My 40 year old furnace might finally be giving up the ghost. Or I might just replace it in anticipation. Will probably go with simpler/lower efficiency because reliability/longevity is my highest concern. What's the current thinking on best brands/models? It is only about 1000 sq. ft. solid masonry house, built in 1940. I have a good installer on tap to do the job.

Might do A/C at the same time. Same questions.

TIA.

What part of the country?

If you have a good installer I would get his opinion. You will have trouble getting a new furnace which will last you 40 years. You will also save a ton of money on a higher efficiency model over a lifespan of 15-20 years. Fuel prices are only going up. Like so many members up here it would be helpful to know roughly where you live. It would make a difference if you live in Alabama or Montana as to how much use your furnace gets. Also are you gas, propane or electric? I have an Amana furnace which is 18 years old. I am considering replacement based on it's age. Parts are easy to get and inexpensive. The top rated brand is the only source for a lot of it's parts and if you need one and they are out of stock, you are in trouble.

Hello amals,

This coming monday I am getting my ~23 year old HVAC system (gas furnace) replaced with an Amana (a division of Goodman) system. A local firm with an excellent reputation is doing the work.

3.5 ton, 16 SEER A/C, and 96%, 2-stage, 80K BTU furnace.

Amana offers a 10 year factory warranty on Parts and Labor. They will REPLACE the entire outdoor unit if the compressor fails. Lifetime part replacement if the heat exchanger fails warranty.

Total cost is $8.5K, and rebates back to me will be $700 or $800.

I had five different HVAC contractor’s come out to the house to quote similarly spec’d. systems. Here is a brief summary of their bids for an installed system -

Carrier Performance Series - $15.9K
Carrier Comfort Series - $13.4K and $10.2K (quotes from two different contractors)

Goodman (3 ton AC) - $7.3K

Daikin - $13.1K

Goodman (3.5 ton) - $9.2K

Trane XL16i - $14.5K; XL16 - $13.4K; XR14 - $11.6

I have quotes for other configurations as well, but in rough figures a step down or up in SEER is about $1K give or take a little, and the difference between a one or two stage furnace was $500 - $1K.

The AC has a slow freon leak and must be replaced because the type of freon that it takes (R-22?) is no longer widely available.

The furnace is working o.k., BUT because the system is at the end of its service life it would be my luck that it gives up the ghost in the middle of an arctic freeze.

If you are planning to stay in the house for a while then maybe consider a more reliable and higher efficiency system.

A higher efficiency system (16 SEER) will qualify for rebates around here in PA but a lower efficiency system will not, so factor that into your costs.

I am also getting a WiFi thermostat so I can monitor the system while we are away from the house.

Most of the contractors around here were booked for two to three months, and some cautioned about the availability of systems and components for them.

Hope this helps. I can provide more details around the specific systems I rec’d. quotes for.

Rob

All- I live in the city in St. Louis. We have continental climate; all four seasons with occasional highs above 100 and lows below zero, but mostly fairly moderate (upper 80's-low 90's) in summer and 20's-40's in winter); it is not a northern-tier winter.

My furnace is gas and will be replaced with gas.

I have contacted a local contractor by referral from someone I trust. He is coming today. I'll see what he has to say.

Thanks for replies. I'll take those suggestions into consideration.

Please keep us posted on what you decide. I am on LP so fuel efficiency is very important. The Amana package with the 10 year parts and labor deal sounds pretty good

Contractor came out today as promised. I had him on good recommendation and felt comfortable with him right away. He looked over the situation, explained what needed to be done and why, listened to my concerns, and wrote up a couple of bids for different setups. I went with Trane furnace and AC, and he walked out with a check for the deposit. He was planning ahead and bought supplies well in advance of current shortages. He has what I need ready to go, and I'm on his schedule for second week in November. Our forecast shows things getting chilly into next week, then warming up. It will no more than touch freezing in that period, and only briefly. I'll be all right in the house during that time, and my pipes won't freeze. I'm happy to get it underway.

Thanks for the replies.

A neighbor across the street replaced his system with a Trane set-up two years ago and has been very happy with it thus far.

Sounds like you made a good choice all around!

quote:

Originally posted by Cookster:
A neighbor across the street replaced his system with a Trane set-up two years ago and has been very happy with it thus far.

Sounds like you made a good choice all around!

Let's hope so. I'm willing to spend the money for quality, and Trane has the rep. Hoping it lives up to its name.

Care to share the model details and cost with us. I am shopping too and more info is helpful.

Here's the bad news.... your new high efficiency furnace will last about 10 years.... and will probably require at least two trips a year... one for routine service and the other because some part/sensor has gone bad.

Size and even type will really depend not only the size of your home, how well insulated but most important where you are located..... there is a slight difference between heating needs between say Florida and Maine.

Edit: saw you posted where you are located and what you decided... and you made a good choice... but my speculation about how long the unit will last and the need for service stays the same. There is no way any of the new gas furnaces will last even 20 years....

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
Here's the bad news.... your new high efficiency furnace will last about 10 years.... and will probably require at least two trips a year... one for routine service and the other because some part/sensor has gone bad.

Size and even type will really depend not only the size of your home, how well insulated but most important where you are located..... there is a slight difference between heating needs between say Florida and Maine.

Edit: saw you posted where you are located and what you decided... and you made a good choice... but my speculation about how long the unit will last and the need for service stays the same. There is no way any of the new gas furnaces will last even 20 years....

Why do you feel the need to post inaccurate bullshit?

I had an Amana furnace/AC unit installed 18 years ago rated at 92% efficiency. Amana doesn't seem to be rated as a top brand but mine is still working fine. I am considering replacing it due to its age. Over that time I have had a total of 5 service calls and very low cost parts replacement The furnace I replaced was a tank but burned propane like it was free with probably a 60% efficiency rating. I have saved a lot on fuel over that time.