Why are you getting a furnace check up in march?

I wouldn't do any of that with out a second opinion.

Because the checkup was free. The local company cleared our drain and we signed up for this BS program to get a decent price. The program included free furnace tune-up.

replace the blower motor because it is running too well?

"...we signed up for this BS program to get a decent price. "

It's sounds like the company delivered the BS! I am not sure $1300 is a decent price.

"It's sounds like the company delivered the BS! I am not sure $1300 is a decent price."
Oh, i totally agree

The company has a "member" pricing structure and a "non-member" pricing structure. The "member" pricing is basically local market pricing. The "non-member" pricing is 20% higher. You pay $240 a year to be a member and they come out to check your furnace and a/c for "free"

I hate these big-city companies. They are so full of crap. I feel like it is nearly impossible to find someone i can trust. I am from a small town and lived in small towns where you knew who you could trust and you could count on people to be honest and reasonable.

Depending on where you live, you may find a company near you on this list, that isn't a fly by nighter.

http://icemeister.net/aop_map.html

the company i'm talking about is literally the biggest and most prolific company in the region. i feel as if they are not providing honest and competent techs, who is?

i go into DIY territory because i feel like i just can't trust these guys with something as technical as hvac. and i can trust myself.

two local companies show up on the list you posted tinmantu

"Blower capcitor ($200)"

Is this a capacitor for a motor? The kind you can buy for less than $20?

They gotta be kidding.

I would avoid the large companies. There prices tend to be higher and they are usually very sales driven.

My suggestion is to find a local family run business. Find out who originally installed the furnace. Also look for factory authorized Rheem or Rudd dealers in your area.

All the building/contractor related trades have too many scoundrels. I deal with that by putting heavy reliance on customer reviews from friends or websites (like Yelp or others).

Otherwise, I'd rather have a big operation that has gotten that way by competing successfully, rather than some country bumpkin operation that has been around for 20 years because no one else in the small town is in the business. My experience is that the bigger guys hire better people, train them, and hold them to high standards. Then they bend over backwards to satisfy their customers, because they're protective of their public reputations.

I gladly pay more for this, they know more and do better work in my experience. If you do your homework, you get what you pay for. More expensive isn't always better, of course, but cheaper is often worse.

You can screw around with cheap painters, but cheap HVAC work (or heaven forbid DIY) is risky, potentially dangerous and often more expensive in the long run.

Heh...

"bigger guys hire better people, train them, and hold them to high standards."

I politely disagree. I'd say size of company is completely unrelated to the quality of work. I called a "big guy" company to come look at a minor crack along a designated fault line in our basement wall. He evaluated it... wanted to charge $500. He talked to my wife, I wasn't there.

Parts to fix? $50 at Menards. Drill bit, pump, paste, poly. He was gonna charge $450 for about an hour of work. Absolutely ridiculous. He called a week later to ask if I was gonna have him fix it, and I told him he could do it if he would charge $200. He got offended and tried scare tactics on me. "You know that's structural..." BS! It was a 1/16" crack along a pre-cut crack line.

We had a smiliar situation to the OP w our Furnace 2 yrs ago... first the ignitor / filament went out. Ok, found a local shop that carried our ignitor, replaced it. $50. Done.

A yr ago, our blower motor went out. A hell of a lot of work to disassemble, but eventually took the darn thing out, found the part, ordered it on Amazon, and installed. $100, done. And, I got filters for our fridge on the same order to save on shipping. :-) The guy selling the motors on Amazon was very helpful.

"cheap HVAC work (or even DIY) is risky, potentially dangerous and often more expensive in the long run."

Disagree again. BAD hvac work is potentially dangerous and costly. Good hvac work, whether overpaid for, appropriately paid for, or properly researched and done well yourself, is not.

"they know more and do better work in my experience"

Again disagree. My current main 20x8 duct line is hung 2" below my ceiling. Why? Cuz whatever "professional" (who knows more than me) installed it was cost driven and installed the standard starting collar he had on hand, saw it didn't fit right... yet went on w the install, hanging ALL the ducts 2" lower than he could have. A homeowner vested in the house who has to walk under those would have spent weeks finding a better transition, since the homeowner is the one that's going to walk under them forever.

I don't think all professionals are bad... In fact I found a plumber that I REALLY liked one time in California. We recommended him to several ppl cuz he was great.

And I've found a roofing company that I trust here where I am now. If you find a good company, keep their info and stop looking!

Homeowners should definitely control their own fate tho. The fact that this company gave the homeowner a "free" inspection to say they should pay $1300 to fix a working furnace is just awful -- and cases like this are why the stereotypes about contractors exist.

And if your blower motor ever does go out, just fix it. A little understanding of electricity and capability with ratchet and drill.... and actually quite a bit of physical exhertion will save you $500. $500 saved and a weekend of learning how your furnace...

Squishy -

Sounds like you're a DIY person - most people I know aren't and don't have the time or interest to change that. Which is why the topic of choosing and using service providers is being discussed. I'd also say that you've been lucky in replacing parts to restore function.

An amateur is an amateur, it doesn't matter what the subject matter is. It's more important for you to know what you don't know and can't do, than what you think you do know and can do. That's where most DIYers go wrong. If I were you, I wouldn't press your luck, especially not with HVAC equipment.

If I'm your next door neighbor and i think I have a problem, I'm calling a pro, not you. You're welcome to do whatever you like to your house.

Back to OP, obviously this company he's dealing with is from the rogue side of the industry and he needs some second opinions, as has already been suggested.

Run. Inducer provides outside combustion air and ventilation for combustion by products. Blower simply blows heat through duct work. I fail to see the correlation between the two. Aside from that was the tech wearing a mask, guys like this really p@#@% me off. I know nothing about your furnace, it took all of 2 minutes to do a little research to realize this guy was blowing smoke, especially when you claim your unit is running fine. Do these service people realize that info and pricing is readily available ?
This guy is probably working for peanuts and makes his keep by the parts and services he sells, not an uncommon model. We use a very large HVAC contractor whose help are usually inexperienced and not paid very well. every thing they do must be scrutinized.

"The company has a "member" pricing structure and a "non-member" pricing structure. The "member" pricing is basically local market pricing. The "non-member" pricing is 20% higher. You pay $240 a year to be a member and they come out to check your furnace and a/c for "free""

I don't like this business model of having to may a fee in order to get a lower price. The fee covers the furnace inspection which is an invitation to suggest making unnecessary repairs at inflated prices. This is a practice of large companies. This is the reason why I suggested going with the smaller family owned business.

"I don't like this business model of having to may a fee in order to get a lower price. "
So you don't belong to Costco? Most people love Costco and gladly pay the membership fee. This is the same thing

"The fee covers the furnace inspection which is an invitation to suggest making unnecessary repairs at inflated prices."
Periodic HVAC inspections provide an opportunity for preventive maintenance and early detection of problems. Maintained equipment of any kind operates longer and more economically.

A dishonest (fill in the blank, any trade) will recommend unneeded work at any opportunity. That comes from using the wrong service provider, not from having annual maintenance done.

this thread is an interesting discussion.

i absolutely agree that a professional is better equipped to diagnose an hvac problem that i am. however, the trouble is that the professionals in the trades have all kinds of motivations that have nothing to do with repairing my furnace.

there is some good advice in this thread regarding choosing a contractor, but is still really hit-and-miss in my experience. for every good experience i've had with a contractor i've had three bad ones. and i generally use "well respected" contractors.

someone above mentioned that the big companies have youngish guys with seemingly little experience who strongly push sales. this has absolutely been my experience.

hell, here are my experiences

1. roots clogging a drain
- plumber recommends running a scope down the drain. says he'll do it for free. does it, tells me i need a $15,000 pipe lining on 65 feet of clay sewer main. strongly warns against cutting out the roots, he says it will cause the pipe to fail and then he won't be able to line the pipe. i say, no, do it, cut the roots out. he does. that was a year ago and everything has been fine. charges $400.

2. quote for gas line to stove
- contractor comes out, looks around for 5 seconds, says, $1300 for apx. 30 ft of gas line to the first floor kitchen. no thanks. no harm no fowl. $45 for the quote.

3. clearing exterior downspout drain to sewer
- spends some time determining the pipe is totally blocked. i ask him to quote me a fix. he recommends running the downspout underground in pvc to the curb and dumping on the sidewalk. 30 feet. $1100. i say, "city code requires stormwater discharge go into the sewer system, how much to do that?" "oh really?" he says. "i had no idea. that would be at least double what i quoted you"

-----

these experiences are from different large local companies.
so you'll forgive me if i default to thinking professionals are more often than not full of it. of course they all aren't, but how do you find the good ones?

there is also a general notion that DIY is somehow equivalent to "screwing around." HVAC and the like is basic physics and electronics. I think a patient, well-informed and experienced DIYer can easily do as good of a job as even a good professional. I have been able to fix refrigerators, washers, rewire electrical systems in campers and cars, reorganize spaghetti circuit breakers, rewire rooms, repair plaster ceilings and walls to where pros compliment the work (and say, i would have just torn it out and hung drywall), replace car components, and other "professional" tasks after carefully researching, learning, staying patient, and executing.

and in this case i don't really even want to do the work. but it is starting to seem like the least worst option.

It sounds like you live near Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Sorry for that, it's not at all like that in my area. As I said before - there are some, but the majority are pretty straight.

There's a good forum called HVAC-Talk, that has a look up/referral service for contractors. Go to the link, click where it says "Click-here", and see if that turns up someone in your area.

PS - clay pipe sewer lines went out with the dinosaurs, that's a "when" question not an 'if" one. Unless money is real tight, I'd never pay to fix one and would never have one lined. I think they can be replaced for much less money than the quote you got.

Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hvac Contractors

Like most every one who posts on these pages, we are home owners first. It is up to us to do due diligence, for our own good.
I am an engineering professional, which means jack when it comes to my personal abode. I have to be able to see the trees through the forest. Another words, use logic. In this neck of the woods , a tradesman gets between 2 and 3 bills a day add in the cost of stock with a 20 to 30% mark up , usually you arrive at a fair price. I say this only because my close friends work in the trades and I know what they charge.
Your original issue turned into a diatribe of what most home owners face. Use your instincts, if its to good to true, it don't exist. And cheapest is not always the best deal. We keep on doing what were doing by asking others out there what they have been through. This internet thing didn't exist 20 years ago.
And lastly "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION " avoid those with a condescending attitude.

I believe that there is no such thing as a stupid question.
if you don't know...ask. it is stupid not to.

you will probably get several different answers, and have information you didn't have previously.

it isn't always condnesending to break down things for people to understand things not in their field.

if some one is being condnensedning..walk away.
no one deserves to be talked down to IMO.

best of luck/

First of all I want to let the OP know to please get a second opinion. One thing can go wrong with a furnace, but 3 are rare. Make sure they show you why it's wrong, the motors and capacitor should have spec. listed on it. A company will typically charge higher than most independent contractor. It's not that they are ripping you off, but it is just to cover the overheads, (They have way more overhead), worker compensations, payrolls, staff working in the office, insurance, business license, rent, gas, truck, stock, tax, ect, ect ,ect. So much that it will change your altitude about pricing until you are an owner. The tech gave you a price, and you rejected. so be it, it's not like he did the work and billed you for it. (+1 for the tech). The price they quoted you does not seem out of the ball park depending on where you live. If you can do it yourself, then do it! If you can't, then be prepare to pay a price for it. I had a root canal and crown done two months ago and paid an outrageous price for it. $1900 for three visits, each visit less than an hour = 3 hours total. $1900- $200 for cown - $200 for materials/supply= $1500/3 hours= $500 per hour! Does it means the dentist is making $500 per hour ( probablly not) is he ripping me off (probably not). Am I happy to pay $1900 - NO, but I can't do it myself. You guys get the point right?

I'm no dentist, but know a bit about this field. If a customer pays 200 dollars for a blower motor capacitor, they have had the screws put to them. Simple as that.

I'd be willing to bet that the tech that did this was encouraged by his company with commisions bonus to sell that crap to a system that was working fine after he left.

This post was edited by tinmantu on Wed, Mar 13, 13 at 23:29

My point is the dentist has a business and overheards.
A service company has a business and overheads.

Obviously, a dentist will get pay more than a tech, but the overheads are mostly the same, rent, utility, stocks, payroll taxes, insurances,gas, maintenance,supplies, ect, ect..

"I'd be willing to bet that the tech that did this was encouraged by his company with commisions bonus to sell that crap to a system that was working fine after he left."

This I do not know, I am mainly talking about prices and why they charge this much. If they make up/lie about repairs to increase profit, then shame on them.

In fact,
I am an independent hvac contractor and I only charge $120 to replace a capacitor. So for a company with more overheads to charge $200 is not outrageous. Big hvac companies are my competitors, I am not helping them or against them. I am simply trying to state the fact.

" So much that it will change your altitude about pricing until you are an owner. The tech gave you a price, and you rejected. so be it, it's not like he did the work and billed you for it. (+1 for the tech)."

OP Here. I actually don't care about the price that much per se. I understand that it is expensive to run a business.

What bothers me is that all indicators say that what he is recommending probably is incorrect. It is like going to a dentist and being sold a root canal when you just need a cleaning. What bothers me is that I don't have an ounce of trust in any of the contractors I find around here.

" What bothers me is that I don't have an ounce of trust in any of the contractors I find around here. "

Trust seems to be the hardest thing to find but also the hardest to prove to people at the same time....... kinda sad