Bryant vs. Carrier - why is there a difference

[jechow]

I received a quote for the following two gas furnaces. One of the two will be installed into my 2100 sq ft home with a heat pump:

1. Bryant 80% Evolution (model #315AAV036070) and
2. Carrier 80% Infinity (model #58CVA070-12).

The Bryant contractor rates his furnace at 54 BTUH. The Carrier contractor rates his furnace at 70 BTUH. Here are my questions:

i. Aren't these two furnaces identical and therefore should they have the same BTUH rating?
ii. What size of furnace should I get for my 2100 sq ft, two-story , west-facing home with a 3 ft crawl (R11 insulation and double pane windows)?

I know that I should get a manual J computation but none of the contractors I met with are not "willing" to perform the calculation. I could continue searching for another installer but it seems impossible to find a HVAC specialist who provides the quote, performs the manual J calculation and is a competent installer.

Help!!!

Thanks

[fixitmanmc]

i. Identical furnaces; 66000 high/ 43500 low input; 54000 high/ 35000 low output upflow. Smallest furnace in 80% varable speed evo/ inf family group.
ii. No good answer other than information above. HVAC Calc at tab above has a home owner use rate.

[Hvacman4God]

Bryant is made by Carrier. Carrier would be the top of the line that the company makes while Bryant would be on the low end affordable side of what the company makes. This would explain the differences in Btu rating.

[beachhvac]

Sounds like the Bryant contractor is rating the unit on output BTU's and the Carrier contractor on input BTU's. Furnace that produces 70,000 btuh input at 80% afue will produce around 56,000 btuh output. Sounds like they are the same furnace.

[Special Ed]

Bryant is made by Carrier. Carrier would be the top of the line that the company makes while Bryant would be on the low end affordable side of what the company makes. This would explain the differences in Btu rating.


beach, do NOT pay attention to this post. It was obviously written by a Carrier dealer who is trained to write just that.

They are exactly the same furnace with the same parts & everything.

Go with the contractor makes you more comfy!



And before you all have a chance to say the predictable, no, I'm not a Bryant or a Carrier dealer although I've installed both brands before.

[iwannahelp]

Bryant and Carrier is like Chevrolet and GMC, same exact parts just different names made from one parent company.

[Midwest]

I used to have a box labeled 'Carrier to Bryant conversion kit' in the shop. It was full of red plastic Bryant labels. Kept these because our coils always arrived with a Carrier label - we'd just pop out the C tag and install the B tag. I hear there is some minor difference in condensors, but it's a different sound insulation blanket from what I was told.

A lesson for every consumer, make sure you are comparing the same or similar items when making a buying choice. Ask the salesperson plenty of questions.