Furnace problem?

[wolfman]

Today, I had a Heating and Cooling company called Admiral Services do an inspection on my furnace. It has been heating OK but decieded on an inspection because it is over 30 years old. They turned off the gas and comdemned it. They said that they could not relight it because of liability issues and that I would have to re-light it.

They said that they had found some rust in the burners and cracks in the heat exchange. They showed them to me too. They did not look too bad to me, but I have an untrained eye for this. They then tried to sell me on replacing the furnace for around $3000. I chose to think about it and light the furnace again for now.

Does anyone know if cracks in the exchange are that big of a deal? Am I placing myself in a dangerous situation? Could they be scaring me into paying a lot of money for a unit that I dont really need? I am in DFW and the company rep said that they are new here but are established in SanAntonio and Houston. Has anyone ever had any dealings with them before? Does $3000 sound high for a furnace replacement. (it is in the attic).

 

[Bevoldemort]

$3k sounds high to me. I think there is a real risk. It may not be as high as implied, but I do know of house fires from situations like yours.

 

[cmvUT75]

Get a second, third, and maybe even a fourth opinion ... they are definitely not the only A/C & Heater repair/replacement firm in DFW.

 

[horngirl]

If you have cracks in the heat exchange you are risking carbon monoxide poisoning. If you are going to run this unit go get a carbon monoxide detector now. And then worry about a second opinion later.

 

[horn4life]

Like ANY frigging 30 year old furnace won't have some rust and probably some cracks (not gaps) in the heat exchanger.

I will be dimes to dollars you can find a better price than three grand. They were trying to scare you into buying.