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QUESTION:My house is currently 35 years old, and it has an oil furnace with
baseboard hot water heat. I think my current heater is a Columbia
brand. I just got it serviced and it is running at about 75%
efficiency.
The service tech suggested that it might be time to get a new one.
Also I have a separate central air system from Trane which is also
about the same age. There is an outdoor unit and something up in the
attic too. The outdoor unit is rusting quite a bit, but it still works
fine.
The last time I had someone come out to service it, they also
suggested getting a new one soon.
These are obviously big ticket items. I'd like to replace both with
quality systems, but want to save however I can. Is there any way I
can order a good system myself, get it delivered, and then hire
someone to install to save some cash on this? Any other suggestions on
getting a good deal for these?
ANSWER: Most guys in the trade just totally hate people like you. Why? Because cheap
folks like you typically want the technician to use all his years of
experience to tell you makes, models, size, and so on. And then you go out
and try to save a buck, and expect him to use his years of experience to
install it.
If you proceed, please expect a couple things. First, don't ask your
installer for any technical details. Size, etc. Second, expect the install
to cost a heck of a lot more. Cause you'll pay a house call each time he has
to come out to the house. You'll (from lack of experience) end up not buying
a bunch of important parts. Since you're supplying the parts, you can expect
him to have to come back four or five times, as you try to track down parts.
You won't get any warranty from the installer. So, in a couple years (or
weeks) when the system breaks, you'll have to pay the guy to come out and
pull out the bad part. That is, if he's willing to diagnose what is wrong.
Diagnosis costs extra. Then you can be without heat or AC as the case may
be. For a couple days while you get the part. And then a couple days while
you schedule the install.
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