Furnace brands to avoid?

[ameijers]

I already Googled, but didn't find any recent threads without flamewars-

I need to replace my 46 year old HVAC this year, and have started getting estimates. ~100,000 BTU, central air, a couple of grand of duct mods to include the addition so I can get rid of the wall furnace out here. (duct mods are expensive due to concrete cutting required for access to addition crawlspace.) Yes, they are measuring house to do do load calcs, etc. So far, I have been quoted 7200 for Lennox 92+, and around 5500 for Maytag 90+. New furnace, A-frame, outside compressor, etc. I plan to call a couple others in next week.

Looking for opinions from people who do installs and repair work- given that I don't wanna spend a fortune on this 1960 cookie cutter with original furnace, but I do want decent reliability, what brands should I avoid? On a vanilla system like this, what brands give best bang for the buck? I won't be here long enough (est. 7 years) to get a payback just from the gas bills, so I do want a reputable enough brand to recover some of the cost at time of sale. IOW, not crap, but I don't need gold plated.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

aem sends....

[Frank Boettcher]

Have built five houses for HHH, all were fun. Framing day is the best but it is all satisfying.

Just got back (Sunday)from Biloxi where I spent a week rebuilding a Katrina damaged house for a 82 year old widow. Enjoyed that too.

Frank

[SQLit]

the color of the sheet metal is the least of your worries. The INSTALLER makes or breaks the job. I sold a home last year and it was the first one that people actually asked about the SEER on the cooling unit. http://198.147.238.24/ac_calc/default.aspFYI if they try to sell you something under 13 SEER for the cooling they are ignoring the law as of 1 Jan. 13 is the lowest on new installs. SEER is not a measurement of heating. Choose the unit based on what you need most, cooling or heating.

[Jim Redelfs]

The law allows for the sale and installation of EXISTING supplies of lower-SEER units. Only 13-or-higher-SEER units can be MANUFACTURED after January 1, 2006.

This was obvious when just the other day, as I was installing a phone service at a brand new (tract) home, I looked at the rating of the condenser unit:

1. All the new (unoccupied or newly-occupied) homes up-and-down the line sported the SAME, 10 SEER units.

It's reasonable to assume that 10 SEER will be available (and legal for purchase and installation) for at least several more months: I'm sure the manufacturers cranked-out as many as they could prior to January 1.

[RobertM]

Just had a Lennox installed, 13 SEER. Very noisy. I shut it off at night and use the quiet space heaters. I have an addition with concrete slab, paid a separate contractor $350 to cut two holes through the slab and under for ductwork.

Bob

[hallerb]

lennox pulse ruined their reputation around here.

Its long gone except for peple nightmare memories and excess noise for unlucky neighbors

[scott21230]

Aviod Goodman and Janitrol. For A/C get one with a scroll compressor.

Or get a geothremal system if you can.

[RobertM]

People told me the Goodman was worse than a Lennox. Difficult to imagine that.

Bob

[cornytheclown]

You need to be talking to people in your area...coworkers, family, friends....etc.............

You need to find a company in your area with a good reputation and let them do the work.

Brands dont really matter much......its the people doing the work and standing behind what they sell you.

get several free estimates from companies recommended to you in your area.......its still a crapshoot.......you got a 50/50 chance of getting totally hosed by the company you pick but by getting recommendations in your area you stand a better chance of getting a decent job done by people who will stand behind their work.

[CJT]

... and probably false, IMHO.

[m Ransley]

Consumer Reports recently did a survey of apx 35000 over maybe 8 years on reliability, one brand came out a clear winner, in last place, it was Goodman.

[HeatMan]

Actually it was (about) 28 January 2006. At least one of my suppliers has a few 10 SEER units available. They won't advertise it.

[Stretch]

The old Lennox HP26 (13 SEER) was a great machine, very quiet. Their new 13 SEER, 13HPC, is much louder. You have to go at least 15 SEER with Lennox now to get a quiet machine. Such a shame...

Stretch

[2jk]

replying to Stretch, 2jk wrote: Just saw this, your contractor sold you the lower tier "merit" product offering where as your old HP26 was an "Elite" series unit and a higher tiered product offering. You bought their budget special and got something less than what you had. Your contractor should have explained to you about a new construction "builder" model having higher sound levels as it has no compressor sound blanket over the compressor. You can buy one, have it installed and the outdoor unit will be much quieter.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Sadly, the original poster died 8 years ago. The cheap furnace and crappy installation caused carbon monoxide poisoning. Please join us next Tuesday for the anniversary memorial service. Stretch would want you there.

[Tekkie®]

Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us...

Did the gerbils make it?

[Tekkie®]

Oren posted for all of us...

I didn't see this post so I presume the gerbils are 10-7... Do they have gerbil coats for winter?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Yes, had two for lunch today.

[Tim Dale]

replying to scott21230, Tim Dale wrote: Goodman condensing units have the same scroll compressor that all of the other manufacturers are using. If the equipment is installed correctly, it will last a long time. I have a friend who has a 26 year old Janitrol on his house.

[Tim Dale]

replying to RobertM, Tim Dale wrote: The problem with Goodman is that anybody can buy their equipment and there's a lot of fly by night contractors installing Goodman incorrectly. Check Craigslist if you don't believe me.

[Tim Dale]

replying to m Ransley, Tim Dale wrote: Fly by night contractors install Goodman more than any other brand because they can easily buy the equipment for a good price. It's not the equipment, it's the contractor who installed the equipment.