How Long Does a New Furnace Install Take?

Count on a new furnace installation taking most of the day. It usually takes one to two days, but it can take longer if you have to wait for city inspections or other weather-related delays.

Homeowners frequently ask how long installing a furnace should take because they expect guests or want their home heated as soon as possible. The amount of time that your install takes depends on the size of your house and the type of heating system that is being installed. New furnaces typically come in three sizes: 80 percent, 90 percent, and 100 percent of the home’s calculated heat load.

A typical room size might be 200 square feet (sq ft). An 80% furnace is designed to comfortably heat up to 160 sq ft. A 90% furnace heats up to 180 sq ft, and a 100% model heats 200 sq ft. The larger the room size you want to heat, the larger your furnace will be, and the longer it will take to install

If your home is extremely large or one of your rooms is much colder than others (with an outside wall or high ceiling), it may take even longer to hot those spaces. For example, an 80% single-stage furnace can typically heat 1,500 sq ft; however, that same space could require two to three days for installation if unique circumstances need special attention.

Here are some average times based on which type of system you’re installing:

Gas Furnace
Installation Time: 8-12 hours for 80%, 12-18 hours for 90% and 18 – 24 hours for 100%.
Oil Furnace Installation Time: 10-16 hours.
Electric Furnace Installation Time: 8-12 hours.

It’s important to note that these are just average times, as some installs can take even longer depending on the placement of your outdoor gas line, electric meter, or other installation location factors. Once those have been identified, installers will know how long it takes to do a proper job. You may want to ask about what they’ll be doing if you’re unsure. Sometimes homeowners think the furnace is installed wrong if there’s a problem because they assumed all installers did things the same way.

If you’re looking to install a whole-home climate control system, such as a central air conditioner and furnace, it can take an entire weekend.

However, most homes need furnaces, so they aren’t sitting around without heat for days waiting for installation. So even though it may take several long days (or possibly weeks), at least home improvement projects like this keep us all cozy and warm through winter! So if you were expecting guests over the weekend and hoped your new fireplace would be installed by then, better plan ahead.