Revised:
September 28th, 2021
Depending on the complexity most residential furnace installations take between 4 and 8 hours to complete. In some cases, the installation can take longer. In this video we’ll go over the furnace installation from start to finish and look at all the factors that affect the duration.
I’m Josh and I’m the install manager at Fire & Ice and one of the most common questions asked to us by homeowners is how long is it going to take to install my furnace? Well, at Fire & Ice we believe in transparency and in this video we’ll walk through the entire installation process for a furnace. By the end of this video, I hope you’ll have a better understanding of what to expect when it comes to a furnace installation. And don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for weekly educational content.
Furnace Installation: The In-Home Estimate
Believe it or not, the installation starts on the day of your in-home estimate. Why is this? Because it’s the best opportunity to identify the exact size furnace for your home. Manual J Load calculations should be performed during the estimate to see how much heat your home loses naturally. From there the right size furnace can be selected. Additionally, your sales professional will take note of any additional work that will be needed such as making changes to the gas line, ductwork modifications, electrical wiring needs. Lastly, if a new air conditioner is being installed as well expect additional time to be added on the day of installation.
Furnace Installation: Day of Installation
Typically, an average furnace installation will take between 4 and 8 hours. But keep in mind installation times may vary depending on the type of furnace that’s being installed. Also, installing a gas furnace does have a couple additional steps that do not occur when installing an electric furnace.
When the installers begin, they will prep the area with drop cloths, assess how to remove the current system. And as they remove the old system, they will clean up their area. But this process can take between 1 and 3 hours depending on the complexity with the old existing system.
During a furnace installation many things occur:
The first thing is they have to set the furnace up to accept the new filter on the side of the furnace with the return air. And that requires a hole to be cut in the side of the furnace. They need to line it up with the existing supply plenum and then make everything level.
Oftentimes, there could be ductwork modifications that are needed with new furnace installations. Common ductwork modifications include a new plenum and maybe a return air drop. Ductwork modifications can add between 1 and 4 hours to a job.
Since gas furnaces use natural gas or propane as their fuel source, they will need to be hooked up to a gas line. Most of the time it's an easy connection to the existing gas line. However, sometimes no gas lines exist so adding a new gas line could take a few extra hours. Additionally, you have the venting of the equipment. Exhaust is important with gas furnaces. And depending on the type of furnace that you have you’re going to have one or maybe two exhaust or flues that’ll either run to the outside or run up the existing chimney or flue piping. At that time there is 1 to 2 hours that are generally needed for this to happen.
Towards the end of the installation process, they’ll need to finalize all the wiring to communicate with the outdoor unit, the thermostat, and any other accessories that may have been added like a humidifier. Additionally, there are condensate lines for the drain to be taken out to your floor drain. There’s low voltage wiring and of course high voltage wiring to hook back up to the furnace. These also could take an hour or two extra depending on what’s needed to hook them up.
Once everything is hooked up and sealed the final step is to turn it on and have it commissioned. Commissioning new HVAC equipment is critical and is often ignored by HVAC contractors. It's done to ensure everything is operating as it should and within manufacturer specifications. Failing to commission a furnace can result in a loss of performance, wasted energy, or premature failure. Once everything checks out, the installers will clean up the area and review the installation with you.
Best practices to protect your investment
Now that the installation is complete there are a few steps to take to get the most from your investment. One of the best things you can do is to replace your filter on a regular basis. A clogged filter can do a lot of harm to your HVAC system. Set reminders to change your filter. Next, schedule maintenance. After your installation maintenance should be done every year and is needed to uphold most manufacturer warranties. Neglecting to have your HVAC system serviced could result in 30-50% higher utility bills. So, signing up with a maintenance agreement is one of the easiest ways to ensure your HVAC system gets the regular maintenance it needs.
What are the next steps?
We hope by now you have a better understanding of what goes on during a typical furnace installation and how long it takes. If you are looking to invest in a new furnace or full HVAC system and are in the Central Ohio area, feel free to schedule a free estimate on our website. We’d love to sit down with you and go over your options. Thank you for watching and we look forward to making your day better.
