Home › Forums › WSB Reader Recommendations › Gas Furnace Replacement Needed
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February 26, 2008 at 10:56 pm #586462
seattlegolferMemberI prefer to spend my money in my West Seattle neighborhood. I need to replace my gas furnace, may add air conditioning but considering my Lenox unit lasted only 12 years, I need some expert advise this time around.
February 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm #616067
swimcatMemberWe replaced our oil furnace in October with a heat pump. It is definitely more expensive than a gas furnace, but our heating bill is 1/4 what it used to be (probably 1/5 or 1/6 now with the price of oil). We will also have AC in the summer with this unit and were told our electric bill will be the same in summer as winter.
we used an eastside company; not sure of a westside company to recommend though.
February 27, 2008 at 7:15 pm #616068
seattlegolferMemberThanks for your reply. If you were satisfied with your service, I would like to know the name of the company. I too would really like to have a heat pump.
February 27, 2008 at 10:18 pm #616069
swimcatMemberI wasn’t satisfied with the service enough to recommend the company we used. We’re still trying to settle an issue with them. I am very happy with the product though!
February 28, 2008 at 5:53 pm #616070
JustanMemberWe just had a replacement gas furnace installed by Burien Natural Gas Service. They were out 1 day to estimate and did the install the next morning. I asked if perhaps a slightly more powerful fan would be a good idea as we were thinking about putting in AC in the future. They did this and I’m delighted with the results. The house heats in about half the time of the old gas furnace.
I’ve had many quotes, and these folks came in the most reasonable and were not heavily laden with the BS I received from a number of other companies. I could tell you many stores about the lies other folks do, but 1 will suffice:
Another company came out to provide an estimate. I told them I wanted a single stage 80% efficient gas furnace. That is what was being replaced. The old furnace was in place for close to 30 years and worked fine until about the last year. I also said that we are thinking of adding air conditioning in the future. They insisted on doing a bogus “space analysis,†in which the idiot estimator all but demanded access to every room in the house. I refused and she actually got angry. Then when the quote came back, they insisted that only a 90% efficient unit would do. They wanted to abandon the in-place and perfectly functioning exhaust system and install their own, they demanded that they install the coil for the A/C unit, and they wanted to do this at a cost to me of almost $6,000.00. I could imagine a few utterly useless and pricy add-ons that they would demand at installation time as well. Naturally they didn’t get the job.
The guy I worked with at Burien Gas Service is named Jeremy. He was honest, gave me a very reasonable price (about $2,600), and as I said, extraordinarily fast service.
Also I debate the wisdom of using a heat pump verses a gas furnace. A heat pump will provide A/C as well as heating, so it is somewhat less costly than having a furnace and an A/C unit, but there is no way on this planet that a heat pump is less costly to operate than a gas furnace. The reason is the cost per thermal unit. Electricity is far far more costly than natural gas. Look it up for yourself and make an informed decision.
Note that I have no relation with the companies mentioned other than as a customer.
February 9, 2009 at 8:02 pm #616071
lizabugMemberThere is a reliable gas heating company in West Seattle where the owners are both born and raised in West Seattle. They provide excellent customer service and are willing to accommodate different time frames well. Very knowledgeable, very fair on pricing, and the installer, James, has been in the HVAC business for 15+ years. Check out their website at jamesheatingandmore.com. I think you will be very happy.
February 10, 2009 at 2:56 am #616072
CreightonMemberI have to second the Burien Natural Gas Service recommendation. I shopped around for a while, then came back to BNG even though they were just a little more than the lowest bid. But you know what they say about the lowest bid. Anyways, nice people, felt very local, did a good job and were quick. I’d use them again.
February 10, 2009 at 4:13 am #616073
AlkiRagdollParticipantI had my natural gas furnace replaced in December (during the snow storm) by Reed Wright. They are fantastic. Truthfully, I didnt even shop around, as they have maintained my furnace for 15 yrs, and are VERY responsive.(206) 283-1234 They came highly recommended years ago, and have maintained their responsiveness, honest, and knowledge ever sense.
February 10, 2009 at 6:46 am #616074
AnonymousInactiveFor big-ticket home repair, I suggest also checking out pay websites that are specifically intended for consumers. Two that are not ad-supported are
March 1, 2009 at 10:11 pm #616075
CitizenMemberNeeding to replace an old gas furnace, I read info on ConsumerReports.com and got bids from 5 different firms. What I learned:
*Consumer Reports said that for a small house in a mild climate, a 90-95% efficient furnace would be unwise. What makes those furnaces so efficient are a lot of fancy electronics that break down often and need to be adjusted, maintained, repaired, and replaced.
*My bids were all over the lot. Some felt I could not live without paying 6,000-plus bucks for a super duper 97% efficient furnace. Others saw the world as Consumer Reports sees it. Bids ranged from $2500 to $6000-plus.
*Of the West Seattle contenders, Olson Energy offered a good price and Genessee did not, insisting that a high-efficiency furnace was a must and that it was not possible to accommodate my requests about one extra duct and the location of the new furnace.
*Ballard Natural Gas, from which I had satisfactory work at another house, sent a guy who talked my ear off for an hour, trying to sell me on all kinds of ridiculous options, including a $600 electronic air filter–and then never did send me a bid.
*In the end, I went with Best Choice Heating and Plumbing, based in Puyallup, a firm recommended by a contractor relative. They did a good job. The furnace doesn’t heat up fast enough but they’re coming back to adjust it.
*I also chose to buy a permit from the city of Seattle, to stay on the right side of the law. If you do this, and want to be present for the inspection, note that on the day your inspection is scheduled, you have to plan to stay home all day, or at least until the inspector has come and gone. The first time around, I left a message for the inspector, early in the morning, as the permit office staff told me to do, informing him I’d be home after noon. He came in the morning and left a notice that I’d failed the inspection because I was not home. The office staff said, “Oh, don’t worry about that. We don’t start fining people until they’ve failed three or four times.”
December 29, 2011 at 12:52 pm #616076
PearlnextdoorParticipantWe just had our furnace replaced by James Heating and more. They are a West Seattle based family owned company. They were very affordable, knowledgable and prompt. They were also just generally very sweet, honest people and super easy to work with. I would definitely recommend them to anyone.
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