ReplyWhy is the current furnace being replaced?
Regular Guest
Hey all. My brother is looking to replace his 10 yr old furnace in his 2200 sq. ft. 1 story house with an unfinished basement that's 1000 sq. ft. He lives very close to me around the Atlanta GA metro area. The current furnace is a Lennox G40UH 90,000 BTU input. The A/C was replaced 1 year ago and it is a Goodman GSX13 that's a 3 ton (36,000 BTU) along with new indoor coil.
So far he was given 3 quotes and we narrowed it down to 2:
Quote #1: Lennox SL280UH090V36B along with new Honeywell visionpro IAQ thermostat. Some ductwork replacement will be needed as well.
Quote #2: Goodman GMVC80604B*B. Contractor said that thermostat is fine and can work on two stage and a w2 wire will be added (thermostat is Honeywell RTH6450B that was installed the same time as the new A/C).
These did come from two separate companies and the one recommending the Goodman did a manual j. The other contractor said that the current size was fine. I'm surprised none of the companies quoted me on 90% furnaces.
Install matters more than brand, but it's the features of these furnaces that is throwing me off. The Lennox, according to Lennox's website, says it has "silent comfort technology". Could this mean that the Goodman is louder? My brother really wants a quiet furnace compared to the current one. I trust both companies though, and they are both well known in my area. What do you think we should go with? Thanks in advance.
Professional Member*
Why is the current furnace being replaced?
Beware of advice given by some guy on the Internet.
Professional Member*
No way a 2k sqft house in atl needs a 90kbtu furnace. I'd go with the one that did a manual j. 10 year old furnace shouldn't need replacing. I'm sure goodman has an x13 or ECM furnace as well which is why they claim to be quieter, which I disagree. Proper ducting produces quiet, efficient, comfortable and long lasting systems not a blower motor.
Regular Guest
He just wants to upgrade to 2 stage. The current furnace is cycling on and off to much (4-5 minutes on, 15-20 minutes off) and he wants to have 2 stage so that it will run loner, provide more even temps throughout the house, and he wants to feel more comfortable. He wants the feature of variable speed so that it can help with dehumidification in the summer time. The company recommending the Goodman is saying the current furnace is "oversized" for 2200 sq ft. That's why they quoted him on 70,000 BTU.Originally Posted by Milk man
Professional Member*
I thought burner noise. What noise is objectionable?
Beware of advice given by some guy on the Internet.
Regular Guest
Thanks. I agree that a 10 year old furnace should not need replacing. I talked him out of replacing, and he kinda ignored what I said. The inducer in the current furnace is overheating and running at high amps. This was discovered during a heating tune-up back in November. The tech said that the inducer will eventually fail in the near future. Obviously I don't understand why my brother won't just have the inducer replaced instead of the whole furnace.
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
The GMVC80604B is a VS ECM blower. And sounds much closer to the size furnace that a 2200 sq ft home in his area would need.
Regular Guest
I think the reason why the current furnace is short cycling is because it is oversized. That is also one of the reasons why my brother wants to upgrade. Another company is coming out tomorrow to give another estimate and they are a Trane dealer. I'll give an update on how it goes.
Regular Guest
Update... The Trane dealer came today and quoted the following:
Quote #1: Trane XC95m model# TUHMB080ACV3VA along with new thermostat
Quote #2: Trane XV80 model# TUD2B060A9V3VA. New thermostat is optional.
Some ductwork will need upgrading. This is the only company that quoted a 90% furnace. It seems to me that the XC95m is an overkill for Atlanta. What do you think? This company did do a manual j and spent a great amount of time evaluating the system and ductwork.
After talking to my brother a few minutes ago on the phone, we decided that we will probably throw out the Lennox quotes. This will leave us deciding between Goodman and Trane. The price was higher for the Trane than the others. Install matters more, but I trust both companies which is making this decision more difficult. Which route should we go with? Thank you in advance.
Regular Guest
As for Goodman furnaces, I heard that their burner operation is very noisy and sound like a jet engine. Is this true??
Professional Member*
double post
Professional Member*
If a 36,000 BTU A/C will cool that house in Atlanta I think a 40K furnace is plenty of heat. IMHO if you live south of the mason-dixon line buy the smallest furnace that has enough blower capacity for the AC. You can buy 40k furnaces with 3 ton blowers. If a 40K won't keep a house in Atlanta warm some SERIOUS air sealing/ductwork repairs need to be done.
Regular Guest
Thanks for the input. My brother lives north of that line. The Goodman furnace that he was quoted on is the smallest size it comes in. This will mean 42,000 BTU input on low fire and 60,000 input on high fire for this certain model, correct?
Professional Member*
Didn't you say he was near Atlanta in the 1st post? I must have misread something. If he is in Atlanta the payback time on a 90%+ furnace vs. an 80% furnace will be VERY long unless gas prices spike. If his annual heating bill is $500 and he saves $50/mo by getting the 90% furnace it will take years before it pays off. I can see springing for the variable speed blower in a southern climate...
Regular Guest
I did mention that in the first post. Variable speed can help control the humidity though, and I can see why it can be needed in a southern climate (mainly on the A/C side). Thanks for the info. 80% probably sounds more ideal for the Atlanta area. My brother will make final decision probably this afternoon.
Regular Guest
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
After several days of thinking over the estimates, my brother settled on the company quoting the Goodman GMVC8. He trusted this contractor the most and the price was pretty good. The install is set for the end of next week and so far we don't have anymore questions to ask. Thanks for all your advice and take care!
Professional Member*
It's sad that Manufacturers force you to oversize the furnace or go to a 90% in order to get the variable speed blower.. A 45k is perfect for most Southern installations that only require 3 tons of cooling. The 2nd stage of the 60k could be left unhooked and the homeowner would never know the difference.
Regular Guest
The contractor did say that the installers will allow the furnace to only run in first stage because 60k is oversized.
Professional Member*
Rheem and Ruud are the only manufacturers that I've seen offering a 45k furnace with a variable speed blower, but you have to upgrade to the 95% 2 stage furnace to get it.. Part of me even wonders if variable speed is worth it in a primarily cooling climate. A 45K 80% 2 stage with a PSC motor may offer just as much comfort at a lower cost.
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
VS blower is valuable in a primarily cooling area, if they want good humidity control also.
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