Amana GMH95 Distinctions — 95% AFUE gas furnace Price

• Posted in Amana Furnace, Gas Furnaces
• on January 17, 2011
• No Comments.

Amana has upgraded their quality in the last 5-7 years and now are among the highest rated gas furnaces.  In addition, they are backed by the best warranty in the industry and also tend to be very affordable.  But none of that matters if you don’t have your unit installed correctly.  The following letter from Jake in Boulder, Colorado about the Amana GMH95 Distinctions — 95% AFUE Gas Furnace Price delivers that message pretty clearly.

“Last spring I bought a used Amana GMH95 Distinctions gas furnace locally from a contractor.  He said it had about 9 months use on it.  He had sold it to a homeowner in a ‘6 months same as cash’ deal. The cash never came and when the house was foreclosed on he showed a lien on the furnace and was awarded it.  He sold me the furnace for $1,000, promising it worked fine and offered to install it for $1,500 which he said would include a 5-year warranty that he would personally back.  His normal HVAC prices for a new Amana GMH95 Distinctions and installation are:

Amana GMH95 Distinctions, 92,000 gas furnace, $1,799; Basic installation, $1,800 – $2,300 depending on specific circumstances.  Total: $3,599 to $4,099.

I’m a mechanic and he works construction.  How hard could it be for a couple guys like us, right?  We pulled out the old unit, got a new plenum sized and made up, and started to install the new one.  It was a little more complicated than we expected and neither of us had a couple of the tools we needed, but we made do.  On Sunday afternoon we fired up the furnace.  Like an automobile engine with plug wires crossed, it rattled and shook and finally quit.  We made what we thought were helpful adjustments to the gas pressure valve and tried again.  It revved and never fired.  We called it quits and had a beer.  I didn’t know whether the guy had sold me a bad unit or we just didn’t know what we were doing.

I called him Monday, and when he stopped laughing offered me a deal.  Give him a chance to install it properly for $1,500 and if it didn’t work, he’d give me my money back.  I took him up on the offer.  A few days later he and a helper were there at 8 a.m.  He reiterated the deal – he’d install it for $1,500 ‘or,’ he said ‘for $2,000 if you want to help.’  Well, by 2:30 the furnace was cranking out the heat and humming like a finally tuned V-8.  ‘Do you want me to show you what you did wrong?’ he asked.  I said no, because I never plan to try to install one again.  I gladly paid him and he gave me the warranty once he saw that we hadn’t ruined the furnace.”

We’re glad things worked out for Jake.  We know he got a good deal on an outstanding furnace that offers:

• Up to 95% AFUE, an Energy Star rated model that is eligible for the extended federal energy tax credits.
• Dual diameter heat exchanger for advanced heating efficiency.
• 2-stage gas valve lets the unit run on low to maintain consistent heat and on high only to boost heat.
• 4-speed circulator motor for quiet, efficient performance.
• Silicon nitride long-life igniter.
• Units sized 46KBtu, 69K Btu, 92K Btu and 115K Btu.
• Limited lifetime warranty on heat exchanger including 10-year unit replacement if it fails in the first decade.  10-year limited warranty on all moving parts.  Warranties are offered to original owner of the furnace.

Jake’s note is a great reminder to have a qualified contractor get it right in the first place.  When you hire an experienced professional you’ll enjoy the confidence that your unit is safe and that you are getting the fuel efficiency and performance out of it that you should be.