If you are considering a gas furnace installation in your home or office, then it is imperative that you do thorough research before you approach a gas furnace supplier in order to ensure that you invest in the best furnace for the space that needs to be heated. Once you have decided on which furnace you think is best, it is time to find yourself a good gas furnace installation contractor, even before making your purchase, as they will be able to confirm whether your choice is the correct one for you.
Gas furnace contractors have years of knowledge about these types of products, and will be able to gauge very quickly what you need to provide optimum heating and comfort by examining your home or office and measuring the area that needs to be heated or cooled. Your contractor will also be able to install your new system correctly, quickly and safely. Many of the furnace dealers will be able to steer you towards finding the right gas furnace installation contractor; some of them even have their own contractors.
Why You Should not Install a Gas Furnace Yourself
Experts will tell you that the first step in purchasing a new furnace is finding the right contractor to install it, and this is for good reason:
- Different types of furnaces use different fuels, and these different types of fuels require a different type of gas furnace installation
- It is very important that the installation of the vent pipes is done correctly to ensure that the exhaust fumes are not released into the room, as this could be detrimental to your health .
- It is important that the furnace is positioned correctly or the heat or exhaust that is released could badly damage certain materials
- Attempting to install a purpose-made gas furnace into the wrong spot could cause furnace fuel spill-over
- It is important to ensure that the vents are correctly sealed to prevent the loss of dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide
- They have all the right tools needed to deal with the installation
- There are generally certain municipal rules governing gas furnace installation and if you are not aware of these you could find yourself in legal trouble
- Some warranties will not be honoured unless the installation was done by a licensed HVAC contractor
Finding the Best Gas Furnace Installation Contractor
If you do not consult a gas furnace dealer or the dealer does not know of a good contractor in your area it can be very difficult to find the right contractor do your gas furnace installation. There are literally hundreds of contractors who offer their services via the Internet and other means, and probably even hundreds in your area, but be careful, as not all of them are reputable. Just hiring someone off of a website or a flyer or out of the phone book can be a very nasty experience for you, so it is better that you find one who comes highly recommended.
Ask at least three contractors for a written estimate for your gas furnace installation. Steer clear of companies that offer quotes over the phone, as nobody can give a valid quote unless they have first made a thorough survey of your home and checked exactly what it is that you require. A good installation contractor will take all factors into consideration such as the size of the area to be heated, number and type of windows, insulation levels, and the climate in the area. They will also inspect your ductwork if there is any, check for air leaks and measure airflow levels. Once they have all this information, a heat-load calculation can be performed to determine the correct size of the furnace in which you should invest.
Ask Questions
When looking for an installation contractor, you should interview a few contractors, meet them personally and sit down and have a good discussion with them regarding what your needs are and what you are thinking of buying.
There are certain questions that you should ask of them:
- Are you bonded?
- Are you a registered contractor with the local Technical Standards and Safety Authority?
- Can you provide references?
- How long have you been in business?
- How much liability insurance do you carry?
- Do you guarantee your installations?
- Who is responsible for honouring your warranty?
- What are your service hours for emergencies?
References and Credentials
Ask the contractors from whom you are getting estimates for your gas furnace installation to include at least three references. If they are legitimate and reputable this should not be any problem fro them. Do not just accept the references that they give you; phone each of the people on their reference list and ask them whether they were satisfied with the contractor’s work, and any other services they provided. Make sure to also check that the work was done to schedule and within in budget, and whether they have any hesitations in recommending this contractor.
Read between the lines when speaking to the referees; if they are not that forthcoming with information or seem to be lukewarm in their praise of the contractor, be wary of hiring them as there was obviously some type of problem which the person does not want to discuss. Many people are unwilling to give an outright negative reference on someone that they may need to deal with again, and will thus rather just not say anything or will give a very non-committal reference. A good tip if you pick this up would be to check the contractor’s past record at your local Better Business Bureau.
Remember that the contractor that you employ may not do the actual installation himself, so also check the credentials of the technician who will be doing the actual installation. Check whether they subscribe to the installation standards as laid down by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). It is also important that the gas furnace installation estimate you get from each contractor spells out every detail about the installation, including costs for materials and labor, the equipment to be installed and the payment schedule, warranties on work done and a completion date.
