Homeowner may need to replace 5-year-old furnace after unsafe repair issues surface

"The furnace is 80k BTU, when my house should have 40k BTU."

A first-time homeowner may have to replace a furnace that is only about five years old after repeated breakdowns and repairs that, the homeowner says, never solved an improper installation problem.

The unit remained out of service because a second company refused to make adjustments it considered unsafe.

Here's what to know

In a post to Reddit's r/hvacadvice community, the homeowner said the property was purchased in 2022 with a furnace that had been installed just one year earlier.

When trouble started near the end of winter, the homeowner contacted the original installer.

According to the homeowner, the first technician cut a large opening in the side of the furnace to help airflow. The technician said the repeated high-temperature-limit shutdowns were caused by poor return airflow and suggested the return-air system might need to be rebuilt.

The next two repairs also failed to hold. One kept the furnace running for a week, while another, which involved replacing a pressure switch, lasted only three days. Those visits came after another breakdown earlier in the season, when technicians adjusted pressure switches and raised the temperature limit.

TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight

💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all

More background

The original company's technician advised the homeowner to find someone else, saying either the circuit board or the entire furnace might need to be replaced.

Technicians from the second company the homeowner hired identified several installation problems, according to the post.

"The furnace is 80k BTU, when my house should have 40k BTU," the homeowner said.

The homeowner also reported that the flue was too small and that the ductwork could not support the furnace. The intake connection, the homeowner said, did not follow the manufacturer's instructions.

The second company replaced a burned-out motor and the circuit board. Keeping the furnace operating through much of the winter required multiple visits.

What can be done?

After another failure, the homeowner said a technician from the new company explained that the earlier pressure switch changes and higher temperature limit had only kept the furnace running without fixing the underlying installation problems.

The homeowner said the second company would not try to get the furnace working again through adjustments it viewed as improper or unsafe. By then, once the proper components were fitted, the furnace could no longer run.

The concerns described centered on the installation itself, not on anything the homeowner said was done wrong.

The homeowner also asked whether the original installer's work might support legal action, though no legal finding was included in the account.

"I am left with no other option but to replace a 5 year old furnace - which I scheduled to do," the homeowner said.

Where can I learn more?

Other homeowners have also had to sort through conflicting advice about whether a furnace is safe to use or needs to be replaced. Similar cases have involved gas connections, loose flues, disputed replacement recommendations, and questionable installation practices.

• Pennsylvania technicians flagged a flexible gas line despite assurances that the furnace met code.

• A homeowner discovered a loose furnace flue after AC work and was warned not to operate the system.

• One homeowner was told to pay $14,000 for a replacement because of a rusty bolt before later receiving reassurance.

• Another homeowner's 1997 furnace was labeled unsafe, raising concerns about fear-based sales tactics.