Furnace would stop and take a while to restart/ needed a flame sensor $425.00?

[CDX825]

Flame sensor diagnostics:

1)Find the blinky red light
2)Count how many times the blinky red light blinks
3)Refer to the chart to find out what that number of blinks means is wrong

Way more to it than that. Just because the light blinks and says something is acting up it doesn't mean that part is bad. It will certainly point you in the direction of the issue but its not going to tell you exactly what is going on. You can have a code for ignition failure and think ok flame sensor but is the gas valve opening? Is the igniter glowing? Are the burners even lighting during the start up sequence? Lets say the igniter isn't glowing. You assume the igniter is bad but did you check to see if the board is sending power to the igniter?

Diagnostics of a furnace is bit more involved than just looking at a blinking light.

 

[Hall]

I was quoted $189 to come out

That's probably only the service trip charge. Then they add on after that. Deceptive ? Yeah, if that's all they told you....

I called the company and said I need a refund

A refund ? I might see them offering $50 off or at most $100, but they'd be fools to refund your money. You going to let them take the part back too ? They won't, as it's not worth their time and effort to send their tech out again.

 

[Astro14]

The problem is, they often take advantage of customers. He could have said $700 or $800 too. Would you have said ok?


I think they are in bed with the HVAC repair industry, just like the manufactures who won't honor a warranty if the homeowner installs an HVAC system themselves. Just use a fictitious name that sounds related to the industry you're buying from, like Astro Property Management, and I found most places will sell to you on a cash account.

I would have asked what they charge before engaging their services. Perhaps shopped the service a bit.

No surprises at the end.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I would have asked what they charge before engaging their services. Perhaps shopped the service a bit.

No surprises at the end.

Yes that is the best answer. They didn't call me back even though I know the owners. . It I get a call I will update otherwise I am through with this company that I thought were my friends.

 

[Skippy722]

I know a few companies will treat a “no heat” call as an emergency call, which is always more.

 

[Nukeman7]

For future reference, most of us can benefit from viewing the furnace troubleshooting video provided by Word of Advice TV on YouTube. The technician, Jay, is no-nonsense and technically very savvy about HVAC. I have managed to do most of my HVAC maintenance and repairs by learning through his videos.

 

[Hall]

this company that I thought were my friends

They're not your "friends". They're in business to make money.

 

[brianl703]

Diagnostics of a furnace is bit more involved than just looking at a blinking light.

A bit. Certainly not nearly as complex, as, say, diagnosing the cause of a lean code on a vehicle.

In the case of a faulty flame sensor, it's assumed that one has already checked that the furnace does ignite and flame is present, because it's assumed we're dealing with people who have some idea of how it's supposed to work.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I know a few companies will treat a “no heat” call as an emergency call, which is always more. View attachment 145002

It was not a no heat or emergency. I was in no big hurry because the house was at 72 degrees.

They're not your "friends". They're in business to make money.

Your right the owner is no longer my friend but know as somebody who ripped me off about of about $150.00. I will call someone else next time.

 

[John105]

imho one shouldn't do business with friends....we gave our friend a $1000 landscape job and I wasn't satisfied but couldn't say anything. Plus in getting to know him over the years he doesn't like tiny jobs anyway and he hates tire kickers, which I normally am. Hey, I have to shop around....and I do think the price was very high, and I also agree with people there is a minimum charge. I find that with cars, indies will tell me, you can do that yourself...that's a 2 way street. Maybe this HVAC could have suggested DIY because it's a small minor thing to them...my .02 Live and learn and don't beat oneself up for not knowing everything...

example: In winter 2016 my then 17 y.o. furnace was short cycling--I didn't know that if I removed the air filter at least we could have heat. The blower was getting weak and temp was rising causing it to shut off. My main objective was to heat the home as noone could come for days and it was into single digits. Coworker said to try it just to see if it would remain running, and it did. For an old furnace, my filter was too "restrictive." btw the new one is 3" and MERV 13...this idea of restrictive imho applies to old blowers....

 

[Hall]

Your right the owner is no longer my friend

Why did you consider them a "friend" in the first place ? They sold you a heating/cooling unit in the past. Are you "friends" with Walmart or Autozone or Kroger too (or wherever you shop) ?

 

[Hall]

Coworker said to try it just to see if it would remain running, and it did. For an old furnace, my filter was too "restrictive." btw the new one is 3" and MERV 13...this idea of restrictive imho applies to old blowers....

We ran into that issue as well. My HVAC guy said not to use the heavy, thick filters and to use the cheapest ones that hardware stores sell ($3/each) and change them monthly. So far, so good....

 

[John105]

We ran into that issue as well. My HVAC guy said not to use the heavy, thick filters and to use the cheapest ones that hardware stores sell ($3/each) and change them monthly. So far, so good....

On the new furnace I didn't choose a 3" Aprilaire filter, it was 4 for $121 in 2020, and now it's like 4 for $180. That has to be super restrictive or rather need a strong blower to get the correct airflow...old system was only 1" and an indie guy said get a $1 filter if you can find it and change it every 3 weeks. Before the new system, I did not know heat requires a lower airflow (blower setting) than AC. When AC too low, the system freezes up, even when 95F outside--ice on the compressor (techs set it too low on the new system and that happened--ducts were blowing 43F, should be 1200+. Again I learned all this stuff by experiencing failures)

 

[joekingcorvette]

I like the Lennox furnace videos and now I know how to clean or replace a flame sensor. As I previously stated $425 was too high for a 1/2 hour job and it was not an emergency. I will order a replacement from Amazon for $10 and tape it to the furnace for future reference. I will not hire this company again. Thank's everyone for your replies and I am finished with this conversation.

 

[gman2304]

I clean my flame sensor with 0000 steel wool, YouTube is your friend. The odds are good that from your phone description they knew the flame sensor was the culprit. A big part of the reason they showed up so quickly. Easy, quick, money. “Strike the iron while it’s hot“ !

 

[Lubener]

Why did you consider them a "friend" in the first place ? They sold you a heating/cooling unit in the past. Are you "friends" with Walmart or Autozone or Kroger too (or wherever you shop) ?

I'm friends with Burger King.......

 

[zzyzzx]

I’ve had the same experience with HVAC supply houses. They are reticent to sell to the General Public.

I can always find parts on eBay

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

Parts guessing. I hope you don't fix cars that way.

Did you read the whole thread to understand the context? I am supporting the opposite.

This thread is an absolutely perfect example of why the service industry truly sucks. Most likely, the OP was simply charged a normal rate. Technician almost certainly feels he did the job quickly, accurately, and for a fair price. Not many guys are going to just add on 25% to a bill because they think they can. What a normal business would do if they need more income is increase their hourly rate, and/or their call out fee for every job, maybe add another few percent on parts... Assuming the market will bear it.

A race to the bottom is never a good solution. Paying a fair price, and not the absolute rock bottom price is what ends up supporting workers, the economy, and keeps people employed. It is the same principle behind manufacturing in the USA (first world) opposed to overseas.

 

[joekingcorvette]

The problem with the whole furnace call was I was quoted $189.00 and the parts would be taken off the service call. I was charged $425.00. It's all good everyone I talked to some people, told them what happened, and got a new company to work with that is a lot better and won't rip you off. The new company charges $175.00 out the door for a new flame sensor or cleaning and they are very reputable. Some of the posters said this was a no heat situation or an emergency which is totally incorrect. I also have a natural gas fireplace downstairs and another one upstairs plus a heated garage with a forced air unit that works great. There is no way the house or furnace escalated to an emergency situation in any way, shape or form. It amazes me how many people feel it's ok to get ripped off on repairs and they act like it has never happened to them in their life. Update: Plus, the owner of the company never returned my complaint call. I know I have a lot of people supporting my complaint because most of the posters on here will drive across town to save money on oil, filters, and stash items. The people that are not supporting my claim must have businesses that charge too much and are supporting over the market prices. Thanks for all the input everyone I am done with this thread.