A/C and Furnace

[bassfshin24]

Looking to install a new A/C and Furnance. The ones we have installed right now are pretty inefficient and take up a lot of energy. Does anyone have any recommendations for companys to go with or avoid based on past experiences?

[BoxMN]

Find and read the thread on the Heat Pump discussion. Good info there. I wish I would have heat pump instead of A/C unit 5 years ago when I did mine. Good luck.

[WWW]

Joel Smith heating and air out of Ham Lake did a good job on my neighbors. Daves heating and air out of Columbia Heights might be the cheapest around but he gets the on line reviews he has for a reason.

[nofishfisherman]

I had Kath Heating and Air install my new AC unit 2 years ago. They've also done good work for friends. They were good to work with and offered a good price compared to the other quotes I got. If you are in Roseville they are close by off of Rice Street.

I also appreciated the approach of the guy who came out to do the quote. He was straight forward and wasn't giving me the b s sales pitch. He knew what he was talking about and he helped set me up with the right unit for my needs (note- not the most expensive unit but the right unit). He wanted my business and gave me his best price the first time without having to go through the song and dance routine.

[slammer]

Bassfishin how old is your current unit? Just wondering what the sales people say about how efficient the new ones are. Mine are 16 years old and thinking about replacing. Not sure if it makes sense yet or if the new ones are that much better. Current furnace is a Lennox pulse 90.

[Josh.P 86]

The Lennox pulse 90 is a very efficient furnace. The only bad thing is there noisy and known for cracked heat exchangers.You would be upgrading if you went two like a 2 stage furnace with variable speed blower. The new ones are much quieter and can make your house more consistent temp throughout if sized and set up properly. Do research on the brands you are being sold.

[BoxMN]

The Lennox pulse 90 is a very efficient furnace. The only bad thing is there noisy and known for cracked heat exchangers.You would be upgrading if you went two like a 2 stage furnace with variable speed blower. The new ones are much quieter and can make your house more consistent temp throughout if sized and set up properly. Do research on the brands you are being sold.

FWIW I have a (Trane) variable speed high-eff furnace and really like it. No more not/cold spots in the (old) house, and the high speed blower rarely needs to kick in.

I would still look at or at least ask questions about the heat pump versus a traditional A/C.

[Tom7227]

Check on the rebates and tax credits. If you buy a setup that is efficient and meets the guidelines you can get a fairly decent amount back. When I did an AC unit last summer the rebate was enough so that it was pretty cost effective to buy up to the next level of efficiency.

[eurolarva]

Keep in mind with a new furnace who ever you have do the install they will need to run 2 inch PVC from your furnace to the outside of your house. I had DJs in Alberville do my furnace. AC was still good on my house. For 299 I got a 10 year parts and labor warrenty. Probably wont use it but I had a rubber hose go out on my old furnace that ended up costing me 400 bucks on an emergency call.

[slammer]

I'm guessing replacing a cracked heat exchanger is not cheap? Might as well replace the whole thing? How do the 2 stage units work? Yes my pulse 90 is noisy.

[Josh.P 86]

Just to be clear I'm not saying your heat exchanger is cracked but with it's age and reputation its a good possibility. Its a good idea to get a maintenance done ounce in a while. They should check for this on a maintenance, And it would not be worth while changing out heat exchangers you would be putting way to much money into an old furnace. A two stage furnace on a call for heat from the thermostat will run on first stage for Roughly 7-10min or the T-stat will tell it to go into 2nd stage depending on how it's wired or set up. In first stage it uses 1/2 the gas. If sized correctly it will run on first stage the majority of time. This winter might give second stage a workout . This Makes the furnace run for longer periods of time but use less fuel. This makes more consistent temp through the house. Also a variable speed blower with the fan set to on will run the fan at roughly 30% speed when not heating or cooling so it will slowly circulate the air and you shouldn't notice any different on the electric bill.

[bassfshin24]

Thanks for all the info guys. Not looking forward to dropping the $$$ on this but it definitely needs to be done. Both the units are over 20-30 years old. Not too efficient!