CRAWLSPACE AND ATTIC CHANGE-OUTS
Furnace installation and replacement in Springdale, AR
Furnace change-outs in crawlspaces, attics and closets across Northwest Arkansas, with the flue, the gas connection and the ductwork handled by one crew.
Chapter 01
When the old furnace stops being worth another repair
Furnaces do not usually die on a schedule. They get old, they get loud, and they start asking for repairs a little more often each winter. Uneven heat from room to room, a burner that rumbles on startup, a gas bill that creeps up with no change in how you live: these are the quiet signs a furnace is near the end of what it can give.
The serious sign is a cracked heat exchanger, because that part keeps combustion gases away from the air your family breathes. A tech who finds one shuts the furnace down and tells you straight. Stith's own guidance is simple: if the system is newer and the repair is minor, repair it. If it is old, inefficient or repairing frequently, replacement may be the better long-term option.
That honesty is why replacement is never the first thing a Stith tech says. Amanda Lykins wrote on Google that when it was an easy fix, Ridge did not tell her she needed a new one, and that she has “the peace of mind that they will get us what we need and not just try to make a quick buck off of us.” When a replacement is the honest answer, you can believe it.
A replacement furnace and new ductwork installed in a crawlspace
Crawlspaces, attics and closets: where Northwest Arkansas furnaces live
Very few furnaces sit in a spot with room to work. Stith's own job photos show the real range: a replacement furnace and new ductwork in a crawlspace, an upright furnace in an insulated attic, a furnace beside a water heater in a utility room, and a furnace with its yellow gas line and flue run across attic framing. Every one of those is a different carry, a different set of angles and a different plan.
The old furnace comes out, and it leaves the house. The new one goes in on a solid, level base. The gas line gets reconnected and checked for leaks, the flue is run so the exhaust leaves the house the way it should, and the electrical and condensate connections are made. Gary Stith is a Master Plumber and Pipe Fitter, so the gas and venting side of the job is work his own shop knows.
Ductwork is where an install either feels right or does not. The transition between the new furnace and the existing trunk has to fit the new cabinet, not the old one. Gary Stith's credentials include sheet metal fabrication, so when the new cabinet does not match the old opening, the transition gets made to fit rather than forced.
Chapter 03
Sizing it to the house, then testing it before the truck leaves
A new furnace should be sized to the house it is heating, not copied from the nameplate of the one coming out. Insulation, windows and added rooms have changed since the old unit went in. Too big and it short cycles, heating the air fast and shutting off before the whole house evens out. Too small and it runs all night and never catches up in a cold snap.
Startup is the last and most important step. The burner is lit and watched, the flame checked, the flue checked for proper draft, the blower and safety controls tested, and the thermostat taken through a full call for heat. Carbon monoxide gets measured. The old unit is hauled off, the work area is swept up, and the homeowner is walked through the filter and the thermostat before anyone leaves.
The furnace blower also moves your summer air across the AC coil, so a change-out is a good time to look at the cooling side. Stith will set both up as one plan if the air conditioner is near the end too, and say so plainly if it is not. The AC installation page covers that job.
A family shop on the install and on the next cold morning
Stith was founded in 1965 by Gary Stith's father and uncle, built on a simple idea: “Do honest work. Treat customers right. Stand behind every job.” Gary joined in 1992 and bought the business in 1998. Today three generations of Stiths work out of the shop at 2231 N Lowell Road in Springdale, and the van that shows up for your furnace carries the same name that has served Northwest Arkansas since 1965.
The company's own site says all heating, air conditioning and plumbing installation and services are 100% guaranteed. The shop that installs the furnace is the same shop you call about it later, and Leigh and Kathy in the office keep communication moving from the first call to the final walkthrough. Stith serves Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Lowell and Tontitown, along with the smaller towns around them.
Family-owned since 1965, run by Gary Stith, Master Plumber and Pipe Fitter, since 1998. Call (479) 751-9691.