heater guy says replace furnace/AC - Page 2

> JRStern wrote:
> ...

>> Can't someone just screw on a piece of sheet metal or something?

> ...
> Yes, that's what they were concerned about.
> Absolutely not. You're talking letting combustion gas products into
> the living space here--CO poisoning, iow. Life or death matter, not
> simply a few bucks.

>

>> ransley wrote:
>> ...

>>> They make more money replacing units, you got a dishonest tech.

>> Maybe, but certainly not necessarily.
>> Symptom can be sign of exchanger leak. I would have expected them to
>> have lit and done some testing for combustion gases first, though.

>
> They did some kind of a "smoke test" with a lighter and a piece of
> paper, seemed very concerned that the pilot was getting sucked to one
> side.
>
> Seemed curious to me, for all I knew that was normal.
>
>
> But then, they had removed the front panel of the unit, and it (too
> late!) occured to me it was acting differently that way, compared to
> how it was with the panel on - it only lit for a second or two with
> the panel removed, I suppose the pilot was more stable while the unit
> was still closed.
>
> I saw in another company's yellow page ad something about a "fire box
> cracked?", which is I guess what these repair guys were concerned
> about. They said it could be repaired - but would require hauling the
> unit out of the cellar and down to the shop, so presumably would be
> expensive anyway, if they can still get the parts for a 25 year old
> Carrier unit.
>
> Can't someone just screw on a piece of sheet metal or something?
>
> (I know, in this here modern age, nothing is repaired, everything is
> replaced, and nothing is *patched*!)
>
>
> I gather the air conditioning efficiency savings might be on the order
> of a hundred bucks a month or more? It's not the hottest part of LA,
> but it probably runs the air for at least a couple of hours, maybe six
> months a year, and does the whole house, not zoned.
>
> (and actually I was thinking all summer it probably needed a service
> call for the air anyway - and probably uses Freon we can't get anymore
> either!)
>
> So, I'll ask again about one other salient point - is $10k a
> reasonable price for the job?
>
> (If this old receipt is accurate, it cost nearly that much to install
> 25 years ago, which would make $10k today seem pretty reasonable!)
>
> Josh
>
>
> ps - they install "American Standard" products, which seemed to get a
> reasonable repair rating in Consumers Reports, fwiw.
>
>

> I'm with you. I think gas is cheaper.
> --
> Christopher A. Young
> Learn more about Jesus
> =A0www.lds.org
> .
> Two years ago, I replaced forced air, oil furnace for less
> than half
> what you have been quoted. =A0Got a top of the line furnace
> and I'm not
> certain but I think gas furnaces are somewhat cheaper than
> oil.

>Two years ago, I replaced forced air, oil furnace for less than half
>what you have been quoted. Got a top of the line furnace and I'm not
>certain but I think gas furnaces are somewhat cheaper than oil.