I'm looking to buy a new gas furnace to heat 1400 sq. ft. home. I just wonder what the price range on these thing is. I did some research but the price range for units is so huge, anywhere between ~ $1000 to $5000. Currently I have a Carrier that just died on me. I'm going to have a tech come out tomorrow to see if it is fixable, but I have to be prepared to get a new one. BTW, what brand would you recommend?
buffalo ny: unless the heat exchanger is setting off the you can imagine how reluctant the manufacturers are to have the homeowner as a warranty customer, and the hardest part may include facing your lack of home insulation to make the btu sizing of the new furnace make sense. operating noise of faster variable speed blowers may be of concern depending on the noise level you seek in a forced air system. subject to your climate, adding the missing cold air returns and multiple zones and air conditioning are items you will kick yourself for not including. depending on where the hvac is located in the home. this is the time to insulate, estimate, see one in operation in a nearby home, and choose. see also energystar.
Consumer reports did a apx 5 yr poll of maybe 35000 and found Goodman by an obvious margin the worst, most others were close, subscribe to them for the review. You pay for the experiance of the installer, you need a load calculation done. 1000.00 wont get you an install. With NG looking to go up forever get a 94%+ efficent unit
A rough estimate would be about 3 grand, roughly half of which is the cost of the equipment and half is the labor, for a high efficiency unit from quality brand sources like Bryant, Heil, Lennox, Carrier, etc. I'm using a
75,000 BTU/hr unit in a 1500 square foot house in the Northeast and had mine replaced 2 years ago for a little under $3000 including a new humnidifier.
Smarty
Consumer reports did a apx 5 yr poll of maybe 35000 and found Goodman by an obvious margin the worst, most others were close, subscribe to them for the review. You pay for the experiance of the installer, you need a load calculation done. 1000.00 wont get you an install. With NG looking to go up forever get a 94%+ efficent unit
#1 is getting a good contractor. Really you want two so you have two competitive bids.
#2 is going with the contractor. Let the contractor pick the brand and size etc. They know what works well in your area and what will have parts available etc. They also will be more familiar with the installation process for it.
The contractor might pick the furnace with the highest profit margin and not the one best for the consumer. I'd have the contractor determine the size required, then do my own shopping.
While he may do that, his is more likely to choose the brand with the least problems, the least number of service calls, the least headaches. The contractor may have experience installing 100 units of Brand X, but you may be the first install for him of Brand Y. False economy there as you are giving him a learning experience with your new furnace. Trust the contractor if he is a good one and you will get the best value.
a personal friend, a retired HVAC teacher thinks highly of the goodman because it uses standard off the shelp low cost parts, avoiding the OEM part discontinued issues.
I went to a warehouse sized HVAC parts company that tradespeople go to for parts and whole systems. The product price is the same for trademen or for walk in customers unless there is a trade discount I am not aware of. Now if I get a quote from a HVAC installation company I'll know if he is fair or price gouging.
The best part is there were floor displays of the new high efficiency furnace models (one brand only) and they had their best selling model (sized to the average house) opened up so that I could examine in great detail the construction of that furnace. With that I got a good idea of the claims of superior efficiency as printed in the glossy ads and will be able to make an informed comparison of different furnace models and from different furnace manufacturers. I will also be able to troubleshoot that furnace and do my own fixes since I can see where every part goes, how the modules are interconnected and which panels to remove to get access for repairs.
I read installation manual. The tradesman installer will have to comply with exactly the same specs and instructions if he is to comply with the regulations. This means he can't BS about special modifications for the air handling connections or charging for accessory parts that are already included in the installation kit.
The best part is that the installation is easy enough that I can install the furnace myself. What do you do if you live in the boondocks and can't get an installer. You do it yourself. To test that DIY assumption I asked detailed questions with the counter sales guy and from his replies he was a journeyman who knew his products. He was very generous with his knowledge and advice.
The high efficieny furnace is shorter than my existing furnace but otherwise similar in horizontal dimensions. Instead of having a make-up plenum to bridge the gap my idea is to build a shelf out of welded steel square tube and raise the HE furnace to fit the existing ducting. That guy liked the idea and sees no reason why it shouldn't work.
My existing furnace is good for at least another ten years. So its not a project I will do nay time soon. But the knowledge I gained is very useful and comforting. If my furnace quits I know exctly what I will do.
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