New Furnace/AC unit for my Home

[Milkman]

Hello All,

It's time to replace the Furnace/AC unit in my house.

While I have only begun shopping, I was looking for suggestions from the group.

Any brands to avoid ?
Anything better than the rest ?

60 year old approximately 1000 SQ/Ft Ranch home. In Pittsburgh.

As I said, I have only started shopping. I don't really know the right questions to ask the contractors.

Thanks in advance.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Nat gas, propane, oil or electric? Forget heat pumps and all electric systems where you live Doing a detailed size study is most important. Better to have an undersized A/C in your climate instead of a larger unit that might cool before it dehumidifies. Lots of options from many good manufacturers. I would imagine Carrier, Bryant and Trane would be big in your area. Your square footage will be a cinch. If your ducts have never been cleaned, that may be worth it before you install a new system.

 

[Milkman]

Natural Gas. And, yes I was told that the ducts need cleaned. THANKS.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Nat gas, propane, oil or electric? Forget heat pumps and all electric systems where you live Doing a detailed size study is most important. Better to have an undersized A/C in your climate instead of a larger unit that might cool before it dehumidifies. Lots of options from many good manufacturers. I would imagine Carrier, Bryant and Trane would be big in your area. Your square footage will be a cinch. If your ducts have never been cleaned, that may be worth it before you install a new system.


That's referred to as a Manual J calculation which is a heat loss study. Lazy plumbers/contractors will just replace it with what you have or slightly bigger which is inefficient if it's over sized. Newer systems are more efficient so you may actually need a smaller system, not larger.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

The contractor is every bit as important as the equipment itself. If you're planning on staying in the home for a longer period of time, higher efficiency will pay for itself. Contrary to what a few people will think, the high efficiency equipment has proven itself to be extremely reliable. When we built our current home we installed the highest efficiency equipment available, and have never had a single issue.

We've owned Lennox equipment in almost half a century of home ownership, and never had a breakdown. If I were to have new equipment installed today, I'd opt for Lennox.

 

[Greggy_D]

I, too, have had a great experience with Lennox. The only item I've replaced (twice) in 20 years is the capacitor.

 

[Fitter30]

has the equipment cooled and heated the house to your satisfaction over the years, if your going to be in your house for more that 5 years, if you have good thermpane windows and good attic insulation I would pick the same size equipment at a 15seer as unit. if your gas furnace is a standing pilot unit you have to look at the btu output not input to size the furance.its on the nameplate by the burner. furnace, ac coil, condenser and freon lines have to be change.

 

[Fitter30]

has the equipment cooled and heated the house to your satisfaction over the years, if your going to be in your house for more that 5 years, if you have good thermpane windows and good attic insulation I would pick the same size equipment at a 15seer as unit. if your gas furnace is a standing pilot unit you have to look at the btu output not input to size the furance.its on the nameplate by the burner. furnace, ac coil, condenser and freon lines have to be change.

 

[69GTX]

I have a 1000 ft2 ranch as well. With the cheap cost of window AC units these days I'd just get a couple of 8K BTU AC plug in units and put them on either end of the house. You could make them through-the-wall units with cages if you want more security having only a first floor. I paid $189 for my 8K unit last year. I figure if I get only a couple years out of it, they will be less expensive than an outside Carrier type unit. 10K-12K in BTU's should be enough to cool for a 1,000 ft2...though at the 12K level you have to go to 220v outlets. So a pair of 8K's at 120v should be more than enough and allow them to run less often and on lower power.

Burners can give you the option of a combined tankless hot water heater if you want to stay away from a separate electric type. Pluses and minuses to each based on your electricity costs, amount of hot water needed per day, etc. If it's more than just 2 of you that's a lot more Hot Water. I've tried them both ways. Based on how well-insulated the house is can help determine if you can use the same boiler size or need go up a bit....assuming your home hasn't been fully re-insulated/remodeled in the recent past. If you also have the option of a wood stove to base-load the house, that affects the choice as well. I've had Burnham boilers (83 WRH at 123 mbh) for the past 26+ years. No idea when the 1st one went in as it was before my time. They run about $4K for a tankless water heater model as I recall.

 

[E150GT]

I just got a new unit last year. Its a payne I think. Works well

 

[fsdork]

About 5 years ago, we had a 1982 vintage natural gas furnace replaced with a high-efficiency Trane with variable speed DC blower motor. Variable is nice in that it will run at a lower output for the first few minutes, then kick it up a notch if the thermostat isn't satisfied. No remotely minor issues with the system to date.

I had the contractor add an additional intake at floor level on the ground floor of the house. It seems to pull some of the cold air off of the floor, rather than the old configuration which took intake air from the ceiling in that part of the house. I also had a switch for the blower added, which allows me to run just the blower with no heat if I want. It comes in handy to keep air circulating when it is especially cold out, or to pull some of the cold air from the basement to the upstairs during the summer.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Fitter30
has the equipment cooled and heated the house to your satisfaction over the years, if your going to be in your house for more that 5 years, if you have good thermpane windows and good attic insulation I would pick the same size equipment at a 15seer as unit. if your gas furnace is a standing pilot unit you have to look at the btu output not input to size the furance.its on the nameplate by the burner. furnace, ac coil, condenser and freon lines have to be change.


15 SEER??!? That's awful lousy in my world. I love split ductless systems. Inlaws have multiple of them in their home (the lack of ducting makes installs much more straightforward in their type of hurricane-proof Caribbean home). Ive installed SD units in my home now as well, and theyre absolutely wonderful and quiet. Getting rid of the ducting has major ramifications on system design, operation, and efficiency/losses.

In a 1000 sf home, a decent sized SD may be all that is necessary for AC.

Then the heating system could be optimized (do they make mod/con units for forced air?), and the system would be much higher efficiency.

SD may not be viable based upon home layout, etc. But its sort of a matter of what parts are on the out, and what is the best solution to resolve. Ive seen plenty of homes with multiple HVAC systems to support the overall home (often an upstairs and downstairs unit, for example), as well as homes that use hydronic with forced air AC or split AC. I suspect hydronic with split AC is actually the highest possible efficiency, which is why I went that way in our home.

 

[Linctex]

I went with a Goodman R410a unit a few years back to replace the old R22 unit, and it has been outstanding.

My next house that I am building will have "Mini-split" A/C's though.

 

[beanoil]

I'm going through this as well.
3.5 ton AC, 96% 2 stage furnace, Merv 8 filter and smart thermostat.
Lennox is proud of their equipment. Over 10,000 dollars installed.
Goodman is cheapest. Most sold units in US, but terrible ratings on reliability. My personal AC friend in the business says that most problems are install related because Goodman sells to everyone. You can buy Goodman on Amazon, and install it yourself. If installed correctly, by a pro, Goodman is supposed to be OK. A guy that builds your home should not install your HVAC.
I went with Carrier, 6,997 installed by a Carrier dealer, 5 year labor, 10 year parts, lifetime heat exchanger warranty. That is their "better" system. Includes a 200 rebate from Carrier on the thermostat, 300 rebate from local utility company for upgrading to energy efficient.
Replacing a 19 year old Heil system that has always been noisy as a freight train when running.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Based on my experience in PA, VA, NC and FL I would recommend looking at a Trane system. Had a Trane gas furnace-A/C installed in 2014 and have been very satisfied. I change the filters regularly and have had it serviced for maintenance only twice in three years. I particularly like the variable speed air handler. That may or may not be worth the additional cost to you.

The only Lennox system I ever had installed new was a heat pump system in NC in 1998. It was a troublesome system requiring frequent repairs and service. Avoid Goodman and Janitrol systems and beware of systems with mostly Chinese components.

 

[gman2304]

I had a Trane XL system installed when I bought my house in 1994. One natural gas igniter in 23 years and I did clean the flame sensor last fall with some fine steel wool. I don't know about the newer units, but I've had stellar performance from mine. I would highly recommend the Trane.

 

[AirgunSavant]

Trane systems made after 1998 fill the local hvac scrap heap here in Maryland and by a huge margin.... I had four units installed in 2007 all were Trane and all failed rather quickly. Propane and AC......

Forget hybrid systems here in Maryland.
You'll end up dialing them into manual-aux mode as it just doesn't work well as you may be told it does.

 

[sleddriver]

Having done one myself, I'd suggest a Manual J load calculation as an essential first step. I borrowed the book on loan from a local library, built a spreadsheet, and crunched the numbers. Many contractors are on commission these days, so they'll try to upsell you.

Also, a Manual D calculation will determine if your ductwork is adequate.

One more thing, don't go nuts on a high MERV return filter. Some are quite restrictive with a high pressure drop. You'll starve your blower of air. Don't buy into the mistaken belief that doing so will rid your house of dust. No it won't. All the filter does is keep the HVAC internals clean. That's it. Dusty houses are probably caused by a leaky structure + supply/return duct leaks.

 

[Panzerman]

I bought a new unit last year to replace the unit in the house when it was built in 1979. I bought a Bryant and I can say my electric bill literally got cut in half. Should have went years ago instead of fixing the old unit.
This is in Florida where air gets a real workout.
We have no actually heating furnaces do the air doubles for that too. But it will easily pay for itself.
I can't remember but I think I went with a 15 sear because the 16 had too much gadgetry on it.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Having done one myself, I'd suggest a Manual J load calculation as an essential first step. I borrowed the book on loan from a local library, built a spreadsheet, and crunched the numbers. Many contractors are on commission these days, so they'll try to upsell you.

The other thing is they don't want any call backs bc of inadequate coolng. They will give you a 3 ton unit when 2 to 2.5 ton is more than enough. The thing is you want the unit to work harder and NOT cool so fast so you get more de-humidification.

I have a 5000 Btu unit in a window that cools an 18 x 20 foot room with a cathedral ceiling. 3 walls and the roof have an outside exposure. Even on a 90 degree day it keeps that room fine and the adjacent kitchen is also comfortable bc of dehumidification. So do the math..1/4 Ton takes care of 700 sq. ft. Less is more. During a heat wave we will run it 24 hours a day but usually 16 hours/day.

We have a 5000Btu unit in our bedroom and one in the guest bedroom. Essentially 3/4 ton cools 1200 sq ft nicely.