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Installation Guidance
Installation Manuals
All manufacturers include installation instructions with their
equipment. The instructions are detailed in all technical aspects
of the installation, as well as safety requirements for doing the
job properly. You can see some sample installation instructions
below to learn more about how to install a furnace or heater:
Gas Forced Air Furnace
Gas Boiler
Packaged Unit
If you do the installation yourself, be safe and read the entire
installation instruction manual provided by the manufacturer
before proceeding.
Videos
Some companies that
sell equipment also oer
installation videos for
some parts of the job,
or for installing the equipment accessories. Watching someone
else in the video do the job rst, and then following their lead
makes the job go more smoothly. Check around to see what
videos are available to you.
Technical Support
What happens if you have a question when you are working on
the project that you can’t nd the answer to in the installation
instructions? It is good to have someone to talk to who is ex-
perienced with the product that can help you out. Many stores
who sell heating equipment and furnaces have experts on sta
to answer your questions should you need them. When you
buy from a company, make sure they have technical support
for you after the purchase. Find out if the support is oered free
with your purchase, and if it is unlimited and available for as
long as you own your equipment. Having a pro available can
make the dierence between frustration and a smooth instal-
lation.
Inspection and Startup
If you do decide to install your furnace or heater yourself, it
is very strongly recommended that you have a professional
heating contractor do the nal inspection and start-up of the
equipment. The contractor will make sure that the equipment
is properly installed. He will also turn on the equipment for the
rst time, make any necessary adjustments such as to fuel pres-
sure, if needed, and watch to see that everything is operating
properly. Having this professional do the startup and inspec-
tion gives you the assurance that your system will operate
safely. It might also be required by some product suppliers or
manufacturers to validate the warranty.
Any heating contractor who works on your type of heater can
provide the inspection and startup for you. It should take the
service technician less than an hour to do, and will cost the visit
minimum which is usually $70 to $130, depending on where
you live. If you need help nding a contractor to do this for you,
the store you bought the product from might be able to assist
you in locating a contractor – ask them and nd out if they oer
this service.
Professional Installation
You have three avenues for getting a new heating system installed
with the assistance of a contractor:
Do what most people do and have a local 1
heating contractor supply the equipment
and install it as a complete package deal.
Buy the equipment yourself online, and then hire a local 2
contractor to do the installation for you.
If you are skilled in doing your own home projects and want 3
to save even more money, you can buy the furnace yourself
from an online store, do some or most of the installation
yourself, and then have a local heating contractor nish up
the job, or just do the nal inspection and startup.
If you want to go the rst route, simply look in your local
telephone directory under “heating” or “furnace” and you’ll nd
plenty of contractors ready and willing to sell and install their
equipment for you.
Assuming, though, that you want to save money by taking
more control of the buying and installation process, you’ll want
to take routes number two or three. The following are some
things to know about nding and selecting a contractor who
will do a good job at a fair price.
Where to find a contractor (CAP)
The phone book of course has listings of contractors who can
help you out. Call them up, tell them you have your own equip-
ment, and ask if they can give you a price to install it. They will
likely need to visit your home to see the job and to provide a
price in writing.
You can also talk to the company you purchased the products
from and see if they have a contractor location service to assist
you in nding a contractor for you.
When you call contractors inquiring about their installation
services, you’ll nd two basic types of responses: