How Long Does A Furnace Installation Take?

How Long Does Furnace Installation Take?

4-9 hours is typical for a furnace installation.

Most sources will estimate in the 6-9 hour range for a furnace install. For easier installations with larger teams of technicians, this can be shorter, while the most complex home furnace installations can take all day.

In this article, we’ll explain why this is the typical length of a furnace installation, and also explain what factors can contribute to it going longer.

Particularly when it’s cold outside, you deserve peace of mind knowing that you won’t have to go multiple days without heat. This can be a danger to your home and your family. Fortunately, any reputable HVAC contractor will be able to perform all but the most complicated and large installation jobs in a single day. Let’s break down that process.

What Affects Furnace Install Time?

4-9 hours is a somewhat wide range? How do you know which end of that spectrum you’ll be on, or if you should worry about it going even longer?

The easiest way to know is simply to ask your HVAC contractor. If they can’t give you a direct answer, it’s a red flag.

Any installer should have a standard process that they can map to a timeline. They should also be aware of any special circumstances that might lengthen the installation, and account for this in their time estimate.

What are some things that affect the install range, though?

One is how many technicians are part of the installation team. Many contractors will have teams of two; this is most typical. Depending on the company and circumstances, though, this could be a single person or a larger team.

More hands makes less work, and so this can reduce installation time, but also potentially increase labor costs. We’ll talk about some other factors below that are uncommon but possible additions to a furnace installation.

Before Installation Day

Having met with an HVAC company and agreed to a new furnace installation, you should get a notification before the day of installation. Many contractors will have multiple notifications, via email, phone call or text to confirm the day and time.

Installers generally arrive in the morning, to give them enough time to complete an installation in a day.

You should also do a couple things to make the process easier:

1. Clean out anything around the furnace unit itself, and the pathway from the front door to the furnace.
2. Keep any young children or pets safely away from the work area.

If you have boxes stacked around your furnace or other debris, it’s a good idea to clear it out anyway. But you’ll need to do so before the installers will have a safe space to work within.

The Furnace Installation Process

This isn’t a DIY guide for every step in a typical furnace installation. In complicated jobs, there can be hundreds of steps!

However, here are some of the largest steps every company should take during a furnace install:

• Cleaning and Preparing the Area – could include laying drop-cloths, sweeping the area and removing any obstacles.
• Turning off Power – safety is important. Gas and electrical lines to the unit should be off before work starts.
• Removal of Old Equipment – may involve cutting of sheet metal or removal of certain parts, then physically removing the old unit.
• Bringing in Central Furnace Unit – The main unit is put into place, and ancillary parts are brought in that will need to be connected.
• Reestablishing Connections – this could be electrical connections, ductwork connections, or those to gas lines or exhaust flue. Securing and sealing each of these is important to avoid air and moisture leaks.
• Turning Power Back On – prepare the system to run.
• Calibrating and Testing – sometimes called commissioning, this should include numerous tests of air pressure, static pressure, air flow and heat levels to ensure it’s operating properly.
• Cleanup and Debrief With Homeowner – clean the area and walk through the system with the homeowner.

This again isn’t comprehensive, but covers the largest steps in the process.

The calibration is sometimes skipped, but it’s among the most important to getting the most out of your system. Make sure your HVAC company commissions their equipment before agreeing to an installation from them!

What Can Extend Install Timelines?

That’s the general process, but what can make it longer? Each of the items below isn’t necessarily typical, but each can lengthen a furnace install by several hours depending on the extent of the work.

Ductwork Modification

Your ductwork shouldn’t need altered for a furnace install, right? Well, hopefully not. However, sometimes it will, for some extremely important reasons.

HVAC comfort is related to air flow, and air flow directly corresponds to furnace capacity. If you’ve had an addition to your home or merely have a more powerful furnace system now, your airflow could be thrown off when the new furnace is installed.

A lot of times this means we replace the return air drop near the furnace in your ductwork. This isn’t a huge addition to the installation, but it does add some time and money to the process.

Worst case – and this is rare – more holistic ductwork modification needs to happen. You should never find this out on the day of the installation, though. Your HVAC partner should inform you beforehand if this is the case, and it will be put into the estimate that you agree to.

Electrical Work

Sometimes new electrical lines will need to be added to a furnace installation.

What for? It could be a more sophisticated thermostat. Or a ducted humidifier. Or maybe you’re transitioning from a natural gas system to an electrical system.

The addition or modification of significant electrical components may require the presence of a licensed electrician.

Some HVAC contractors are also licensed electricians and can do this work themselves. Other times it will require an outside contractor to be brought in for this work. Either way, it will be a part of the initial installation quote, but may add somewhat to install time.

Gas Lines

We mentioned transitioning from gas to electric, but the opposite can occur as well. Natural gas is currently significantly cheaper as an energy source than electricity in many parts of the country. As a result, it can be cost-effective to transition to a natural gas system.

This isn’t available everywhere, and sometimes when it is, it still requires that the gas company run a new gas line to your home or turn on an existing one.

The good news is that this happens before the installation, not during it.

However, if this is a step that needs done, it can delay the day of your install until it’s complete.

Full System Installs

The other major thing that can extend the time it takes to install a furnace is if it’s part of a full system installation at the same time.

This could mean either an air conditioner or heat pump. It’s best to check with your HVAC partner to get a more accurate estimate on time when this is being done. Often, some installation steps overlap between the two and can cut down on time relative to both of them being done separately. However, the total time might still be longer, and it could become a two-day job.

Should You Replace Your Whole System?

So what are the advantages and disadvantages to replacing your whole system at the same time.

The disadvantages are obvious: the initial cost will be much higher than just a furnace replacement, and the time it takes for the installation will be longer.

The upsides may also seem obvious, but a couple might not be:

1. You can often save on labor charges by doing both at once.
2. It’s easier to pair the technology in a system when it’s installed at the same time, which can lead to increases in system efficiency.
3. You synchronize your warranty and tune-up schedule, and potentially increase the value of your home by upgrading the entire HVAC system.

The answer of whether or not you should replace your whole system or just your furnace is a personal one. Only you can answer it for your home. However, benefits do exist for those considering it that can make it the more attractive option.

Post-Install HVAC Contractor Checklist

Once the installation is finished, there’s still more to do.

For starters, the lead installer should walk you through everything that was done, all of the aspects of your new system

There should also be a follow-up after a period of weeks to make sure you aren’t having any issues with the new equipment. This is particularly true if you had your furnace installed during or just before the heating season.

Additional follow-ups are typical for many companies. These can occur at 90 days, six months, and even one year later. No contractor we’re aware of will do follow-up communications for every one of these, but most will do at least one of them.

The last of these (one year) is usually also a good time to schedule your first tune-up for the new furnace. Tune-ups help to keep your system running efficiently and they are also necessary to maintain the warranty on most systems.

Your Home Furnace Installation

Hopefully we’ve quelled any fears you might have about installation time, and also given you some information on the processes in furnace installation.

HVAC isn’t cheap. It can be on par with new windows, a new car, or new siding. That’s why it’s important to get it right.

At CABS, we install furnaces and full HVAC systems across the Sacramento area. If you’re looking for accurate quotes on a variety of furnace options to meet your comfort and budget needs, give us a call today!