SolvedHeating Installation
Anyone dealt with a new heating system coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations in Perth?
Asked by Ruby Russellin Perth, Western Australia· 4/7/2026· 1115 views
I'm in Perth, Western Australia and dealing with a 18-year-old new heating system in our semi-detached home. Over the past two weeks, it has been coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations and we're now noticing the upstairs stays noticeably worse than the main floor.
One contractor quoted A$1,936 for repair, while another jumped straight to a A$8,596 replacement because of the age. The weather here has been dealing us sudden shoulder-season temperature swings, so I do not want to wait too long, but I also do not want to approve the wrong scope.
If you were comparing bids on this, what would you want checked first? I especially want to know how much weight you would give to load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging.
replacementquotessizing
12 Answers
32
✓ Accepted Answer
We used the directory reviews to filter out firms that were vague about what they had actually tested. That saved us a lot of time. We had a related issue with our new heating system in Perth. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Olivia Russell·4/7/2026
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From a contractor side, I would not approve a major repair or replacement without test results that line up with the symptoms. For a new heating system that is coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations, the first things I would ask for are load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Perth, Western Australia, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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The recommendation should be tied to measurements, not just the age of the equipment. Age matters, but it is not a diagnosis on its own. For a new heating system that is coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations, the first things I would ask for are load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Perth, Western Australia, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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The price range alone does not tell you enough. Ask what was tested, what failed, and which assumptions are built into the quote. For a new heating system that is coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations, the first things I would ask for are load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Perth, Western Australia, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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If this landed on my schedule, I would want to document the core readings first and then explain exactly why the repair does or does not make economic sense. For a new heating system that is coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations, the first things I would ask for are load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Perth, Western Australia, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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If you can, ask whether they checked airflow before recommending equipment. We nearly replaced a system when the bigger issue was elsewhere. We had a related issue with our new heating system in Perth. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Daniel Hughes·4/9/2026
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What helped us most was breaking the quote into labour, parts, warranty, and optional upgrades. The expensive bid looked very different once it was itemized. We had a related issue with our new heating system in Perth. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Noah Reid·4/7/2026
15
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From a contractor side, I would not approve a major repair or replacement without test results that line up with the symptoms. For a new heating system that is coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations, the first things I would ask for are load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Perth, Western Australia, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
12
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Before signing anything, I would ask the technician to show the readings and explain which number actually supports the recommendation. For a new heating system that is coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations, the first things I would ask for are load calculation, venting requirements, duct sizing, and equipment staging. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Perth, Western Australia, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
11
0
We used the directory reviews to filter out firms that were vague about what they had actually tested. That saved us a lot of time. We had a related issue with our new heating system in Perth. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Lucas Murphy·4/8/2026
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We had something similar and the turning point was asking each company for the actual readings in writing instead of a verbal explanation. We had a related issue with our new heating system in Perth. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Ava Kelly·4/8/2026
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What helped us most was breaking the quote into labour, parts, warranty, and optional upgrades. The expensive bid looked very different once it was itemized. We had a related issue with our new heating system in Perth. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Avery Bennett·4/7/2026