I knew there was something wrong with the furnace, because it was giving off an odd smell. We had forgotten to change the air filters last year, and we had to have the ductwork cleaned. They said it clogged the ductwork to where they would be surprised if the components in the furnace hadn’t overheated. I was now experiencing the difficulties that came from overheating the components. When I called the HVAC company and requested service, they went back into my records. They needed to know what type of furnace I had so they could be prepared for any situation. I wasn’t so sure they needed to be prepared, because I had a feeling it was going to be an easy diagnosis. Even though I thought I was prepared for anything, I wasn’t prepared for everything. It took the HVAC technician less than fifteen minutes to tell us the heat exchanger was cracked. He didn’t recommend repairing or replacing the heat exchanger. He said it was a long drawn-out project, and it was also expensive to replace or repair. That’s when he said we needed to replace the furnace. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes while telling myself to relax. I asked the price, and he gave me a quote for the new furnace and installation. The good news was that they would take the old furnace with them and not charge me for it. The better news was that the new furnace was installed the following week, and it worked better and was more efficient than I ever remembered the old furnace worked.