Should I Buy A New Furnace?

T. Dennis

I have a circuit board going out on my Rheem Criterion furnace. It has been coming on but not staying on so my HVAC service provider tells me that I can either replace the circuit board for $400 or buy a new unit for $2000. The unit is 11 years old. Not sure how long a furnace should last so I'm uncertain if I should bite the bullet for a new unit.

Does anyone know how much useful life I should expect from a Rheem?

Steve Wiggins

Man I have replaced a lot of circuit boards on those Rheem Criterions.... Along with the board replacement they recommend a flame sensor kit. I would assume the $400 includes that. Wow I hope it's not just a dirty flame sensor...did they clean it already?

Is there a cooling coil dripping water down on the board in the summer? Is the flue gas condensing and dripping whiteness on the board in the winter?

With good air flow you should get 15-20 yrs. out of your Rheem. Don't close off any supply vents, it can overheat your furnace. Measure the inlet and outlet supply temps and compare them to the nameplate temp rise data to see if you furnace is overheating.

You might try getting a second opinion from a small one man shop....these are normally the most experienced people in the residental market. Customers flock to those big companies that have to sell you a PM agreement to afford all that overhead and on top of that send a rookie out to do the work. Ain't fair to ya.

If you get a new furnace I highly recommend the Amana stainless steel lifetime warranty.

Bjd

Yea i will go along with Steve on this one, 15 - 20 years is the normal running lifetime of these units. I would also ge a 2nd on the repairs.

Bernie