Another HVAC Scam to Watch Out For...

As an experienced HVAC technician, I always derive a little entertainment out of hearing new ways HVAC technicians try to dupe customers. A recent one I caught wind of was especially cleaver.

A potential customer had called us looking for a furnace service call on the weekend when it was in the single digits for temperatures. Some undisclosed company was able to get there quicker than we were, and then got the service call because of it.

When cold weather hits, people become easy targets for HVAC scams, because they make rushed decisions

I followed up with the gal later that afternoon to make sure she was taken care of, and she informed me that the company said she would likely need a new furnace, despite her furnace being 14 years old. Curious, I asked what their diagnosis was, and she told me that the blower fan had burned out. Before I could interject, she said the technician said because the blower fan went out, the blower fan wheel was probably bad, and would likely need to be ordered in and could take a couple weeks to receive. This lady, who was in her 90’s, was adamant that she needed heat ASAP, so the furnace guy had her between a rock and a hard place, and she would probably need a new furnace and it would have to be installed at an emergency rate.

I couldn’t help but laugh audibly.

Any furnace technician worth anything, likely carries numerous universal fan motors on his truck. I’m sure this guy was no different. I can’t say he’s entirely lying; Perhaps the wheel was out of balance or something, but I still think it was pretty disingenuous to suggest heat wasn’t possible to get without a new system. We do see wheels that frequently get caked up with dust and dander particles, which can also contribute to an imbalance, but usually a good cleaning with a wire brush and an air compressor does the trick in these cases. We even had one instance recently where there was a freshly dead mouse stuck in the fan motor, and the thing created such an imbalance that the whole furnace was practically rocking back and forth.

Mice can pose a major threat to furnaces, from eating electrical connections, to destroying the ventilation system.

Anyways, long story short, she called her technician back and said she didn’t care about the fan wheel, and just wanted the motor, and thanked us for the advice. It’s still a story of the one that got away on our end, but hopefully pointing her in the right direction this time will encourage a call towards our way in the future.

If you have an issue with your fan motor, or would like a second opinion on an issue you’re having; don’t hesitate to call! We understand that people are frequently looking for an HVAC partnership they can trust, and we try to be a reliable source for people.