There's a team in the basement putting in a new furnace as I write. They got the old one out in short order, realized they didn't have an external filter rack, and had to go pick one up before proceeding. I'm all for the filter rack -- it had gotten to quite a challenge getting a new filter in place and stuck onto the sheet-metal screws that held the return duct to the side of the furnace. It's much simpler to drive the screws from the outside, but the ends impinged on the filter area. I kept meaning to turn them around but it was going to be such an awkward job that I put it off.
(This is the filter area that I had to bend up a new retainer rod for -- we found a "permanent" filter flapping in the breeze during the home inspection and specified that needed to be fixed. The seller called in a HVAC contractor to get it done, then included their receipt for the work in the final paperwork. And yet, when I checked after the sale? Same permanent filter, poorly secured and flapping away. I guess that company didn't want to do any work in this house again, ever, and figured the guy selling the house wasn't going to check on them. I threw away the useless filter, measured the space, fabricated a retainer to fit the brackets, and started using good pleated-paper filters.)
The HVAC company I use is the same one my previous landlord used at my old place. They have a 24-hour number, and my landlord encouraged using it (why should he take the call in the middle of the night when the tenant could call the furnace man themselves?) They have outstanding service guys and are happy to show and explain their work.
The new furnace is a bit shorter than the old one, so there's an adapter between it and the A-coil for the air-conditioning. I have refrained from hovering but I was just down to see if they had asked for me (they needed to see our thermostat, and had a replacement if needed -- the same model we already have). It looks like they're making good progress.
I was lucky when we had to replace our A/C unit last year. The old one of course fit the closet fine - the new one very nearly had to have the door head replaced as the new was taller than the old. Though the interior of door head was a bit chamfered after it was all said and done, no change to that. We did have to lower the plenum just a tad.
ReplyDeleteWe replace ours a year or so ago. Seems like this might be the 2nd winter with this unit. The company that sold us the old one went missing so we had to find a new one. Wife picked it out and we did Air and Heat together. Seems like 8,000 was the final number but we did get some kind of rebate from the power company. If this unit lasts as long as the one it replaced I will be happy.
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