Going with a Trane but I have lots of Questions - DFW area

[FreddieK]

Hello all,

I am new here but I have been trolling for a couple of weeks. The information on this board is amazing and I thank you all for your answers. I hope you can help me with a few of my questions as well.

I am completely replacing my downstairs Lennox 5 ton gas furnace unit with:

Trane XL20i 4TTZ0060A100A
Trane XC80 TUD2C100ACV5K
Coil 4TXCC008CC3
Thermostat TCONT900

This will be with R410a and I want to purchase the extended parts and labor warranty for a total of $ tax included.

My questions:
1) Do I need the extended warranty?
2) The Clean Effects Option can be added but I have not heard good things. Should I add it?
3) This is a cased coil and therefore the SEER rating goes down to 16.75. Should I be concerned about this reduction and push for a slab coil?
4) Is this a good deal?
5) I am told this will not get any tax credits, is this true?

Thanks for any and all answers you can give me.

[smittyii]

better remove your pricing or a mod will do it for you. clean effects is well worth the money. i have never had a customer say they regret having one installed.

[beenthere]

A. No rices in post.
B. Whats the EER.
C. Extended warranty is worth it.

[FreddieK]

I am not sure on the EER. I was not given that number. How do I find it?

[beenthere]

You can go to the AHRI site, and enter your model numbers.

[RyanHughes]

You can go to the AHRI site, and enter your model numbers.

Or wait for me to do it. :)

The system does not qualify for the tax credit, because the EER is 11. Minimum is 13.

[FreddieK]

Or wait for me to do it. :)

The system does not qualify for the tax credit, because the EER is 11. Minimum is 13.

Thanks for you help.

Can anyone comment on this system in general? Is this a good one? It is overkill? The company installing this has no complaints and an A+ rating with BBB. The 10 year warranty on parts and labor will make this system trouble free. I thought about going with a cheaper brand but I think Trane makes a quality product and it's worth the money.

[RyanHughes]

Thanks for you help.

Can anyone comment on this system in general? Is this a good one? It is overkill? The company installing this has no complaints and an A+ rating with BBB. The 10 year warranty on parts and labor will make this system trouble free. I thought about going with a cheaper brand but I think Trane makes a quality product and it's worth the money.

Should be a great system, if installed properly (and it seems you have confidence in the company already).

One other thing. Did this company inspect your ductwork and suggest any potential changes (i.e., more returns, larger ducts in some areas, etc.)? Oftentimes ductwork systems are poorly designed and inadequately sized, particularly for 5 ton systems. This is a very important aspect of the system. It is possible no changes are needed and the previous ductwork system was in good condition.

[FreddieK]

Should be a great system, if installed properly (and it seems you have confidence in the company already).

One other thing. Did this company inspect your ductwork and suggest any potential changes (i.e., more returns, larger ducts in some areas, etc.)? Oftentimes ductwork systems are poorly designed and inadequately sized, particularly for 5 ton systems. This is a very important aspect of the system. It is possible no changes are needed and the previous ductwork system was in good condition.

I forgot to mention this. I have 4 "box" transitions that they would like to change to a "Y" transition. The duct work was OK other than this. I was not sure if I want to change them as this is an added cost. Will this really help with airflow?

[tigerdunes]

Freddie

why not check the cost if any to upgrade to the 95% eff communicating mdl furnace? I would not want to leave the tax credit lying on the table.

I also would check the price on a comparable Infinity system.

IMO
:)

[dan sw fl]

Thanks for you help.

Can anyone comment on this system in general? Is this a good one? It is overkill? ... The 10 year warranty on parts and labor will make this system trouble free. I thought about going with a cheaper brand but I think Trane makes a quality product and it's worth the money.

I would investigate a heat pump for your area. Given the electric and gas rates (?) and your energy use a hybrid system (heat pump with gas) may be a "toss -up" on benefits based on the 'current' total life cycle costs.
I am not aware of the electric rates for DFW.

[FreddieK]

BTW, Ryan,

I went to the AHRI site and typed in my model numbers but never could get the EER rating to come up. I even used wildcards in my description but I got nothing. Is there a trick to it?

[FreddieK]

I would investigate a heat pump for your area. Given the electric and gas rates (?) and your energy use a hybrid system (heat pump with gas) may be a "toss -up" on benefits based on the 'current' total life cycle costs.
I am not aware of the electric rates for DFW.

Rates are variable here with deregulation. The heat pump will not really save much as we only need heat for about 4 months and it's not that very cold at that.

I did check into the 95% unit and it was a wash with the credit. Same cost but I get the credit so it's free. I would not save that much with gas so I would rather get the credit with other things like more insulation and a radiant barrier.

[RyanHughes]

The AHRI site can be tricky when putting in some brands' model numbers. For your particular setup, you can enter the following:

*UD2C100 furnace (The * is because American Standard/Trane are virtually the same but substitute 'A' or 'T')
4TXCC008 coil
4TTZ0060 air conditioner

I don't think the search engine accepts the asterisk as a wildcard, so perhaps that prevented it from worked.

Regarding your ductwork, I'll leave that question to the real pros who know airflow better than I do. What did the dealers who visited your home say?

[beenthere]

Rates are variable here with deregulation. The heat pump will not really save much as we only need heat for about 4 months and it's not that very cold at that.

I did check into the 95% unit and it was a wash with the credit. Same cost but I get the credit so it's free. I would not save that much with gas so I would rather get the credit with other things like more insulation and a radiant barrier.
Heat pumps save more money in mild weather conditions, then they do in cold weather conditions.

[FreddieK]

Can any of the pro's tell me if the 4TXCC008 coil is an all aluminum coil? I see lots of "C"s in there and that tells me is copper. I thought the aluminum coils were the best right now.

[dan sw fl]

Rates are variable here with deregulation. The heat pump will not really save much as we only need heat for about 4 months and it's not that very cold at that.

Based on your comment above, you need a heat pump with minimal heat strip usage and NOT a furnace. What is the most economical based on the maintenance, electric costs and first costs (life cycle)?

[FreddieK]

Based on your comment above, you need a heat pump with minimal heat strip usage and NOT a furnace. What is the most economical based on the maintenance, electric costs and first costs (life cycle)?

Is it strange that not a single contractor recommended a heat pump because my house uses gas?

[FreddieK]

Based on your comment above, you need a heat pump with minimal heat strip usage and NOT a furnace. What is the most economical based on the maintenance, electric costs and first costs (life cycle)?


I went backed and checked on the AHRI site about the Heat Pump. It actually takes my EER and SEER down so the equipment that was recommended ends up with the best matched system.

I did go with the Clean Effects so thanks to everyone here about your opinion. I also got the extended warranty which covers all of the gear for parts and labor for 10 years. That included R-410a.

Thanks again!

[smittyii]

I went backed and checked on the AHRI site about the Heat Pump. It actually takes my EER and SEER down so the equipment that was recommended ends up with the best matched system.

I did go with the Clean Effects so thanks to everyone here about your opinion. I also got the extended warranty which covers all of the gear for parts and labor for 10 years. That included R-410a.

Thanks again!

with the clean effects added you should also qualify for a rebate from trane.

[FreddieK]

with the clean effects added you should also qualify for a rebate from trane.

YES! It was the full rebate they are offering right now. I was very pleased. Still doesn't get me the federal tax credit but I have other improvements that will qualify for that.

[paulwbenn]

Heat pumps are not popular in North Texas. Maybe this is because natural gas has been relatively cheap compared to electricity rates.

[udarrell]

It is extremely difficult to get 2,000-CFM through the evaporator coil for 5-Tons in a home.

I doubt that there was a manual D done for ductwork sizing; if not, it probably is not delivering 5-Ton of evaporator heat absorption & transfer to the outdoors.

That means you would need TWO, exterior to air-handler, Return Air Filter Racks of 500-sq. Ins 25x20 each for a total of 1000-sq. ins.
Means, No filter in air-handler.

This to reduce velocity through the filters & reduce pressure drops, thus increasing the Airflow.

The minimum is 1750-CFM or 350-CFM per-ton of cooling; but size the filter areas for 2000-CFM.

I personally would do everything possible to reduce the home's load to 4-Ton, if not, go with the above. - Darrell