Hello,we are looking at replacing our gas furnace in our home.I was hoping that i could get some feedback on which high-efficency  furnace to get and which ones to stay away from.Any advice would be appreciated.i'm leaning to a Lennox,Carrier,Ruud or Tempstar so any advice would be great.Thanks,merv.

Merv: I am also looking for a new furnace and a/c.
I was hoping Consumer Reports, would have ratings, on the various unit, but no luck, so far.
I had a quote on the Trane top model, and I will have a estimate on a Carrier Infinit¥ 96.3 unit next week.
It has a higher rating, and has some features that seem to be better than the Trane furnace. they seem to be close to the same price.But I am confused , because the contractor's are free to set the prices.
Without a rating, i's hard to make a call.

Hello--

Certainly, we all now must do whatever possible to curtail
our utility costs. But, in reflection, we can easily recall the most unpleasant initial "condensing" furnaces-- i.e.- essentially all those stainless steel exchangers simply failed due to the highly corrosive condensed liquids produced.

Although these exchangers are "guaranteed for life", has anyone yet seen wherein that associated labor to remove furnace, disassemble A/C cooling coil, etc. are included as well?

Lastly, that condensate is handled if the draining system is by gravity & within a PVC ( corrosion resistant ) plumbing system. But, any installation requiring a collection sump / pump to deliver this acid from a basement furnace or an installation without a gravity drain possibility again increases the on-going (replacement) expenses.

In short, I wonder if these condensing furnaces actually do "save" any monies over the anticipated 12-15 years expectancy?? Or, would it be "economically better" just to stay with those of improved efficiencies yet NOT of the consdensing type?? everett whitney

If you get a good contractor that as part of the installation includes verifying things like gas pressure and correct sizing and venting you will have less of a condesation problem. Also if you get a condensate pump approve for acidic fluids it will cost $15 to $20 more iniatally and last much longer.

Two stage equipment will also help because it runs longer cycles more of the condensation exits through the flue as a vapor.

The warranties vary alot. Maytag offer a lifetime warranty on the 1200 models that will replace the entire furnace for the lifetime not just the heat exchanger. Yes you will have to more than likely pay for labor. Considering your are getting a brand furnace for a fraction of the cost of a new one and that includes motors, control boards and updated equipment. And from experience the labor will be less that the labor to replace just the heat exchanger in most cases.

I am a licenced contractor in California and had to deal with warranty issues over the years. The details are in the small print and the installers.

Louis

I'm also looking for a new gas furnace-which brand did you decide upon.?  Every brand pitches their own good points-hard to choose.  Any advice?

Joan

hello,

 i'm in chicago and also looking into buying a furnace. i have had a few guys out and they range from 7000 to 4200. trane being the most and goodman being the cheappest. my i ask what brand you went with and if your happy,so far. i got this subscribesion to see if they checked out the brands and would you believe it they did not.lol.

I did see a bit of a rating on repair history under Appliances>Furnaces... I remember seeing a more detailed report related to the small table they show, but it didn't come up on the search when I looked this time.

Hi, I am a heating and cooling service tech in Michigan and have to say Rheem makes the best furnace money can buy and for a reasonable price too.  They are the only manufacturer who makes a furnace with a modulating gas valve(superior to all the rest). They also are the only one to have a stainless steel primary and secondary heat exchanger. It will be the last furnace you ever have to buy. The heat exchanger has a lifetime warranty and the blower motor only uses 75 watts of electricity on low speed and circulates air 24 hours a day. The igniter is spark and not hot surface like the others. Hot surface igniters have to be replaced every 3 to 5 years. Everything on the Rheem modulating furnace is top of the line in fact the new consumers report on furnace repair history is coming out in the next week and rheem was ranked #1 and it is because they make a superior furnace.

If you are looking to save money Goodman/janitrol was hurt badly bye the last negative consumer report and has since then changed their entire line and are now the same as amana . They are making a much better furnace and will do much better in the 2009 reports. They also offer a 10 year warranty on all parts. However they still use hot surface igniters that i have to replace too often.

Carrier and bryant are the same and make a very good furnace but have too many problems with thier boards $250 part they seem to go bad every 5 years.

American stsndard/ trane are the same company and make a very good furnace but are too pricey for a furnace that is not the best money can buy. However they make the best A/C money can buy.

Lennox furnaces have had mant board issues along with igniters and inducer motors in their standard models. I am not sure about their  new 2 stage variable speed model I have not had to work on it yet.

Chad  Jones Good luck

thank you.

 its to late i got the goodman GMH95%. i all so got the 14seer a/c i asked for that due to the lifetime on the compressor and the coolant it uses. my hvac guy told me it is all in the installation if its put in right it will work for you, if i put it in i will have problems. anyway thank you for taking the time out to help me and others.

  Rob near Chicago .

 

Hi- how about Burnham?  Keyspan has a deal on Burnham for those switching from oil heat.  Also, our last estimate was for a high efficiency model. It costs a little more for the furnace and installation, but wouldn't require a chimney liner.  That pushes the cost of a standard furnace above the high efficiency version.  I'm not sure if high efficiency models will save that much, and don't know if there's still a reliability issue with them.  Anyone know?

Thanks

For your info!

We have had a Lennox  135kbtu for 32 years.

Changing it this season, with what? surely things are improving, not getting worse!

Note: The lennox did it's job.

I will second the stability of Lennox Gas furnaces (from my experience). Ours was installed in 1973 and still runs with no problems and with minimal past service calls.

However I too am getting bids for replacing both furnace and AC (also 1973 installed).

I like the concept of 'dual-fuel' units, but don't know anyhing about their stability over single-systems Furnace and Air Conditioning.

Hi Merv

I have been advised to avoid Carrier as there is a class action suit against them regarding the steel they use in the core part.

 

Julie

FYI:

Another good resource for discussions on furnace/air conditioning I've found is the HVAC-TALK site on the web. 

Hi,

I too am looking at replacing my 14 year goodman gas furnace.  Have had issues w/ it the past 2 winters.  I have quotes for  Rheem Single and Two stage 92% AFUE furnace that are $1400 less than Thermo Pride and Bryant 94.5% AFU rated furnace.  Is it worth it to go w/ the Rheem?  Also is a 2 stage vs a 1 stage really worth the price difference ($600) ?

Regards,

Nico

I bit the bullet and went dual-fuel with a Trane system. 

I had estimates from Carrier and Lennox with both proposing an 80% effecient furnace. Trane (Home Depot) proposed a 95%effecient propane furnace for the same or lower cost. Rheem was available through the Carrier dealer, but they didn't have much experience with them.

All in all, I think I balanced each argument and came up with a 'good' solution. Now to see how this operates through the winter. I'll do a 'base-setting' measurment on both Gas and Electric meters and see if I can post-justify the cost.

Charles,

Just curious.  Which unit did you purchase?  I'm considering the Trane XL14c.  Do you mind me asking what you paid ballpark?

Thanks,

Toby

No problem.  My installation paired the XV95 with the XL14i.

FYI: The only 'problem' I have (after 24 hours) is that the XV95 calls for a 17x25x1 inch air filter, but I have yet to find a source outside of a custom-made source.

(I'm busting some chops on this one).

Sorry, I got sidetracked in my thinking as I was responding.

10K for everything including a humidifier.