I’m sorry you’re dealing with this! My first thought was contacting your insurance company. I assume you’re insured, yes?

" I assume you’re insured, yes?" My thought exactly.

Connecticut Yankeeeee and klem 1......my apologies.....I failed to mention that we are insured. Our insurance adjuster is questioning whether our HVAC system needs to be replaced despite the recommendations of the restoration company and the HVAC company. I thought I'd reach out to the Houzz community for some feedback.

Why didn't you say that in the first place? You tell that adjuster Klem said the complete system including ductwork should be replaced. If the adjuster gives you any problem,let us know and we will send A. Air and Elmer Fudd over to sit on his front porch. Furthermore tell him we don't tolerate surly ins adjusters.

Typically everything needs to go in a house fire (down to the studs and in some cases and studs will need encapsulation). Because smoke damage is permeating and you'll continue to smell odd odors.

So yeah, I'd say the HVAC company and restoration company is right.

The insurance company is doing what insurance companies do trying to cut their costs.

I bought a house 20 years ago from what I imagined was a chain smoker, took probably better part of a decade to rid the house of any remnant of cigi smoke. House fire is typically worse than that.

There is no telling what you're breathing just walking thru charred remains of the house? Did the restoration company show up with masks & body suits? Take the restoration company word for it, it's what they do. The HVAC company is spot on as well.

Tell the insurance adjuster you want the house restored to the condition it was "before" the fire & smoke permeated the building... the only way to do that -- complete gut job. If you don't do that you'll be dealing with odors for a long, long time.

Sandra - no need to apologize! You’ve got a lot on your plate. Yes, your insurance company is trying to get off cheap. Stand your ground. No way would I turn that thing on. FWIW- I had 3 family members lose homes, or sustained severe damage (repairable ) in So Cal during the massive fires. It was an unfortunately long, drawn out fight to get what they were insured for. Stand your ground!

Tell the insurance company two independent sources have told you that the system needs to be replaced. And don't take "NO" for an answer!

Even if the system is operable, I'd be concerned about the ability to completely remove toxic products of combustion in the duct work, coil, blower, etc. I'd push for replacement of the air handler, coil and and duct work at a minimum.

What is the situation now? What did insurance company say? Is it common that people sign hvac contracts these days ? Cause i found an example online https://lawrina.com/templates/hvac-contract/ and now thinking to do it. Wouldn't that be safer for me to have one company who takes care of that all the time?

The insurance company sent out someone from "HVAC claims" (name that came up on my phone). He said the HVAC system could be cleaned in 3 hours time. We disagree and so does our contractor.

That surprises me,I figured after hearing from houzzers they would replace the system.

"I figured after hearing from houzzers they would replace the system"

You know what they say about information obtained from the internet - it's worth what you paid for it!

I wouldn't accept this. Get you local utility company involved - they are an unbiased source of information.

I had a house fire during the winter of 1992 with the furnace running. Pulled out the fairly new furnace and stored it in a detached garage for a few years before installing it IN the same garage. It ran until 2017, but it always stunk. Cleaning did nothing because the smoke odors embed into the paint of the furnace. When I replaced the furnace the old one smelled like it did in 1992. They can clean it but will always smell of smoke.

The smoke can cause circuit bridging on the circuit boards long after the fire as the chemicals in the smoke continue to eat away. Many types of acids are produced because of the fire and they will continue to eat and pit away at the electronics and wiring including the blower motor windings. Seriously, how can they clean some of this stuff? They can't and it will still smell with potential of early failure.

sktn77a Thank you for the suggestion to contact our utility company. We hadn't thought of that. We've arranged a meeting with a utility inspector tomorrow.

kevin9408 Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. We were told about the acids destroying electronics over time from our restoration company's wonderful project manager (unfortunately left a short time later for another position). He was speaking mostly of items like televisions and appliances, but it makes perfect sense that it would affect the electronic parts of the furnace too. We're gathering information at the moment and will present our total replacement argument with our adjuster. Stories like yours help! I have a health problem that's worsened by exposure to VOCs (even the newly-built rental I'm living in has created problems). I will not be able to live in a house that is emitting smoke odors and all that comes with it.

You might look into hiring an independent insurance adjuster…they work for you, not an insurance company.

I find it hard to believe an insurance company would be questioning replacing these items. Who is the insurance company and what is the limit of the coverage for fire damage? Read the policy to see what is covered for cleaning versus replacing items. The fire occurred in August and the claims adjuster is still assessing the damage?