Any Furnace guys here? Need new forced air recommendations/thoughts.

[jakedaawg]

Has any one bought a new forced air furnace lately? What are the good brands? I prefer to buy quality, towards the higher end in the hopes that parts are available for longer periods. This house will never get sold so I want it to be a good one. Not like I am just looking for the next few years...

Mine will need to be propane, hopefully American made. Union made or not doesn't concern me as much though union stuff seems to be better quality or was years ago.

What do you look for/ look out for in a modern furnace? This will be replacing a 22 yr old unit that was installed when the house was built. Its a contractor grade type unit, can't even find a name on it. Last year during servicing they suggested I replace it the next time it acts up and here we go...

I am recovering from a recent neck surgery and on pain meds so my thinking is not the clearest, I don't like the idea of making purchases like this under these circumstances so hopefully I'll be able to bounce some things off of someone here that knows a little about this stuff. Unfortunately, living in NW Lower Michigan, I don't have the luxury of waiting to make a choice. Going to have buy immediately.

 

[bajaunderground]

Carrier? Bryant, Rheem, Lennox all good brands. They should be sized according to volume...that's all I know?

 

[bigdee]

More expensive is not always better. Look for one with the longest warranty on the burner. The rest of the controls will be similar no matter which brand. My advice is to stay away from all the bells and whistles especially variable speed blower. Keep it basic but solid for the most reliability.

 

[alldodge]

Always been a fan of American Standard which is the parent company of Trane. Never could understand you can get American Standard cheaper then Trane and the only difference is the ID plate. Next would be Carrier

 

[Scott Danforth]

Always been a fan of American Standard which is the parent company of Trane. Never could understand you can get American Standard cheaper then Trane and the only difference is the ID plate. Next would be Carrier

the same reason that people pay more money for GMC than they do Chevrolet. Marketing.

back to the OP's comment.

Furnace or Furnace and AC? being in Michigan, you may or may not have AC.

going to assume gas forced air vs a heat pump since your propane

Grandad used to own a heading and plumbing business in Manitowoc county. I helped install many American Standard, Bryant, Lennox etc. converted many to propane as well.

he would talk to the customer, listen to what they needed, etc. if longevity was needed, he recommended the 93% efficient over the 94+ simply because they were a much simpler unit, easier to repair, and lasted about 3 times as long. look for the warranty life on the heat exchanger.

Talk to your installing contractor, ask about service, etc.

also, buy extra igniters and learn how to install them (easy), they tend to fail on a holiday weekend, and having an extra one on-hand means you wont pay a $500 emergency repair bill

 

[bruceb58]

I have a Rheem that just got installed. I am on Propane as well and the conversion is just a kit that changes the jets and a spring that changes the pressure regulator.

There are even more choices once you decide the brand. I just went with a single stage 80% efficiency unit. If you go to the higher efficiency condensing units, the repair prices go way up because you now have more expensive gas valves and such.

I was considering a 2 stage but the extra cost would not be made up because of the mild climate I am in. Also, the lead time for a 2 stage in my area for a Rheem was another month.

When I replaced the heater in my Tahoe house. I also went with a 80% unit because of the reliability. I can not afford my heater to go out when I am not there since I will have pipes freezing.

 

[Tnstratofam]

I own a Bryant dealership and they ( Parent company Carrier ) manufacture a good furnace with a good waranty. Standard waranty is 10 years on most brands for parts with primary heat exchanger warranties varying from 20 years to lifetime. 80% furnaces are very sturdy while 90%+ furnaces do have a little more that can go wrong.

+1 on staying with standard 80% or 92% furnaces. The ultra high efficiency furnaces are usually 2 stage with variable speed ECM motors. That equals more " Expensive" parts to replace once the parts warranty expires.

Standard life expectancy on a propane furnace with ( I STRONGLY Recommend! ) annual service is 18-20 years. Also manufacturers require having the furnace serviced once a year for warranty purposes.

Make sure your HVAC company does a proper LP conversion on the new furnace to include a Low Pressure switch installed on the gas valve. Nothing will kill a furnace faster than improper fuel burn due to low gas pressure.

Also insist that every time the furnace is serviced the Tech checks and verifies the gas pressure is correct. Both incoming and outgoing at the gas valve.


Bryant, Rheen, American Standard all good choices.

Really if they are installed correctly any furnace is good. Ammana, Goodman (Cheaper Ammana), Heil, Payne (Both Cheaper Carrier) All good brands.

 

[jakedaawg]

Thanks guys, really appreciate it. I think I got the gist of this:

1. Stay away from latest/greatest/newest tech. I don't want the super efficiency sales pitch due to reliability.

2. Buy some extra common failure parts now to have on the shelf.

3. Pay attention to warranty

4. See if I can get a yearly service schedule thrown in to make sure warranty remains in effect.

5. I do have central air. Its a big square box outside with a couple insulted hoses that go into the furnace/plenum? Service tech should be able to handle all that I am assuming. Hoping existing unit can work with new furnace.

6. Brand isn't major concern as they seem to all be made by just two or three parent companies? Must be similiar to dish washers and appliances, seems like they are all in bed together.

7. Being that my heater company folks who have been servicing this are well established in the area they should know all about the propane issues? Most people up here have propane or wood, it is a rural area and there is very little natural gas infrastructure unless you happen to be near traverse city or around one of the lakes in the high rent areas.

Thanks again, haven't ever had to buy a furnace yet, or any other major house component and I really don't have the time or clearness of head/mind to research this at the moment.

 

[alldodge]

4. See if I can get a yearly service schedule thrown in to make sure warranty remains in effect.

This is the only one I have an issue with. If there is a failure someone has to prove that lack of maintenance is what caused the issue.

 

[bajaunderground]

Get a home warranty from American Home Shield or a local company? They will run in the range of $400-$500year (depending on what plan you choose?). They cover appliances, furnace/AC, electrical, plumbing, etc...If there's an issue, they charge in the neighborhood of $50 for a service call, if it's repairable, they repair at no additional costs. If it needs replaced, they replace at no additional costs.

I buy them for clients all the time as part of the deal and more often then not, they pay for themselves within the first year. As always, read the fine print. Like all warranties, they're only as good as the company that writes them!

All that being said, I do not purchase them for myself as I am handy and have been able to fix most items by myself or having friends "in the business". Which usually means I save money? I replaced my 40 gallon H2O heater a few years back. Upgraded to a commercial 50gallon and that costs substantially more as I didn't have the time to replace and was willing to spend....I've gotten cheaper over the years..I guess?

 

[Tnstratofam]

Get a home warranty from American Home Shield or a local company? They will run in the range of $400-$500year (depending on what plan you choose?). They cover appliances, furnace/AC, electrical, plumbing, etc...If there's an issue, they charge in the neighborhood of $50 for a service call, if it's repairable, they repair at no additional costs. If it needs replaced, they replace at no additional costs.

I buy them for clients all the time as part of the deal and more often then not, they pay for themselves within the first year. As always, read the fine print. Like all warranties, they're only as good as the company that writes them!

All that being said, I do not purchase them for myself as I am handy and have been able to fix most items by myself or having friends "in the business". Which usually means I save money? I replaced my 40 gallon H2O heater a few years back. Upgraded to a commercial 50gallon and that costs substantially more as I didn't have the time to replace and was willing to spend....I've gotten cheaper over the years..I guess?

The only issue I have with " Home Warranty" companies is most contractors, myself included, will not do business with them. In my experience they are slow to pay, and don't offer great small parts coverage.

That being said if your local contractor does business with a reputable home warranty company then by all means consider the coverage.

As to having yearly maintenance performed consider it the same as checking the air in your tires or having your oil changed regularly. Not only are you meeting the terms of the manufacturers warranty requirements, but you are ensuring you get the longest trouble free service out of your equipment. I Do Not Belive more than once a year is necessary for routine maintenance. Especially on equipment less than 10 years old.

Check the warranty paperwork that comes with your new equipment on what the manufacturer requires. This varies from brand to brand and some states
( California, Massachusetts, and New York I believe) do not require anything extra from the home owner to keep your warranty valid. Chevk your state and manufacturers requirements.

Also you the homeowner are entitled to any and all paperwork and owners manuals that come with the equipment. Including the installation instructions, warranty paperwork, and gas conversion paperwork. Your contractor may want to keep this information on file, but should provide you with copies. You should keep this paperwork for potential future work by a company other than the installer. It saves allot of headaches for future Techs if the paperwork is on site versus at someone else's office.

Most manufacturers offer a standard parts warranty of 5 years. This is increased to 10 years by simply going online and registering the equipment at the manufacturers web site. You only have 90 days from the date of installation to register your equipment. Make sure it is registered and print a copy of the registration from the manufacturers website, or have your dealer give you a copy.

This should not be on a dealer letterhead, but directly from the manufacturer with dates and equipment serial numbers. This is an important step! My company services a TON of equipment that doesn't get registered and after 5 years there is no parts warranty. Again check the manufacturers requirements based on your state.

 

[bassman284]

7. Being that my heater company folks who have been servicing this are well established in the area they should know all about the propane issues? Most people up here have propane or wood, it is a rural area and there is very little natural gas infrastructure unless you happen to be near traverse city or around one of the lakes in the high rent areas.

OK, this is the biggest thing to me. Having a local heating/A/C company with a good rep that you have confidence in. All the internet research you can do is not going to outweigh that, IMO. If you have doubts, check with a few neighbors to see what they think. Fact is, these folks can tell you more than you're ever going to get off the web. What works around here, what are other people doing. That's the stuff you need to know and those are the folks I'd rely on. You say they're well established and they didn't get that way screwing people over.

 

[dingbat]

This is the only one I have an issue with. If there is a failure someone has to prove that lack of maintenance is what caused the issue.

As the companies commercial leader, I oversee the service department and any warrenty issues. A good service guy can determine if it was service related failure 9 out of 10 times.

 

[alldodge]

As the companies commercial leader, I oversee the service department and any warrenty issues. A good service guy can determine if it was service related failure 9 out of 10 times.

Agree