Hi all. I'm new here. Both my AC and gas furnace for my home are about 20 years old. The gas furnace has been slowly failing... enough repairs in the last couple of years to tell us it really has to go. The central AC is of course not very efficient given its age. Since I really have to replace the furnace I figured just do the whole thing at once. Both existing systems are builder's grade stuff. The furnace is a Borg Warner and the AC is either a Lennox or Carrier (don't remember right now - we are not the original owners of this house).
I know proper installation is they key to any job of this sort, but I also want to get state of the art plus reliability plus efficiency in both of the new units. Oh, and overly high priced, proprietary replacement parts are a negative (I've heard that associated with Trane equipment). I read up a bit on central AC; from what I've read it sounds like Ruud is well respected. Carrier seems to have a good rep for furnaces, but I'm not sure about their ACs. So I have some questions:
1) Is it a bad idea to replace the AC and furnace with units from different manufacturers? 2) If the answer to 1 is yes, then can anyone recommend a manufacturer that has the highest level of performance and reliability for both AC and furnaces? 2) If the answer to 1 is no, then are Ruud and Carrier considered among the best, respectively, for AC and furnace? 3) Are there any that are better for either? My definition of better is, again, reliability, efficiency, a good modern (but well proven) design, and low total ownership cost. That last means I'm willing to pay up front if the combination of reliability / replacement parts cost / efficiency will result in a lower TOC.Once I have a clearer idea of who all to look at I will need some follow on help with things like 2 piece vs. one piece AC, etc.