used him before and I trust him)
He quoted me a price of either $2000 installed, or $3100 installed depending upon which Carrier model of furnace I choose. (58STA/STX or Infinity 80 series)
The home warranty people can put a Payne furnace in or give me that money to use my own home install guy.
So I’ve learned that Payne is the bottom rung of the furnace latter, and it might be in my best interest to pay for a better furnace since I’m going to live in the house for several years.
Home Warranty says they can install the above mentioned Payne furnace for:
$300 LABOR/INSTALL (ORHP PROVIDING)
$350 3 TON 70K BTU FURNACE
So basically if I wanted to go it alone they would pay me only $650!
So, am I wrong to think that’s quite a huge price disparity? Let me put this another way. I like my current furnace guy. Furthermore, as I said earlier, I trust him. I’m basically looking for a way to justify the difference in cost. Can any of you educate me?
Hmmm. Well yes, you’ve confirmed that there is a disparity, but you’ve also confirmed that $2000 - $3100 isn’t price gouging. To add on to my OP; does anyone know of anywhere I can price furnaces online? Everyone wants to provide a free in home estimate
Just to add another data point, I’ve recently got quotes from two vendors to put in an AC/furnace system in my basement (roughly 1000 sq. ft.). The prices ranged from $3,800 to $5,000 for moderate systems. This price included adding ductwork, but in my basement that’s a pretty straightforward job, and the system would be centrally located.
It’s definitely worth it to go for a getter brand, and there is some difference of opinion about which is best. Carrier is usually mentioned up there somewhere, though I like to stick with Trane.
I’d be more concerned that your home warranty is written so that you get the cheapest available replacement. It was little things like the one mentioned in your post that prompted my wife and I to self-insure on that stuff. It just felt like a ripoff, and we were happier once we started socking that money away ourselves.
Are there any specifics in your contract that state he can get away with a cheap-ass replacement? I wouldn’t bother with his furnace. Take the money and put it toward a good one. We have a Carrier, but had a Trane before, and both are good.
Lab,
You hit the nail on the head.
After hours on the phone with various contractors for ball-park estimates, and with the home warranty people I found out the following info:
When you mention Home Warranty to any HVAC contractor the response is universal: :rolleyes: and :dubious: Every one of them also said to watch out for hidden costs, and sub par work too.
These particular Home Warranty people will ONLY allow for absolutely one single type of unit to be installed. I asked if I could have THEIR in-network people install a higher grade furnace of my choosing. Nope. Anything other that what they say to install requires me to file for reimbursement.
I’m going to be living in this house possibly until I die (hopefully a long time from now), so I’m just going to bite the bullet and put in a unit I’m happy with.
I just had to replace my furnace - we went with a company that has a venerable history here in The Cities and they installed a Bryant furnace. The 93% efficient version set us back about $5500, installation and all (we also added a humidifier, which added to the cost). It’s only been a month or so, but I’m happy with it.
Good for you. I can’t think of a single instance where we didn’t take the cash from our home warranty folks.
Now, go take a hard look at the rest of your appliances, and put together a cost/benefit analysis of your warranty. It may be better to avoid getting your blood pressure up every time something breaks. We just put together an appliance/emergency fund for the house that would cover any breakages.
They’re coming tomorrow.
It’s a great load off my mind.
As far as a cost / benefit analysis of the warranty. There isn’t one; as I would never pay a red cent for a home warranty. It was thrown as part of our house closing. I’ve never found one yet that’s worth a shit.
