Lennox SLP98 vs G61V question

[JenGor]

Hi All,

First post but have been reading alot here, some very good advice & information here.

We are looking at replacing our existing furnace (17 yrs old) and would like some opinions from people that know more than me (not hard when it comes to furnace replacement).

Our house located in Ottawa & is a 1996 2 story end unit town house 1280 sq ft not including basement. It currently has a 100,000 BTU 80% eff furnace (yes it goes on & off frequently).

I've had 8 quotes with only 1 person doing the 'manual J' calc that ended up at 43,000 (including 10% for duct loss).

Trying to decide which furnace would better suit the house:

The SLP98 with a 4" filter and iComfort stat or
The G61V with a 4" filter and Comfort Sense 7000 stat

The only issue with the current house is that the bedroom on the opposite end of the of the house from the furnace doesn't get as warm as the rest of the house. Not a big deal as it is also over the garage (the insulation in the garage probably has alot to do with it).

The SLP is a very nice furnace but I'm just wondering if it is a bit of overkill for the house & that the G61V would work just as well.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[George2]

I'm not familiar with the Lennox models. The one is a "90 plus" efficiency. I'm not sure about the other. Can you tell me what you like about each?

It really depends on how long you'll be in the home to justify the addition money. I do like the 4" filter idea.

How were the other contractors sizing ur furnace? And what sizes were they suggesting?

Thanks

[JenGor]

I'm not familiar with the Lennox models. The one is a "90 plus" efficiency. I'm not sure about the other. Can you tell me what you like about each?

It really depends on how long you'll be in the home to justify the addition money. I do like the 4" filter idea.

How were the other contractors sizing ur furnace? And what sizes were they suggesting?

Thanks

Hi,

Sorry I forgot to mention that they are all 70,000 BTU furnaces, all contractors ended up at the same size.

The G61V is 94.1% the SLP98 is 97% and qualify for the federal gov't rebates. The G61V is a 2 stage (70% & 100%) where as the SLP98 is a modulating (up from as low as 35%). I'm not sure if the modulating would be worth the extra 15% in price as the lower stage of the G61V (70% of 70K = 49K with a manual j of 43K - not sure if that is how it relates) would be enough to do the trick.

Thanks.

[George2]

Hi,

Sorry I forgot to mention that they are all 70,000 BTU furnaces, all contractors ended up at the same size.

The G61V is 94.1% the SLP98 is 97% and qualify for the federal gov't rebates. The G61V is a 2 stage (70% & 100%) where as the SLP98 is a modulating (up from as low as 35%). I'm not sure if the modulating would be worth the extra 15% in price as the lower stage of the G61V (70% of 70K = 49K with a manual j of 43K - not sure if that is how it relates) would be enough to do the trick.

Thanks.

I'm sorry to tell you this a throw you for a loop, but a 70,000 btu furnace staged or mod. is too large (over sized) for your home.

You need a furnace with a high fire furnace of 45,000 btu. This is a commom mistake in our field.

Does Lennox make a 45,000 or 50,000?

[JenGor]

Wow, how did all contractors come up with the same size? None of them mentioned a smaller one from Lennox although looking at the pamphlet it looks as though the G61V comes in a 45K BTU.

My wife will blow a gasket if I tell her we need more quotes :gah:

[George2]

Wow, how did all contractors come up with the same size? None of them mentioned a smaller one from Lennox although looking at the pamphlet it looks as though the G61V comes in a 45K BTU.

My wife will blow a gasket if I tell her we need more quotes :gah:

It happens all the time here. One reason, of course, most don't contractors have a clue, but, otherwise, I think it's because the smaller units are not as readily available and not normally stocked.

[George2]

Wow, how did all contractors come up with the same size? None of them mentioned a smaller one from Lennox although looking at the pamphlet it looks as though the G61V comes in a 45K BTU.

My wife will blow a gasket if I tell her we need more quotes :gah:

Suggestion............who did you think was going to do the best job at a fair price and has a good reputation?

Tell them that you what the smaller 2-stage furnace (if it qualifies for the rebates). They'll probably, to save face, have you sign off on it, but do it.

The oversized furnaces will never "live up" its potential. In other words, they'll stay on low fire. You might as well install a single stage furnace then....get it?

It's like buying a 10 speed bike for use on flat land.

[George2]

Also, one reason ur bedroom isn't getting warm is because the existing furnace is too big.

Tell your wife to chill......this is a big decision that you'll have to live with for a long time.