Hello... My 30 yr old gas furnace is not energy efficient and very noisy...time to replace it... I plan on having it replaced with a high efficiency gas furnace...so far I have had two contractors come by for quotes...one sells Coleman and the other sells Tempstar...there are so many different makes out there...what is good and what are duds? Can anyone with experience in these things care to comment? Thanks... Jim
Several top notch HVAC firms in our area all like Trane. We have one about 3 years old in a recently acquired property that works just fine, so I hope they are right,
Joe
I have a tempstar. Medium efficiency (same as high efficiency but non condensing). It has DC fan motor, dual stage burners, etc. Had a noisy eductor fan, but otherwise has been good for 8? years now.
A good friend a retired HVAC instructor highly recommends the goodman, lower price and is working great here. Family members have been using them for many years.
goodman uses off the shelf parts unlike companies like trane and lennox.
they use parts specially manufactured as OEM ONLY, so they can rape you for parts, and discontinue them whenerver they want, forcing you to buy a new furnace.
I have a York "Diamond 80". It breaks down once or twice a year and has for the ten years I have owned it. (I bought a new house with it in it.) I'd sooner sit in the cold that buy another York product. A real POS. If York is on your "possibles" list I strongly recommend you reconsider. Why buy crap when you can get good stuff from the likes of Trane etc.
There have been continuing MAJOR problems with the heating and A/C side of my unit.
I have talked to York's CEO, the BBB and NJ Consumer protection agency about this piece of crap, but no one will help. York even reneged on the promise of a replacement unit.
EJ in NJ
Jim, That's kind of like asking, "Hey, I need a new car. What make should I buy?" Here is what you want to look for: Brand doesn't necessarily mean anything. They are all built for low cost so they can all claim they have the best furnace at the lowest price. As you can see in here, people have their own preference on brand. It works like this: They are all "chit". Look for a unit that has a good service person/company that comes with it. Most importantly, get one with a 5 or 10 yr LABOR warranty because they all break...Period! Usually, one repair will pay for the labor warranty purchase. Right now, Goodman has an interesting warranty. Free 10 yr parts and Free 5 year labor warranty. There is no cost added in that I the dealer has to build in to my cost for that warranty. I don't believe any other manufacturer does that yet? Not saying Goodman is the best or worst out there. Just saying that is one thing there. I don't endorse any brand because I don't get paid to. There you have it in a nutshell. The secret of HVAC. Bubba
I've installed a lot of Goodman and Janitrol equipment. It's not the most expensive name brand stuff but it is affordable. I like Trane and American Standard equipment but I also like Mercedes automobiles, I just can't buy one. The Goodman systems will give you many years of service if "properly installed and maintained". This means keeping the filters changed and the outdoor unit clean. I always clean AC condensers (outdoor part) once a year and Heat Pumps twice a year. If you can find a service company that you can trust, get a service contract to check and clean your HVAC system at least once a year. Check out this fellow's site, he speaks the truth:
TDD
I have a York Diamond 90 and the furnace has never been touched. I had to replace the blower motor on the outside unit, and it needed a new capacitor, but it has been there for 13 years.
Many people will tell you to avoid the more efficient units because they will be more trouble, but I think that is a load of bull from people who just don't want to understand more complex equipment.
Good point. The new units are more complex and the fact that they have more parts makes them more vulnerable to breaking at some point. One big potential problem though, is the very experience installer that is great with the basic unit, but does not, or cannot, learn about circuit boards and troubleshooting electronics.
That brings us back to what brand to buy. If a local dealer has installed
100 of Brand A and only two of Brand B, I'd lean towards Brand A. The service tech will have more experience servicing that brand and if it breaks down on a very cold winter night, he is more likely to have a part in the truck.
All good until that installer, like so many in this economy, goes "belly up" - like my dealer did. He had installed HUNDREDS of Tempstars ------.
Chris ..to understand my comments you should know that I have replaced ten igniters, two main circuit boards, one main blower fan, rebuilt another fan, on the gas furnace. On the Air Conditioning side I have replaced the main AC cooling coil, the starting Capacitor, and the condensate drain system. There is likely more, but this is all I remember without looking up the records.
I hope you continue to have good luck with your unit.
EJ in NJ
What brand might that be? My Miller furnace in my trailer. Needed the inducer fan oiled every year. Since that time, I put in a York (Luxaire) and that's run for five years with no maint. 90 percenter, yes, installed myself.
I have two window shakers which need to be cleaned professionally ever few years. I'm a professional. Six years of working for another company, as an installer.
Oh good Lord... EJ in NJ...I am the original poster and have a non efficient gas furnace (Olson) and all I have done since day one is watch it run!... costs us 40 bucks for new bearings in the squirrel cage fan about 14 years ago...that is it....maybe I should just put up with the noise and added fuel expense?... I don't have the hassle or time to troubleshoot a high effiency unit that's gonna give that much trouble... I will certainly stay away from the YORK brand... thanks... jimi
My yorkie has been in, since 2004, and hasn't given me any trouble. The other guy mighta got a hangover monday unit from the factory.
Goodman
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You don't think more complex equipment has more failure points and more expensive parts to replace? I'm not saying I would not buy a high efficency furnace, only that there is some tradeoff in expected service cost for a more complex system. For example, I've heard plenty of stories here from guys moaning over the cost to replace a variable speed blower that runs 4X what a regular blower would cost.
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But the variable speed DC blower will save youmore in electricity than the difference in gas between an 80 and a 90% furnace.
80% furnace with DC blower is the most bang for the buck.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.