Is my HVAC guy right - or just trying to sell me a new unit?

I had my 12-year-old furnace serviced last week, and the tech showed me a crack in the heat exchanger with his camera. He said it was a safety hazard and I need a whole new system for $4,800. But my neighbor had his unit looked at by the same company and they told him the exact same thing, and his furnace was only 8 years old. Now I'm wondering if this is a real safety issue or just a sales pitch. Anyone else run into this with their local HVAC companies?

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sethtorres2mo ago

Had a similar run-in with my HVAC guy last year. He showed me what looked like a hairline crack on the camera, but when I got a second opinion from a smaller company, they said it was just surface rust and not a real safety issue. The fact that they pulled the exact same story on your neighbor who has a newer unit is a huge red flag. Did you ask if they could leak test the heat exchanger or show you actual carbon monoxide readings in your house?

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nancy3912mo ago

Idk, I'm not so sure it's that clear cut. A lot of those camera inspections can be misleading, sure, but it's also possible the second opinion guy just didn't want to deal with a tricky job or didn't have the right tools. I had a friend who ignored a similar warning from a big company, then a year later their furnace actually started leaking carbon monoxide, like the detectors were going off and everything. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather pay for a dye test or a combustion analysis myself before writing it all off as a scam.

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