Why Does My Furnace Need To Be Inspected To Give Me An Estimate?

Why Does My Furnace Need To Be Inspected To Give Me An Estimate?

The question above is one we get a few dozen times per week during the winter. It’s a question as homeowners we can understand — not wanting to have more sales people in your home — but as a heating and cooling company must be consistent about our answer. We must have a site visit before providing an estimate to replace your furnace because each installation is unique, and thus requires a custom estimate to meet its demands.

Some of the variables we must consider that have an impact on the installation:

– Sizing of the system. Is your current system the right size? What will the load calculation determine it to be? Can we trust another company that’s come out to have done the sizing correct?

– Efficiency of the system. Has another company talked to you about the costs and benefits of a higher efficiency system. And, even if you’re sold on that, we need to determine what construction is required to retrofit and high efficiency system where only a standard efficiency system has been in place. This requires both exhausting combustion air through PVC, which will likely demand taking the PVC through a side wall or a roof. How long is that distance? How many walls will it go through? These systems also create condensation which must be drained. How far is the drain from the system? Do we need a condensate pump?

– Positioning of the system. We need to know whether your system is an upflow or downflow to determine the length of time it will take to put your new furnace in. If it’s sitting on a riser box, is that box still capable of holding a potentially heavier system, or does that need to be replaced?

– Space restrictions. Installing a furnace in a wide open garage is a much different project than in a cramped closet. Our technicians need to know what they’re getting into before hand, so that they can prepare accordingly.

These are just a few of the considerations, none of which have anything to do with selling. With an investment of thousands of dollars, we want to make sure our customers are getting our most precise estimate based upon their precise demands for the job.

So, if you call and want an estimate over the phone from Homesense, don’t be surprised if our answer is no. If you want a company who wants to serve you for life, and does projects the right way, give us a call 317-203-8149.