Average price for new furnace install (Cincinnati, Blue Ash: crawl space, transfer, buying)

[kjbrill]

You have to recognize the number of HVAC and furnace manufactuers have decreased considerably in recent years, consistent with the overall drop in manufacturing in the US.

A few years ago, I needed to replace my AC, which had failed, and also recognized the gas furnace was old and very inefficient. I have a friend who is in the HVAC commercial business and he recommended I consider a Westinghouse system. He gave me the name of a contractor he used.

To make a long story short, I had them replace my system. As luck would have it, there were several problems with the AC, as it lost its complete refrigerant charge over the first 3 wnters. In addition, they had installed the wrong indoor AC coil, a Freon coil vs what I had purchased, a Puron coil for higher efficiency. After they corrected this, I got a letter saying they could no longer honor my warranty.

Of course, this mde me upset, and I immediately went to the local Westinghouss distributor. They did alright by me.

One caution, the brand names you remember and respect may not any longer be associated with individual, independent companies. The brand I selected,Westinghouse, no longer has anything to do with Westinghouse Electric, if they even exist today. Look up (Google) the name Nordyne. From their home page you can see they have obtained the rights to at least a dozen recognizable HVAC and furnace brands from the past. There is nothing inherently wrong in this, but you may have to wonder why they tread on the old names, rather than proclaiming We are Nordyne, and these are the brands we have acquired/assumed because we are better.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

One caution, the brand names you remember and respect may not any longer be associated with individual, independent companies. The brand I selected,Westinghouse, no longer has anything to do with Westinghouse Electric, if they even exist today. Look up (Google) the name Nordyne. From their home page you can see they have obtained the rights to at least a dozen recognizable HVAC and furnace brands from the past. There is nothing inherently wrong in this, but you may have to wonder why they tread on the old names, rather than proclaiming We are Nordyne, and these are the brands we have acquired/assumed because we are better.

Take apart some of the HVAC units piece by piece and you will find that the same manufacturers make 75+% of the parts NO MATTER what brand you buy. It is getting pretty similar to PCs in that respect.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Take apart some of the HVAC units piece by piece and you will find that the same manufacturers make 75+% of the parts NO MATTER what brand you buy. It is getting pretty similar to PCs in that respect.

I totally agree. To me there are two major factors: (1) The warranty, how many years at 100% both parts and labor. (2) The reputation of the dealer/installer you contract with. Ask all of your friends and neighbors whether they have dealt with them and what was the result.

[charliesue]

I had a quote of $5,3,00 on a 54,000 BTU circulating hot water furnace. Is this greatly out of line?

[Bewisehm]

I"m finding it difficult in finding a contractor willing to install internet purchased hvac in the Cincinnati area. Pricing of equipment is much less on the internet, but there seems a reluctance to install them. Any leads are appreciated - Thanks

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Bewisehm

I"m finding it difficult in finding a contractor willing to install internet purchased hvac in the Cincinnati area. Pricing of equipment is much less on the internet, but there seems a reluctance to install them. Any leads are appreciated - Thanks

Well, most HVAC folks purchase supplies from places that sell exclusively to licensed contractors at a good discount from retail. Thus, most HVAC contractors are making money on equipment and parts.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Well, most HVAC folks purchase supplies from places that sell exclusively to licensed contractors at a good discount from retail. Thus, most HVAC contractors are making money on equipment and parts.

I definitely agree. HVAC contractors make a good percentage on the equipment they sell to you. Also, please recognize what you buy on the internet comes with little or any warranty.

Also beware of what any dealer proposes to you. Many will just go with the cheapest product. It is also affected by whether you just want a furnance or a furnace plus central air. The furnace is the cheapest component. You can probably get just a good quality furnace for under $3,000. But a high efficiency furnace plus high efficiency central air is likely to run about $7,000 or higher. If it is a large house, maybe considerably higher.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Bewisehm

I"m finding it difficult in finding a contractor willing to install internet purchased hvac in the Cincinnati area. Pricing of equipment is much less on the internet, but there seems a reluctance to install them. Any leads are appreciated - Thanks

They are not willing to accept the liability of installing HVAC equipment that they are 1) unfamiliar with and 2) have no sense of it origin.

Personally, with as much LOOTING as there has been of vacant properties, I would be afraid that an internet purchased HVAC system was stolen.

Most of the contractors that I have used have been very reasonable on the equipment they have provided.

I would make a recommendation BUT I do not know of any of my friends who would even consider it.

[kjbrill]

As I remarked previously, I had quite a few problems with my high efficiency replacement system, specifically the air conditioner which kept losing its puron charge. To their credit, the installer kept coming out and recharging the unit, checking for leaks, etc. By the beginning of the 3rd summer when it was still empty I contacted the owner and he came out personally. That is when he recognized the wrong indoor coil had been installed. He was able to get the correct coil from the local warehouse and they swapped them out that afternoon. It was a few weeks later I got a letter from them stating they could no longer honor my warranty since Westinghouse said it was not properly registered. So I got the name of the local Westinghouse distributor from my casual friend who manages HVAC installations and maintenance for a large local apartment complex outfit.

I began my barrage of emails to the local Westinghouse distributor relating the circumstances and asking what was going on. I finally got the response my original installer was not a factory authorized Westinghouse dealer. I responded that was their problem not mine as they had willingly sold them the equipment, and if I did not receive confirmation my warranty would be honored the next emails would be directed to the manufacturer Nordyne. I got a response indicating my warranty would be honored and they were referring me to a local HVAC dealer here in Mason who is their largest Westinghouse installer in Greater Cincinnati to check the system out. I was aware of this dealer as I had obtained quotes from them when I bought the replacement system. But they kept trying to talk me into lower efficiency equipment which I was convinced I did not want. I guess they thought I would not spend the money.

They came out, checked out the system, and said it appeared fine. Since then, I have maintained an annual service agreement with them whereby they check out the furnace in the fall and the air conditioner in the spring. Any defects would still be covered by my original 8-year parts and labor warranty. I believe you can get even longer warranties today. So far it is running like a top.

The system I installed then is a 92% efficiency gas furnace and a 16 seer A/C unit. I knew this qualified for the energy tax credit. Also, the operating expense dropped considerably. BTW, the old system I replaced was a Williamson, also built like a tank and still running. But I knew it was horribly inefficient and costing me money. I had waiting previously far too many years to install high efficiency replacement windows in the house, also costing me a lot of money as well as comfort.

Another comment, modern high efficiency furnaces are equipped with variable speed, high volume blowers. They are quite high speed and we can hear ours rev up since the unit is below the family room. I leave the blower setting on the thermostat to a constant ON. While the blower is constantly running it throttles down to a lower speed until the furnace or A/C unit goes into actual cycle. Even with our original ductwork the two-story house is much more uniform in temperature distribution than previously.

[Ohioan58]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

They are not willing to accept the liability of installing HVAC equipment that they are 1) unfamiliar with and 2) have no sense of it origin.

Personally, with as much LOOTING as there has been of vacant properties, I would be afraid that an internet purchased HVAC system was stolen.

Most of the contractors that I have used have been very reasonable on the equipment they have provided.

I would make a recommendation BUT I do not know of any of my friends who would even consider it.

Assuming that the installer is going to assume that an internet purchased HVAC system was looted is paranoiac. We can assume that the poster with the system to install has sales receipts.

I invite the poster to PM me. I use an independent heating guy who operates in the Warren county area who is quite mercantile and he will probably do it.

Having said that, when we got a heat pump installed by this guy (made by Westinghouse), he went through two units that he had to return because they were defective. We're talking heat pump units that are about four feet tall and a couple of feet on a side. If this sort of thing comes up with the poster who has the internet purchased equipment, that is probably going to be nearly impossible with merchandise purchased through a third party. The guy will be sitting on an HVAC labor bill + defective product that he will have to return himself at high cost.

I'd say that the failure rate of this equipment, and NOT the supposed shadiness of any equipment, is the main reason you want to let the heating/cooling contractor deal with the equipment wholesaler directly. He's set up to deal with equipment returns.