Would you sign-up/pay for this?

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 09:38 AM

Almost 5 years ago I had a new Heil furnace installed..it's been working perfectly since.

Yesterday I had a phone call from the seller/installer saying that in order to maintain my warranty...I need to have a yearly inspection done on it at the cost of $150

I realize $150 a year is not a huge amount....but if it breaks down, how much will they cover? It sounds too much like an extended auto warranty.

Would you do it?

Steve Carlton · 07-04-2023, 09:49 AM

What was the warranty it came with? I'd call Heil. Sounds like a scam.

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 09:53 AM

The call was definitely from the small business that I bought it from.

I might still call Heil and ask first.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

If it's 5 years old you should start having it inspected every year regardless of the warranty. My guy charges $200 for both furnaces. One year he found a mouse nest clogging about half the air intake and a few years later found a cracked heat exchanger. You DO NOT want to be using a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger.
I don't know what your warranty would cover or if it would be cheaper to have another outfit to do the inspection. You need to get a copy of it if you don't have one and see if the warranty covers enough to make it worthwhile to pay the extra, if any.

stealthn · 07-04-2023, 10:50 AM

I think it depends, what’s the warranty?

Example we had our basement setup so as not to leak by a company and it’s guaranteed for life of the home (transferable too), but in order to maintain the warranty we have to have the sumps and battery backup inspected/tested yearly. $150 a year is fine with me for this.

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 10:55 AM

The guy that called said it was a 5 year warranty.... He could extend it as long as I agreed to the $150/year for the inspection and cleaning.

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

I had bought a home with an Heat Pump still under warranty. When had a problem I called company who installed it and said that it had to be inspected every year or the warranty was void. I told them thanks anyway and called my regular guy.

That said, does he give you a written guarantee of what is and isn't covered?
Does it say how much it covers and is there a service call fee?
Does it guaranty that you can renew it every year?
What happens if the he decides to retire and shuts down?

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 11:08 AM

I do know for certain that it is a reputable business.
The owner is my age (70) and his son is ready to take over.

I will need to read over all the details of the original warranty.

porsche tech · 07-04-2023, 11:23 AM

I pay that much every year just to have the system inspected, once in spring and once in fall, filter changed, drains checked and cleared, etc. No warranty implied or expressed. Like wdfifteen said, money well spent.

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 11:32 AM

^^^ Yep...I'm leaning towards that result also

On a windy, below zero January night, the last thing I need to.worry about is my furnace.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

My annual inspection for my A/C s $59. But it is required to keep the warranty going and my tech said it's getting old enough that, even with no warranty, it needs to be checked out every year. Warranty covers parts, but not labor, and he did find a fan bearing going bad last year, and got that whole motor replaced with my just paying labor.

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 12:09 PM

This $150 is just for the heating part...the a/c was from a different business.

Here...the heating is much more important than the cooling.

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

I never have mine inspected...but I do have some rentals where the management folks get this done. They generally do not last as long (and have more problems than the ones that they never touch).

john70t · 07-04-2023, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

On a windy, below zero January night, the last thing I need to.worry about is my furnace.

Enhance with electric baseboards or radiant in the corners powered by solar/grid? (dual input system)
That would keep you above freezing at least.

stevej37 · 07-04-2023, 01:17 PM

^^^ I do have a stand-alone propane indoor fireplace that will keep the house to normal temps when the furnace is out.
Don't like using it because of the humidity it creates.

(I know...first world problems.)

Alan A · 07-05-2023, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

The guy that called said it was a 5 year warranty.... He could extend it as long as I agreed to the $150/year for the inspection and cleaning.

Sounds cheaper than the $300 I pay for a service contract.
Inspection and cleaning - which someone else already said - runs more than that here.

stevej37 · 07-05-2023, 10:03 AM

^^^ I called and gave them the ok....a guy will be here tomorrow.
I'll see what all he does and ask more questions.

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ I called and gave them the ok....a guy will be here tomorrow.
I'll see what all he does and ask more questions.

Are you getting something is writing saying what the warranty covers?

stevej37 · 07-05-2023, 11:52 AM

I'm sure he will leave paperwork tomorrow.

stevej37 · 07-06-2023, 09:35 AM

The tech was out this am for an hour of cleaning and inspecting. He even had brushes to clean the interior of the two pvc pipes that exit the basement.

I found that I was wrong on the fee. It is $125 a year instead of $150

The standard warranty is 10 years, but if I let them keep doing a yearly check-up, the warranty will be extended to 20 years.

The company that supplies them with furnaces and a/c units is behind the whole inspection deal. They just started doing this last year.

$125 is a very fair price for an hour of work considering the van, tools, and tech guy.