Furnace Repair - am I being ripped off?

[chrisMatiC413]

Apologies in advance if I'm posting this in the wrong forum (new member here)

long story short...
- my 7 yr old furnace breaks
- one of the valves on the gas valve is broken
- call repairman and he replaces the gas valve with a 'brand new' one
- $$$$ parts/labor
- 2 weeks pass
- furnace fails again
- gas valves aren't opening after circuit board 'clicks'
- I call a repairman (from the same company) and he comes to diagnose the problem
- says the solenoid is causing something in the gas valve to 'stick' (which he says, is common in brand new gas valves)
- he taps the gas valve with a wrench a few times
- then he looks at the connectors on the circuit board
- he says the contacts (from the circuit board) are dusty and that could be why the valve is not getting enough energy (signal) to open the valves
- we try lighting the furnace again- and now it works!
- $$$ labor
- 3 weeks pass
- now having the same issue as last time (gas valves aren't opening after circuit board clicks several times)

***

Does this sound like I need a new gas valve? I mean, is this common in a new gas valve where the solenoid is sticking like this? I'll be the first to admit I'm not a professional, but logic tells me that if I have something 'new' I shouldn't have to hit it like the Fonz to get it working again.

At first I was convinced that it was the contacts being dusty for why the valves didn't open but I find it VERY hard to believe that after 3 weeks my furnace doesn't work because of more dust, when the previous 7 yrs I never had touched those contacts before (i know, i know, im going to start being more mindful and get annual cleaning on my unit).

anyones thoughts on this situation?

thanks in advance!

[crego97]

need to edit your post and take out prices or they are going to be edited out.
Chad

[big sky hvac]

Do gas valves fail, yes. Do they fail often, no not in my experiences. The thing that troubles me is that the company would charge you for another service call when the repair that they made earlier isn't fixing your original problem. As far as the "dust on the contacts" thing goes, the tech is drawing at straws and is blowing smoke up your arse. He doesn't sound like he's the guy that should be working on the furnace because his reasons for the furnace not working are B.S. Dust on the contacts and sticking solenoid are poor excuses for not being able to figure out whats wrong. If the solenoid is sticking in the gas valve, then replace it. And it should be replaced at no charge to you as it was just replaced a little over a month ago. I would recommend calling the company and speak with the owner and ask him why you were charged a second service call when the repair that was made did not solve your problem and that you would like an experienced tech to come out to fix it.

[seanddd]

I hate to question the techs' competency, but did he check the *** switches, *** motor and/or fetch error codes? Your chance of having several bad gas valves is quite slim. If you didn't see him use a manometer when he was there, then he is no good.

[martin&sonsa/c]

:ditto:

[chrisMatiC413]

I hate to question the techs' competency, but did he check the *** switches, *** motor and/or fetch error codes? Your chance of having several bad gas valves is quite slim. If you didn't see him use a manometer when he was there, then he is no good.

unlike the first tech (on the first visit) this guy didn't even bring out any kind of digital manometer; he only read the panel by the power switch and saw that by the blinking lights knew what the error code was (sorry I don't know the technical terms here).

[seanddd]

You should call them back and insist on a refund of the 2nd $60 charge and demand a good repair. with new parts replacement, we guarantee that parts and labor for 6 months.


unlike the first tech (on the first visit) this guy didn't even bring out any kind of digital manometer; he only read the panel by the power switch and saw that by the blinking lights knew what the error code was (sorry I don't know the technical terms here).

[chrisMatiC413]

thanks for all the replies everyone

one more question I hope you guys can answer before I call them back...

Is it typical for parts in a brand new gas valve to 'get stuck' because of the solenoid? If it's not, I'll be asking/demanding for a new gas valve be installed to replace the faulty one they provided on their first visit.

[Mr Bill]

thanks for all the replies everyone

one more question I hope you guys can answer before I call them back...

Is it typical for parts in a brand new gas valve to 'get stuck' because of the solenoid? If it's not, I'll be asking/demanding for a new gas valve be installed to replace the faulty one they provided on their first visit.

Chris, it is possible that new parts can fail, but this is not the principle, "regardless" if the tech diagnosed the problem correctly the first time and he feels it's a "new" faulty valve, he should replace it at "NO CHARGE" this is a given. Now if there is something like water in your gas or something causing the valve to fail again, other than the valve itself, well he diagnosed wrong from the beginning, and need to get back out @no charge and figure out the real issue.

[TwincamDave]

Sounds to me like the service guys are paid on a commision. Not saying it is right just understandable.

[chrisMatiC413]

i just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for their professional and qualified replies

I definitely wanted to understand the current situation, and hear all of your perspectives, before going into that conversation with the hvac company

hopefully things get resolved smoothly

again, thanks for your time and candor

[tipsrfine]

I hate to question the techs' competency, but did he check the *** switches, *** motor and/or fetch error codes? Your chance of having several bad gas valves is quite slim. If you didn't see him use a manometer when he was there, then he is no good.

I replaced a gas valve once and the new one I installed was defective and the second one was defective. On the third one I asked for a valve with a
different lot number and no problem. Must have been a bad day on the assembly line with the first lot number.

[martyinlincoln]

I replaced a gas valve once and the new one I installed was defective and the second one was defective. On the third one I asked for a valve with a
different lot number and no problem. Must have been a bad day on the assembly line with the first lot number.

Had the exact same thing happen when I first started doing service. New parts being bad out of the box is very rare but it happens. Customer paid for the first one but the other two were warranty.

[JLgodfrey]

needs to check gas pressure in and out as well as that will cause failures. Also i have seen gas valves over tightened with a pipe wrench when being put on manifold enough to make the valve stick. None of it is your fault though.

[blitz]

did he check how much voltage coming out if the board and how much coming into the valve at the end of the harness? intermittent problem is hard to diagnose, espc if it's been 3 weeks w/ no problem. it could be the harness from the board into the gas valve or the board it self is failing.

on avg newer furnace is 10-15 yrs life expectancy ( just like a dog!!!) some are way longer and some die young. now, perhaps you want to look into getting a new furnace also. it's not wise to keep throwing money into older equipment.

[egads]

I wouldn't consider 7 years "old equipment"
(although it could be builder grade)

OP: what brand and model number is this furnace?

[chrisMatiC413]

hey everyone, just an update:

- i called this company and spoke with the owner and communicated my frustrations on needing a 3rd visit

- interesting enough, as I spoke with him, he said right off the bat (while looking at the previous work ticket) that he didn't like what he saw from the technician's notes (meaning it looked like he didn't do as much as he could)

- instead of refunding my recent payment, he offered a full-service furnace cleaning (valued $20 over what my refund would have looked like)

- technicians came the next day, I told them what happened with that second visit, and after some time they diagnosed it as a bad gas valve

- they told me that if its brand new, the solenoid (sp?) shouldn't be getting stuck like that and the previous guy 'banging on the valve with his wrench' should've known better

- the replaced the gas valve with another 'brand new one' free of charge and I once again have heat to keep me warm during this extended chicago winter

- it was interesting to me the difference between the 9-5 technicians and the on-call guys (the previous technician was on-call); if its not an emergency Im definitely waiting for an appointment during regular business hours

*** just wanted to say thanks to everyone on here that shared their time and professional opinions on my situation. your replies are much appreciated and they helped me prepare with the conversation I had with the owner of this HVAC company

cheers hvac-talk.com :cheers:

[blitz]

on call attitude always get in quick, get out quicker and then we can go back to sleep. H/O has heat, job done. OP: when u have a tech on call most likely u just woke him up from his sleep (depending on the time) and wife is mad coz the ph rang and wake her up too, he's tired from the day and still have to show up at 8 in the morning, soooo yea things could get misdiagnosed. we're only human too :)

[pacnw]

on call usually means more $$$$$$$$$$ being paid by YOU the customer and YOU liked the quicker time/cost.

now that it still has a problem, the quick time is not looking so good.