Getting new furnace and a/c this spring...

[animal]

Both forced air duct based. A/c unit is 30 years old and likes to leak freon every year. The furnace is from 1993 and works great but I figure it may be worth just doing both of these at the same time now since I have the money to do it.

Any brands to stay away from or new technoligies that are worth looking in to? Other thoughts?

[awsomeears]

Any name brand will do you good.......

To answer your question " The one that is installed correctly "

[Lash]

Any name brand will do you good.......

To answer your question " The one that is installed correctly "

[jbiscuit]

We have a Lennox super high efficiency furnace with the Lennox central a/c unit. Great units. The furnace has a variable blower and works quietly. It's a pricey furnace but when the Feds were offering the kickbacks for installing one it wasn't too bad. Negotiated for regular tune-ups/check-ups with our purchase and it's been great so far. Just had them over to look at it and it was working perfectly after a year.

Might want to hold off till the off season for the furnace to take advantage of manufacturer rebates and deals. Nobody will be buying a furnace in July lol

[animal]

Might want to hold off till the off season for the furnace to take advantage of manufacturer rebates and deals. Nobody will be buying a furnace in July lol

When exactly IS the off season? I NEED the A/c to work way before july and I didn't want to do the work to a new one and then later have them come back for the furnace. Will there be deals that can be had in april or may?

I'm only asking about what technology or type to buy because I currently have a lennox furnace that people have outright refused to come out and work on. I don't want to end up with something that no one will touch 10 years from now.

[awsomeears]

You must have a Lennox Pulse ?

[animal]

So I finally got one quote on it,

80,000btu furnace 2600
3.5ton a/c 2800

5702.xx includes tax, installation of everything, new thermo, servicing my old-as-fukk aprilaire, and some new air filtration system I didn't ask for that I'm prolly going to nix out of the deal.

The guy specced out a brand called "concord". Is this a decent brand or is it junk? I'm assuming its a rebrand of a name brand one but I wanted to check here for opinion. Is this a good or bad price?

[awsomeears]

80,000 BTU and 3.5 Ton A/C does not match !!!

What I mean is 60,000 btu usually matches a 2 ton or maybe a 2.5 ton on the Large end of general CFM, or if there is a second floor that may need extra De-humidification when its BALL HOT OUT !!!

Most 80,000 systems will get 2.5 tons..... Hell I'm installing a 70,000 btu furance with a 2.5 ton next week and its a 2stage so most of the time it will be 2ton until the customer via thermostat demands a 2 degree difference THEN the extra .5 ton will kick in...

Per Ton you need at least 450 CFM, so a 3.5 TON would be 1575 CFM so you better have A big ASS HOUSE with BIG ASS duct work or it ain't going to work.... well it might work but when your A/C kicks on she will Wistle So loud.

You and I last year went back and forth with info, this year I sent you 2 PM's with no replies..... Get back to me...

BTW what sq. ft is your home ?

Based off what he quoted your home has GOT TO BE at least on the minimum 2000 sq. ft up to 2800
What kind of warranty ? 10 year ?
Lemon warranty ?
Extra heat exchanger warranty ?
Better be a 4" filter cabinet ?

I can stop out and give you a quote.....

I hope he did not quote you a SINGLE stage furnace, I haven't put one of those in, in years !!!

Concord as a brand is okay, one thing is that they are VERY LOUD !!!

I know I have installed about 15 of them.....

[Lash]

Technically, or maybe IMO, you want the A/C slightly undersized (furnaces as well). They are more efficient the longer they run. Depending on your sq. ft., your are gonna get it in the butt hole on your electric bills. Either they way undersized the furnace or way oversized the a/c.

For reference....
I have just under 1800 sq. ft.with a 90,000btu furnace @ 1,600cfm with 2.5 tons of cooling.

[Lash]

it ain't going to work.... well it might work but when your A/C kicks on she will Wistle So loud.

It'll only wistle until the evap coil turns to a block of ice.



Anyway...looking at their website it seems like the only 80kbtu's they offer are 80%ers in 1400 or 2000 cfm. I guess it might be possible. Still seems weird though.

http://concord-air.com/pdfs/rcg80-100.pdf
http://concord-air.com/pdfs/rcg80v-100.pdf

They do carry an 81kbtu and an 83kbtu in 90% and 92% though.

[05caddyext]

Anyone have any idea how much it would cost to install an ac unit in a 900sq ft home? I have some weird heating issues also. All new duct work and furnace about 4 years ago. I have a main level, and an upper level that is small, was an attic at one time. I don't hardly get any heat upstairs in the bedroom, almost no flow in the duct. But I get a lot of heat in the walk in closet up there. Also, I am positive that my cold air return upstairs isn't connected to anything, its just laying in the crawl space in the attic. What, if anything, can be done about this? My main level heats pretty good, except the bathroom, it's always cold. I am not even sure if the cold air return in my living room is connected to anything either, it appears they made a cold air return in between the joists in the basement ceiling, and it has a million holes in it from running electrical wiring all over the place down there. If I have a poor heating problem upstairs, would I have the same problem with poor a/c? I have 0 roof vents, and whoever insulated the attic did it ass backwards. They insulated the underside of the roof, like right under the shingles, aren't you supposed to leave that uninsulated and insulate the floor instead? Also, one side of the house that's insulated like that has vapor barrier, the other side does not. Any ideas on where to start to fix these problems? Or should I just light a match and let it burn...

[awsomeears]

caddy I can stop by and give you a Quote, and most of all tell you what the hell is ALL wrong...

PM me !

[awsomeears]

Technically, or maybe IMO, you want the A/C slightly undersized

I agree.....

Removing Humidity is much more important then a fixed temperature, a properly sized unit and a nice 76 degree with low humidity will be better then a over sized unit that can run at 70 degrees with mild humidity....

Humidity is what makes us uncomfortable not the Temperature, when a A/C is to big for the home it Zaps the humidity out of the air and cools the thermostat down fast thats all, then in 10 minutes its back on....then off.... then on..... then off and so on......

Unit sized right and yes maybe a tad undersized will slowly take the humidity out of the air, carpet, clothes, couch, walls and the list goes on......

Some of these new systems I'm selling and servicing will keep customers nice and cool in the range of 74-78 degrees....

That is awesome as electric ain't cheap

[animal]

I'm in west bend, you already told me once you don't come up here ears. I prolly didn't get your PM's because you were on my ignore list lol.

I thought maybe I read wrong so i checked the quote again. He did write it up exactly as i wrote above, 80k btu 95% 2 stage, and 3.5 ton a/c. I have the concord model numbers he wrote on the quote if you want them. House is 19xx square feet 2 story. He didn't really write anything about the filter system he wanted to install. I'm pretty sure I don't want or need it though, nor did i really ask for it to be added. The only thing I asked him to check on before quoting was that the air jsut pisses out of the vents especially on the second story so I didn't know if the blower was undersized (already checked to make sure it was in high gear). He concluded that the current furnace is way undersized compared to the current a/c that is installed. The a/c is a 1978 unit original to the house and it needs 3-5lbs of freon every year so its time to replace that. The current furnace is a pulse that is otherwise working fine... seems to heat just fine too, but again the vents don't seem to blow hard anywhere in the house.

[awsomeears]

Ahhh yes West Bend that's right, ignore list ? well no free info for you then. Good luck you will need it ......

[animal]

Ahhh yes West Bend that's right, ignore list ? well no free info for you then. Good luck you will need it ......

Lol, don't feel special, 95% of the site is on my ignore list I just forgot that it blocks pm's like that.

[awsomeears]

LOL no worry's ........

Max in your house 2.5tons is needed, when was the home built ?

2 stage 120voltAC blower motor or Variable speed DC motor ?

I always quote out a Variable speed blower motor for second floor homes, hell that should be a standard in the HVAC biznass !!!

Reason being is running the fan 24/7 is ideal and cheap, DC motor is around 50 bucks per year and its on a LOW setting on most models. Low is all you need to circulate the air for EVEN temps.
AC motors aka standard motors are around 300 per year and most models the Heat speed will go on, can be noisy depending on brand....

Most good systems with a good 10 year part warranty, are around $6000 and $7000....

Anything lower then 6 or hell 5 I'd have to question allot of things, I know what all goes into a job and whats left for profit. Most companys that put a system in under 5 grand or even 6 grand probably speak nothing of warranty, city permits, electrical permits and probably 3k in materials....

I know some company's that are stoked to make $400 on a full install, little do they know there installing them like monkeys. Once the correct time is involved they will see there giving the stuff away....

When my work does a install the only original duct work that should be there are the main ducts pinned up on the ceiling. Everything else needs to be cut out plain and simple !!!

[animal]

LOL no worry's ........

Max in your house 2.5tons is needed, when was the home built ?

2 stage 120voltAC blower motor or Variable speed DC motor ?

I always quote out a Variable speed blower motor for second floor homes, hell that should be a standard in the HVAC biznass !!!

Reason being is running the fan 24/7 is ideal and cheap, DC motor is around 50 bucks per year and its on a LOW setting on most models. Low is all you need to circulate the air for EVEN temps.
AC motors aka standard motors are around 300 per year and most models the Heat speed will go on, can be noisy depending on brand....

Most good systems with a good 10 year part warranty, are around $6000 and $7000....

Anything lower then 6 or hell 5 I'd have to question allot of things, I know what all goes into a job and whats left for profit. Most companys that put a system in under 5 grand or even 6 grand probably speak nothing of warranty, city permits, electrical permits and probably 3k in materials....

I know some company's that are stoked to make $400 on a full install, little do they know there installing them like monkeys. Once the correct time is involved they will see there giving the stuff away....

When my work does a install the only original duct work that should be there are the main ducts pinned up on the ceiling. Everything else needs to be cut out plain and simple !!!

Well I'm assuming all the old shit will come out and the duct work will be replaced up to the ceiling in the basement. The old box by the furnace can't really be reused because the pulse has rubber isolaters hooked to every outgoing duct because of the vibration. I'm assuming those will all get taken out and new sheet will be put in place to connect the new furnace and air to the rest of the ductwork. House is from '78.

No idea on the blower motor, not sure where I'd even find that info unless I look up the model number and see what it says. This isn't a side job guy though, he's a one or two man company contractor. I'm gonna get another quote from a similar reputable company and a third from a larger reputable company and see how they all compare in sizing and price.

The current system has been very uneven in heating because it just seems like the fan isn't pushing what it needs to be pushing. I've tried to moderate this by partially closing/opening upstairs/downstairs duct baffles based on the season. Its hard to get it perfect but I'd sure like to see more air flow come through on the second floor.

[awsomeears]

Well I'm assuming all the old shit will come out and the duct work will be replaced up to the ceiling in the basement. The old box by the furnace can't really be reused because the pulse has rubber isolaters hooked to every outgoing duct because of the vibration. I'm assuming those will all get taken out and new sheet will be put in place to connect the new furnace and air to the rest of the ductwork. House is from '78.

No idea on the blower motor, not sure where I'd even find that info unless I look up the model number and see what it says. This isn't a side job guy though, he's a one or two man company contractor. I'm gonna get another quote from a similar reputable company and a third from a larger reputable company and see how they all compare in sizing and price.

The current system has been very uneven in heating because it just seems like the fan isn't pushing what it needs to be pushing. I've tried to moderate this by partially closing/opening upstairs/downstairs duct baffles based on the season. Its hard to get it perfect but I'd sure like to see more air flow come through on the second floor.

I bet your A-coil ( its above your furnace ) is plugged up or your blower wheel is caked with crap, if my memory serves correct the Pulse Furnaces did put out a good air flow. They needed to keep that Massive odd ball Heat Exchanger COOL, hence the strong air I'm referring to...

When and if you get other quotes list them on here, I would rather see you get a nice job then a fast job. Make sure you are comparing Oranges to Oranges...

10 year part warranty
20 year heat exchanger
5yr part T-stat
Electrical Permits
City Permits
4" Air Filter housing

Allot goes into a Full Install....

[animal]

I bet your A-coil ( its above your furnace ) is plugged up or your blower wheel is caked with crap, if my memory serves correct the Pulse Furnaces did put out a good air flow. They needed to keep that Massive odd ball Heat Exchanger COOL, hence the strong air I'm referring to...

When and if you get other quotes list them on here, I would rather see you get a nice job then a fast job. Make sure you are comparing Oranges to Oranges...

10 year part warranty
20 year heat exchanger
5yr part T-stat
Electrical Permits
City Permits
4" Air Filter housing

Allot goes into a Full Install....

Could be plugged... not sure. He did say the current furnace was drastically undersized when compared to the current a/c (which I think is 3-3.5 already). The furnace is from '93, air is original and according to the neighbors, never used. The 2 owners "didn't believe in a/c" apparently. Heh... not sure why they'd have installed it then? The fan blows pretty hard on the first floor especially the first few vents down the line, just really suffers by the time it makes it upstairs thats why I was closing the baffles on many of the downstairs vents just to get more pressure upstairs. Still seemed weak to me though compared to other houses and apartments i've lived in.

I know this has a 10 year parts warranty, unsure exactly on the h/e, i know it was more than 10, maybe "limited lifetime" ?

Tstat... they have parts? wouldn't a person just buy a new one if it went?

no idea on permits or any of that official crap. I'd assume anyone acting as a business is forced to do these as licensed installers, aren't they?