Furnace recomendations?????

[gunmunky]

Hi everyone! My furnace finally took its last breath. It's a Williamson Temp-Omatic installed in 1981. The gas valve is shot and I can't find one anywhere. I found a place that can fit a different valve but it would have a constant pilot light. So the search is on for a new furnace. I'm leaning towards a Goodman but would appriciate any insights. Any one in the heating business that can give me an idea on the most reliable brand would be very helpful. My house is around 1400-1500 Sq ft. I think I need around a 55000-65000 btu furnace.

Thanks for any help.

[TR21HP]

gunmunky, Just had a Goodman furnace and rheem air conditioner put in our 1500 sq. ft. Rambler. 2 Stage, 60,000 Btu with continuous running fan. Comes on at 35,000 and boosts to 60,000 for the second stage. I've done a quick comparison on operating costs between our single stage Trane and this one and I'm running about 20-30 dollars less a month for the months of December through March which is considerable. Where I will see my biggest gains will be in the summer when the high efficiency air conditioner should save me considerably more per month. Had everything installed for $10,500 plus $1500 in energy rebates on furnace and air unit. So far very pleased with the setup.

[gunmunky]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not replacing my central air, just the furnace right now. The one heating contractor that is going to give me a quote said all I need is a new furnace. All the duct work will remain how it is. He said all they need to do is slide the old furnace out, slide the new one in place and add a flexible skirt to the plentum. If this is all he will do for the replacement I will install it myself.

[TR21HP]

Just make sure the gas connections don't need modifications unless you're comfortable with that as well. Also make sure everything is up to code, you will need a permit and inspection by the City as well unless you can skirt that

[gunmunky]

Thanks. I am checking on what permits are needed and what work I can do my self. I'm comfortable doing the gas and electrical but not 100% on the low voltage for the thermostat.

[Josh.P 86]

Sliding the new one in isn't all that needs to happen usually. If your furnace now is 80% efficient you will need new venting that gos out the side of your home consisting of 2 2" PVC pipes. Hopefully gas is on the right side and height. That will make it easy otherwise will need to redo it. The new furnace will need a condensate line ran to a floor drain. Or attach to your a.c drain. Your t-stat may not be able to run a 2-stage furnace or not have enough wires. which isn't the end of the world because you can usually wire the furnace to go into 2nd stage on its own but having your t-stat tell is the best way. A 60,000 BTU furnace is pretty typical for a 1,500 sq ft home but there are a lot of variables. You also want to make sure there is a proper start up done on the unit. Not if it lights its good! Checking incoming gas pressure and manifold pressure and a combustion report are important to make sure its running at its peak so you get your moneys worth. As far as brands go I prefer American standard. I think of them like cars, They all do the same thing just some are built heavier duty with more bells and whistles than others. Just make sure to have a reputable company upgrade your heating system and you should be happy.

[gunmunky]

Thanks Josh! Thats great info, just the stuff I'm looking for. I would prefer to have someone install it but only if I know they are knowledgeable. Whats the going hourly rate for an installer? I want to be as informed as possible and I've found nothing but sound advice knowledge here!!!!!!!

[BoxMN]

No info here on tech or installation, but I can say that my variable speed furnace has made it much nicer in the house without hot/cold spots, and quiets due to not running at full all the time when it does run, and has helped in electricity and gas used compared to old one (which is now in my garage...)

No repairs needed (excpet cleaning out some leaf debris from intake) in 12 years now. The variable speed unit really is nice in our our 1300' old story and half, I would get it again despite some saying it is more to go wrong. good luck.

[gunmunky]

Thanks for the reply BoxMN. Do you have a Goodman? If not what brand did you go with? Do you have around a 50000-60000 btu furnace? Thats what I'm finding they recommend for my house.

[Tom7227]

About 5 years ago I had a new 95% unit put in with the two speed fan. Moving it into place and hooking up the duct work was the simple part. Two techs were down there working with meters, instruction books, I don't know what all for a long time. There's no way it is a DIY. It might be if you were going with a single speed 80% unit with a simple thermostat.

Just get two or three estimates and go with the company that you feel the most comfortable with. Cheapest isn't necessarily the best. You want quality tech work and to have it done correctly. Some Friday night emergency repair call next November will take a good chunk out of what you think you're saving today.

[Big Dave2]

I had a Goodman installed about 6 years ago and no problems so far.

[magicstix]

We did a American Standard 60K Btu/ 2 stage?/97% effic.. , 3yrs ago.

House is a story and 1/2 about 1940's , 1500 sqft, full basement underground. Been happy with performance of unit and monthly bills. Had gone from a Trane 80K/ 80% effic..

Ditto on find a quality installer.

Funny, when Wife and I were talking new house build , we both agreed it'd be nice to build a size home that could still use this furnance.

[BoxMN]

Ours is a Trane, can't recall the size.

Funny thing, we went with a reputable company, not the cheapest, but not the most spendy. Had been around for many many years, even put the previous furnace in even before it was our house. When I called back for some A/C work about 9 years later they were out of business. heh. So you never know...

We did have 10 year labor and 10 year parts warranty with the model we had, though 5 of the labor warranty was from dealer and not Trane. I do have a dealer/repair place I would NOT recommend, as they kept trying to sell me on stuff I did not need, and when they did it was always a $300 job, even for something I knew was $17 in parts and took literally 10 minutes to do. That is when I told them to take a flying leap. Won't name them here but they are big and "reputable"... they have a set price list if that helps, and you can buy a "discount service plan" that reduces service prices... heh.

[gunmunky]

Thanks for all the replies! The business I would like to have install it only handles Rheem and I'm not impressed with the reviews I've been reading on them (Rheem). I'm going to ask them if I buy a Goodman furnace if they'd install it. I'm trying to get ahold of another place that handles the Goodmans to get a quote from them. At least it's not 10 below and we can get by with our electric heaters .

[GSPMark]

I bought one (Goodman) in Buffalo in 2008 and replaced my old Oil Furnance. Installed it my self with my sons help and it has ran since then with zero problems. We did the whole install in a weekend. It was a 94% 80K BTU. Cost me right at 2k for the whole project.

[TR21HP]

Blue Ox heating and air sells and installs Goodmans, they are a division of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

[BlackLabGuy]

Our 90% Efficient 25 year old Trane died this winter, we had a 96% eff. 2 stage, variable speed Lennox (and a whole House Humidifier)installed on short notice for just under $4K. New unit is quiet, works great and heats our similar sized house no problem, no regrets on this or the installer. We had Ron's Mechanical out of Shakopee do the work and they did a good job, they showed up when they said and did nice work. We did save some money by paying in full with a check vs. financing or CCard.

[LightningBG]

I recently put a new furnace/AC in a house. Went with a Goodman 95%. I did all of the install and ductwork, then had a company (actually a guy from a company doing it on the side (they did commercial)) come in and run the lines to the AC, vacuum them, test all the pressures, make adjustments, etc. That stuff was way over my head and I didn't feel like blowing up down the road. I think I ended up paying him between $500 and $1000 when all was said and done, plus parts.

But... finding those guys can be tricky.

[Tom7227]

Check with your utility to see if you can get a rebate. High efficiency units can result in some decent money and make it a lot easier to upgrade.

[gunmunky]

Quotes are starting to show up. First one is a 96% Rheem, not impressed with what I'm reading for reviews on them tho. The one I'm really curious about should be here tomorrow, I hope. This guy was very nice and seemed to real know his $hit. He suggested to also replace my water heater to a high efficiency one because the cost will not be that much more, and my water heater is 12 yrs old. Plus he was willing to fix my old gas valve that day, when no one else even knew how!!! The city gives rebates from $250-$600 from what I understand.

[gunmunky]

Update on the furnace choice.

The quotes for a High Eff Furnace with a 2 stage burner and variable speed blower came in at $4000-$4500.

After a lot of research online I decided to tackle it myself. I purchased a Goodman 96% furnace and aprilaire filter. My wife picked out a nest thermostat. I had 1 section of the return duct fabricated for me. I have the furnace installed with some minor duct work to finish and I still need to install the venting. My total invested so far is $1600 with an approx additional $100-$150. I should have it completed with 2 weeks. Plus I'll receive a $575 rebate from the city.

I feel very lucky that it happened now and not in Dec or Jan, or when its 100 degrees out.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.