carrier or trane

[prairiedog]

Have really enjoyed reading these posts--you guys that take time to help us make informed decisions go above and byond.
Need to replace a lennox hp21-511 cb21-51-1p cb21/b21-51/65 that has been a super unit for 19 yrs.
Question is can a trane xl15i with var. air handler be controlled by a HW visionpro thermostat to get the famous dehumidify on demand feature or can tranes hi end 900 thermostat do the same thing. Dealers say I won't be happy with a single speed comp. since I've had the lennox 2 speed for so many yrs. Who knows? In south La. humidity is my real worry. Carrier infinity HP 16 seer and trane xl16i are being pushed as the way to go. Any input from real life experts would be greatly appreciated.

[Mustang894me]

Tranes Comfortlink 2 system heatpump 4txw6036c100a comuncating frunace it the way to go ... these systems take time to learn your house they have things called Personalty chips on them the modulating these are amazing systems you cant go wrong ... the Tcont900 is a amazing stat .. not to mention you can tack on the TAM modual this unit will call you and tell you when somthing is out of primater you set... oh did i mention you can call it and tell it to come on if for some reason the temp drop or risen and you want it to be hotter or colder when you get home..

[prairiedog]

Thanks Mustang
I'm a rank amature at this. Are those #'s you posted a xl15i? Will that unit working at 4 ton all the time run long enough to remove humitity or just really cool my place. Seems like I read a honeywell vision pro therm will slow down the air over the coils and really take the h2o out. My lennox ran at a 60/40 split so a little over 2T was doing the job 95% of the time for 19 years. Hope I'm not a royal pain with these questions. Was just wondering if the vision pro was compatible with the 15i trane

[Mustang894me]

Its a XL16i it should be capitable with the HW VS stat ... it more or less for cooling .. the xl15i would be the better for de humidification and from what i have been reading that stat is capitable with the right wiring. any tech should be able to wire it up as for 1 and 2 speed comp you might not be happy with a 1 .. 2 is disigned more for the long slow cool that get you more of the de humidification.. **Longer cooling cycles also translate to quieter, more efficient operation and enhanced humidity control. Compared to a single-stage unit, a two-stage air conditioner or heat pump can remove twice as much moisture from the air. This is important because when moisture levels are high, there's a higher potential for mold and other pollutant problems.** that came stright from lennox

[BaldLoonie]

Single stage units cool & dehumidify just fine. Some of the matches of the 16i 2 stage have some lousy latent removal figures, meaning lower dehumidification rates compared to the 15 SEER single stage units. Also, low is 80% of high so really not that much difference. The 20i is much lower capacity on low so there will be a real difference.

Key is: don't oversize, don't move too much air. You don't need the communicating control, a Vision Pro IAQ will do dehumidfy on demand. But the 900 is nice.

[james80031]

We gett so much cottonwood floating around all summer out here that the "pipecleaner" heat disapaters (sp?) on the Trane units get clogged with 5 lbs cottonwood seeds and there goes all the efficiency. Carrier's communicating furnaces and HPs are great. Either way you go, choose a contractor that will address the sizing of the existing ductwork. The newer high end equipment doesn't like to function properly if the ductwork cannot support the air flow requirements. And like Loonie said, oversized equipment will never work right.