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QUESTION:I want to replace my furnace and install central air. I've had five
different companies out to give me estimates. Every one of them has
conflicting opinions. I don't know what to do. For reference, my
house is 1000 sqft and I live in southeast Wisconsin. My current
furnace is a forced air Bryant and is approx. 15-18 years old.
One says Carrier is great and Rheem is crap.
One says Rheem is great and Carrier is crap.
One loves Goodman/Janitrol, thinks Carrier is over priced and fails
often, and thinks there's typically a two week wait to get replacement
parts for a Rheem.
One quoted me on a Bryant (which I now know is Carrier).
One quoted me on Ducane.
Three think I should go with a 10 SEER AC and four think I should go
with an 80% furnace. They all think 12 SEERs break down more often
and I won't make up the price difference for at least 10 years. They
think 90% furnaces break down more often and don't heat the house as
well as an 80% does. One has said the type of Freon used in the 12
SEER Rheems have been having issues. It's more corrosive than the
stuff used in the 10 SEER unit and has been eating away at some of the
parts. Everyone else has never heard of that an thinks it's a bunch
of bull. One says 90% furnaces only benefit larger homes.
One thinks 12 SEERs break down less than 10 SEERS (this is the Carrier
dealer).
Three think I should get a 1 ton AC and 75k BTU furnace.
One thinks I should get a 2 ton AC and 70k BTU furnace.
One thinks I should get a 2 ton AC and 100k BTU furnace.
The one who thinks I should get the 2 ton AC showed me a sheet he uses
for judging AC size. The sheet he got that copy from was very old
made on a mimeograph. It showed that up to 850 sqft should have a 1
ton, 850-1200 sqft a 2 ton, 1200 - ? a 2 ton. I don't remember the
rest.
Carrier has a 10 year warranty on their scroll compressor and a 20
year on the major furnace part (I don't remember what it's called)
Everyone else seems to have a 5 year on the AC and a 10 year (if I'm
lucky) on the furnace.
I can't find any information on the internet to begin to figure out
any of this. It seems I need to take these people's word for it. On
top of that, my realtor mother says she hasn't seen any new furnaces
that were less than a 90% in the homes she's been selling. She had a
90% put in her own house 6 years ago. It seems the 80% are quiet old,
as well as the 10 SEERs. Seems silly to put in old equipment.
The prices are approximatly:
$3100 for the Ducane 10 SEER, 80% furnace
$4000 for the Janitrol 10 SEER, 90% furnace, & chimney liner (this guy
thinks I may need a new liner due to the appearance of the clay part
of my chimney on the outside.)
$4000 for the Carrier 12 SEER (38TZA), 80% furnace (58STA/58STX).
$4600 for the Rheem 10 SEER, 80% furnace.
$2600 for the Bryant 12 SEER. Didn't get a furnace price from this
guy. He would suggest a 90%
The one thing I have decided is the Ducane is out of the running.
That rep was at my house for no longer than 5 minutes, recommended I
get the 2 ton, 100k BTU setup, and commented on my not being married
at my age (29).
ANSWER: Surprised you didn't get a quote for American Standard or Trane.
If your chimney is on an outside wall you should have it lined no matter what. If you go to a 90%
and have a gas hot water tank hooked up to the chimney you MUST line the chimney
I would go with the 90% furnace due that Wisconsin needs more heating than A.C
The best bet would be a 90% furnace, 12 Seer A.C and if you have a hot water tank line it since the
chimney will be oversized without a furnace.
Call your electric company and see if there are incentives for Heat Pumps or Geothermals and what
the rates are. Heat pumps in our area are cheaper to run than gas at the present. Heck, I ran a
comparison yesterday and found that electric resistance on a home is only about $3 from gas price
since our new increase.
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