Gas Furnace-to-Heat-Pump Conversion in Everett, WA 98208: Michael Replaced His Furnace Before It Quit

Location: 25th Drive Southeast corridor, Everett, WA 98208

Call Date: October 13, 2025

First Visit: October 13, 2025, 8:00 AM

Project Completion: October 14, 2025

Lead Technician: Dennis, 4 years in HVAC, lead installer

System Before: An old 80% downflow gas furnace in the garage of a 1999 two-story home, with a rusted-out flue pipe that posed a risk of carbon monoxide leaking into the home

System After: Mitsubishi 4-ton 48K Hyper Heat variable-speed heat pump (SUZAK48NLHZ) with a Mitsubishi 4-ton variable-speed electric air handler (SVZAP48NL), CAP G150 filter box, Mitsubishi communicating wireless thermostat, whole-house air purification system, and the rusted flue section replaced

Final Project Cost: $23,887.23 (after a $1,250.00 qualifying-model discount, an $851.15 cash discount, and a $100.00 drywall credit, before tax)

The furnace in Michael's garage on the 25th Drive Southeast corridor in Everett was still running in October 2025. It was an 80% efficient downflow gas furnace, standing next to the water heater in a 1999 two-story house of 2,168 square feet, and its flue pipe had rusted out. Michael did not wait for it to stop. He wanted it replaced before he got stuck without heat.

What he wanted instead was specific. The goals written on the job were a heat pump, a variable-speed system, and better air quality. Over October 13 and 14, a two-person crew took the gas furnace out and put a Mitsubishi Hyper Heat heat pump and electric air handler in its place.

Why Michael Replaced a Furnace That Still Ran

Michael is a returning Product Air Heating, Cooling, and Electric customer. The job was sold by Vince. Michael had also talked to another contractor before deciding. He would not say who, and the post will not guess. By our technician's account, he went with Product Air because we were the most thorough and transparent.

Replacing a furnace that still turns on is a decision a lot of homeowners put off, and it is worth naming why. A furnace that runs feels like a furnace that is fine, and the expensive replacement can always wait one more winter. The catch is that an old furnace rarely picks a convenient day to fail. It tends to go in the first hard cold snap, when every contractor's schedule is full and the house is already cold. Michael's call was the opposite: replace it in October, on his schedule, with the system that he wanted.

What the Furnace Replacement in Everett, WA 98208 Actually Found

Dennis led the crew on site. He has four years in HVAC and works as a lead installer, which on a job like this means owning the sequence: furnace out, air handler in, refrigerant lines, venting, and startup. The equipment in the garage was an 80% efficient gas furnace in a downflow configuration, meaning it pushed heated air down into the duct system below it, sitting in a 14.5-by-40-inch footprint next to the gas water heater.

The finding that mattered most was the venting. The flue pipe, the metal pipe that carries combustion exhaust out of the house, had rusted out. The estimate put it plainly: rusted-out venting can allow carbon monoxide to leak into the home, so we recommended getting it replaced. Michael approved that replacement as its own line, a section of 3-inch single-wall flue pipe up to 6 feet plus a 3-by-24-inch B-vent flue section.

Beyond the venting, our technician's read on the furnace was simple: the system was old and it was time for replacement. Nothing had failed outright. It had reached the age where it was going to.

Can a Heat Pump Replace a Gas Furnace in an Everett Home?

Yes, and in a ducted house it usually reuses the ductwork. The gas furnace comes out, an electric air handler goes in where it stood, and an outdoor heat pump connected to it by refrigerant piping does the heating in winter and the cooling in summer. Cold-climate models, which Mitsubishi sells under the Hyper Heat name, are built to keep heating as outdoor temperatures drop, which is the part homeowners in Western Washington ask about most.

It is also, in our own work, the more common choice now. Across the 67 HVAC equipment installs in the job records we pulled for our case studies from October 2025 to September 2026 whose invoice listed a heat pump or a gas furnace by model, 58 included a heat pump: 49 were heat pump only and 9 paired a heat pump with a gas furnace. Nine were gas furnaces only. That is a sample of our jobs, not every install we did in that year, but the direction is clear.

Michael's house is the worked example. The 80% downflow gas furnace came out, a Mitsubishi variable-speed electric air handler took its place in the garage, and the Hyper Heat outdoor unit went on a pad outside. The gas water heater next to it stayed.

The Plan: One System That Met Every Goal

Michael came in with three goals: a heat pump, variable-speed operation, and better air quality. The system Vince put together answered all three, and that was the reasoning for it, in our technician's words: it fit all of the customer goals. Michael approved two additions on top of the heat pump system.

The air scrubber, a whole-house air purification system, covers the third goal, alongside the CAP G150 filter box on the new air handler.

What Product Air Installed: A 4-Ton Mitsubishi Hyper Heat System

The crew from Product Air Heating, Cooling, and Electric removed the gas furnace and set the new Mitsubishi air handler in the garage. Outside, the heat pump went on a concrete and foam pad to the right of the furnace location, on the other side of the garage, and no line hide was needed over the refrigerant lines. They ran insulated copper refrigerant piping between the indoor and outdoor units, added the CAP G150 filter box and the Mitsubishi communicating wireless thermostat, installed the air scrubber, and replaced the rusted flue section. The job notes called for a 4-inch cap over the old furnace exhaust. The work ran under a Snohomish County mechanical permit. It is a standard heat pump installation in a garage furnace location.

Two Days, Two Installers, on 25th Drive Southeast

The install was booked as eight hours for two installers. The crew was at the house on the 25th Drive Southeast corridor from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on October 13, 2025, and the job was completed on October 14. Our technician described the job as routine.

Not all of it went right, and the record says so. By our technician's account, our crew made a mistake on the electrical side of the install. Michael saw how quickly we turned it around and got everything done correctly. Separately, the installers drilled a small hole in the drywall above the TV. Our install manager discussed it with Michael, and they agreed on a $100.00 credit, which is on the invoice.

The Real Number: $23,887.23

The heat pump system, air handler, filter box, thermostat, refrigerant piping, pad, mechanical permit, flue replacement, and air scrubber came to $23,887.23. That total reflects a $1,250.00 discount for a qualifying Mitsubishi model (the SUZAK48NLHZ is on the qualifying list), an $851.15 cash discount, and the $100.00 drywall credit. It is the final amount after all discounts and before tax.

No utility rebate applied. Snohomish County PUD's ducted heat pump rebate, as published on its site, requires electric heat to be a primary heating source in the home before the upgrade. A house heated by a gas furnace does not qualify, and the PUD does not list a separate rebate for switching from gas.

What It Means for Michael Going Forward

Michael wanted to replace an old furnace before it left him without heat, and he did, in October rather than in the middle of winter. In our technician's words, the furnace was old and inefficient, and the new system gave the house better air quality, a more even temperature, and air conditioning.

The rusted flue pipe that raised the carbon monoxide concern was replaced. All three of his goals, the heat pump, variable speed, and air quality, are in the system now running the house.

FAQ

Can a heat pump replace a gas furnace in my house?

In most ducted homes, yes. The gas furnace is removed, an electric air handler takes its place on the existing ductwork, and an outdoor heat pump handles both heating and cooling. Cold-climate models are designed to keep heating as temperatures drop. In a 1999 Everett home in October 2025, an 80% downflow gas furnace in the garage was replaced with a Mitsubishi 4-ton Hyper Heat heat pump (SUZAK48NLHZ) and a variable-speed electric air handler (SVZAP48NL) in one install.

Should I replace my furnace before it breaks?

If it is old, often yes. An old furnace tends to fail during cold weather, when contractors are busiest and the house is already cold, and a planned replacement lets you choose the equipment instead of taking whatever can be installed fastest. An Everett homeowner with an aging 80% gas furnace chose to replace it in October 2025, before he got stuck without heat, and used the timing to switch to a heat pump with variable speed and better air quality.

How much does it cost to replace a gas furnace with a heat pump in Everett?

It depends on the size of the system and what is added to it. As one real example, an Everett job in October 2025 that installed a Mitsubishi 4-ton Hyper Heat heat pump, a variable-speed electric air handler, filter box, communicating thermostat, refrigerant piping, pad, and mechanical permit, plus a $1,300.00 air scrubber and a $250.00 flue pipe replacement, came to $23,887.23 after a $1,250.00 qualifying-model discount, an $851.15 cash discount, and a $100.00 drywall credit, before tax.

Does Snohomish County PUD give a rebate for switching from a gas furnace to a heat pump?

Not under its ducted heat pump rebate. Snohomish County PUD's published program requires electric heat to be a primary heating source before the upgrade, so a home heated by a gas furnace does not qualify, and the PUD does not list a separate fuel-switch rebate. Rebates from a gas utility are a separate question with their own terms. In an Everett gas-to-heat-pump conversion in October 2025, no utility rebate applied; the savings on the invoice came from a qualifying-model discount and a cash discount.

Is a rusty furnace flue pipe dangerous?

It should be replaced. The flue carries combustion exhaust out of the house, and venting that has rusted out has the potential of leaking carbon monoxide into the home. Replacing a section is usually a small job next to the cost of the appliance. In an Everett garage in October 2025, a rusted-out section was replaced with 3-inch single-wall flue pipe up to 6 feet and a 3-by-24-inch B-vent section, for $250.00, as part of a furnace-to-heat-pump conversion.

How long does a furnace-to-heat-pump conversion take?

When the new air handler goes where the furnace stood and the outdoor unit sits close by, it can be a one- to two-day job. In Everett in October 2025, two installers were booked for eight hours, were on site from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the first day, and completed the job the next day, including the heat pump, air handler, air scrubber, flue replacement, and a Snohomish County mechanical permit.

Key Takeaways

• A furnace that still runs is not the same as a furnace that is fine; replacing an old one in October beats replacing it after it fails in a cold snap.
• In a ducted home, a heat pump replaces a gas furnace by swapping in an electric air handler and adding an outdoor unit, and the house gains air conditioning in the same install.
• In 67 HVAC equipment installs from Product Air's case-study job records, October 2025 to September 2026, 58 included a heat pump and 9 were gas furnaces only.
• Snohomish County PUD's ducted heat pump rebate requires electric primary heat, so a gas-to-heat-pump conversion does not qualify for it.
• Rusted-out flue pipe has the potential to leak carbon monoxide into the home and should be replaced, not watched.
• This Everett conversion, a 4-ton Mitsubishi Hyper Heat system with an air scrubber and flue replacement, came to $23,887.23.

Michael asked for a heat pump, variable speed, and cleaner air, and he wanted it before the furnace gave out. He got all three in October. When our crew made a mistake on the electrical side, we turned it around quickly and got it done correctly, and by our technician's account, that is what left him truly impressed.

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Serg Nikolin, Co-Founder, Product Air Heating, Cooling, and Electric

Marysville · Issaquah · Seattle · Western Washington