Technical > Home Improvement > Furnace inspection and tune-up: Worth it?

reply to TheSMJ

Re: Furnace inspection and tune-up: Worth it?

He mentioned it because the AC was about as old as the furnace. I didn't pay for an AC tune up, so he never looked at it.

Anyways, I've been trying to get the model number of the furnace but I've been having one hell of a time finding it. The brand is Carrier, but there is no mention of the model number anywhere, including the label on the maintenance panel.

Post a pic of the furnace and we may be able to direct you where to look.

If you take off the upper panel you will probably find the info inside. It looks like those panels just lift and then come off. If you don't find it behind the upper panel, then check the lower but my experience is that it will be behind the upper, probably on the side of the cabinet.

reply to TheSMJ

BBB is definitely a huge scam. AL, is slightly scammy. The AL scam is more on contractors than customers.

I have an A+/A rating on both, BTW.

BBB is just an outright scam. You can "buy" a better rating on the BBB. Anybody who says otherwise is part of the scam.
Example: If you don't accept a sales call from the BBB, they will knock you down a letter.

Angie's List scams customers by telling them no one can pay to be on AL. That's only true in the most technical sense. A customer has to leave a review for your company to be "on the list". Once they do, AL will call your business several times a week trying to get you to pay for AL advertising.
I did it, and it was disastrous. My AL referrals actually decreased when I paid for AL advertising - and it's not cheap either. Never again.
So Angie's List also scams businesses by selling them advertising that doesn't work.

I will say this: from a customer perspective, AL is more likely to be a true litmus test of a businesses reputation.

If a guy has 99 "A" or "B" ratings and 1 or 2 "C", "D", or "F" ratings, you can probably safely assume they are reputable company. There will always be wack-os who will never be satisfied. Fortunately they are few and far between.

From a contractors perspective, I've seen cases on AL where "customers" left bad reviews for guys, and these people weren't even their "customers". They would have to go through hell and high water to get them removed.
A lot of times, it was just because they didn't like the bid the guy gave them.
I've gone out to bid work many times and had to tell people I'm "not interested", or bid it uber-high to let some other desperate soul have the job.
--
If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

reply to TheSMJ
Did he red tag it ?
Get a CO2 detector installed in your house.

No, he did not "red tag" it.

And yes, I did install a CO detector in the basement.

reply to TheSMJ
If your AC is working, just get the heat exchanger replaced.
If you decide to replace the furnace, you will have to replace the AC, since they use the newer refrigerant. You don't HAVE to, the newer AC's are more efficient and are designed to work with the new furnace.
The new Carriers have some issues with glue plugging the little drainage hole on the plastic inducer housing pan, and heard of issues with the little electronic board inside the variable speed motor burning up.
My installer said expect 15 years of life in a clean environment. He said furnaces installed in basements with a laundry room where the furnace used intake air from the interior instead of outside air didn't last more than 5 years because laundry bleach fumes would chemically react with the interior of the heat exchanger.

reply to TheSMJ

reply to TheSMJ
You know what kills me the most about these tune-ups?

The capacitor replacement scam. Had a local joint come out once to do a heat check up a few years ago.

"Your run capacitor is weak, but can get by". I ask how much to replace. $125.

No thanks.

Then, in the spring, the A/C cleaning guy drops by. He wants to replace the run capacitor in the air handler and the outside compressor. AND install a hard start kit on the compressor.

To change the run capacitor and install a hard start kit - $800. Replace the run capacitor in the air handler, $125. I ... KID ... YOU ... NOT.

I mention it to a few folks at work. Get put in touch with a local trade store. Get the outside cap and hard start cap for $24. I was in shock. I said are you sure to the guy at the store. He said yep. Told him company XYZ wanted $800 for those 2 parts. I heard his heart skip a couple beats.

Got the air handler run cap for $12. Said guy from work was going to help me do it. But by the time he could get here, I'd already done the research, read the schematic and had it done. Probably 7-15 minutes of labor.

A different company came out to see my neighbors unit when a bug had flown into the outdoor unit relay. They wanted to do the same thing. For almost the same price. I think they were about 20% cheaper. They cleaned the relay. But it eventually crapped out. I replaced that for something like $15 and took care of her caps too.

With the exception of checking the refridge charge, I pretty much do my own work on yearly inspections.

Why would you replace capacitors that aren't broken? Why would you install a hard start kit on a working compressor?
--
If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

reply to nunya

You've been misinformed. Did you test the capacitor?

reply to TheSMJ
Annual tune ups for natural gas forced hot air furnaces are for chumps. The are mostly opportunities for up sells of service contracts and new equipment. Since they also establish a paying customer relationship with the service company involved, they are pretty much a dream come true for said company. No wonder that this "service" is perpetually "on sale".

From dishonest techs (if you're unfortunate enough to get one) you'll be sold unneeded parts, and provide opportunity for said crook to damage your furnace.

Learn the parts and features of your furnace. Google the brand and model number. You'll likely find everything from parts to user guides to schematics and if you're very lucky and persistent (don't give up after checking the first ten results) the actual install guide. Go to the manufacturer's web site. You should at the very least find detailed specifications there.

Assuming that the furnace is working well, all you need to do is:

First, turn the thermostat to off, and turn off all power to the furnace, blower, and central air conditioner at the breaker box.

Change the filter. Use a good pleated 3M filter, not the garbage fiberglass mesh filters. Depending on the number of people, smokers, and pets in your home, you need to change it anywhere from monthly to twice a year.

Gently wipe the flame roll out sensors (if so equipped) with a lint free cloth. Just one or two strokes. Don't wipe vigorously, or you might create a static charge will will attract dust fearsomely.

Vacuum the ash off of the burners, if present.

Look for rust on painted surfacers. If present, you might have a leak in the vent on the roof.

Literally, do not touch the igniter (if so equipped)! The oils on you skin will reduce the life of the igniter.

Restore power and turn the thermostat back on.

If you see anything that doesn't look right, then call your well recommended pro.

If it all looks and works well, consider ordering a spare flame sensor, flame roll out sensor and igniter. They are the most common causes of failure, and are they are all easy to replace yourself.