SolvedHeating Installation
Repair or replace a 9-year-old new heating system in Chicago?
Asked by Monica Reidin Chicago, Illinois· 3/19/2026· 1272 views
I'm in Chicago, Illinois and dealing with a 9-year-old new heating system in our small commercial unit. Over the last month, it has been coming in with wildly different replacement recommendations and we're now noticing the system sounds normal at startup but never quite settles into a steady cycle.
One contractor quoted $780 for repair, while another jumped straight to a $13,812 replacement because of the age. The weather here has been dealing us humid summer load, 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
4 Answers
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✓ Accepted Answer
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 Chicago. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Aria Thompson·3/19/2026
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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 Chicago, Illinois, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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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 Chicago. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Ruby Patel·3/19/2026
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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 Chicago. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Liam Kelly·3/19/2026