Furnace Decision Time

[Old College Try]

I have to make a quick decision on my replacement furnace. My previous post discussed my cracked heat exchanger and the utility co. came out and red tagged it today. Luckily my gas fireplace cranks out some good heat. After receiving several quotes I'm down to 2 furnaces. Calc's have been done to size the units. The two furnaces are:

1) American Standard Gold ZM, 2 stage, variable-speed, 60,000 btu.

2) Carrier Performance 59TP5, 2 stage, multi-speed, 60,000 btu.

Both quotes are very, very close in price and both dealers have been around for decades. Carrier installer is more well know locally. The American Standard guy has been doing this forever, seems very sharp and is actually an HVAC instructor at the local community college. The Carrier guy said that he's confident that the competition doesn't hold a candle to him in terms of quality of install as well as the professionalism and knowledge of the installers. I realize that option 1 might be a better unit based on it having a variable speed fan, but my gut is for some reason telling me to go the other way. Can anyone give me suggestions on which system to go with based on experience with either?

Thanks.

[dobbin]

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[jpsmith1cm]

dobbin

This is the Ask Our Pro's forum. In order to post a response here, you must have verified qualifications and have been approved by the AOP Committee. You may ask a question by starting a new thread.

You can find the rules for posting and qualifications here.

Additional infractions may result in loss of posting privileges.

[BaldLoonie]

Are they both doing the same thing? Intake pipe for furnace? Chimney liner if water heater left alone in a chimney? 2 stage thermostat? Any extended warranty?

[dan sw fl]

Nice efficient product.

http://www.docs.hvacpartners.com/idc...9tp5a-04pd.pdf

Is the size selected compatible with your A/C system? (compatible: provide the correct air flow)

[Old College Try]

Are they both doing the same thing? Intake pipe for furnace? Chimney liner if water heater left alone in a chimney? 2 stage thermostat? Any extended warranty?

Yes to all except 2 stage stat. Will have that installed separately in near future unless you recommend otherwise.

[Old College Try]

Nice efficient product.

http://www.docs.hvacpartners.com/idc...9tp5a-04pd.pdf

Is the size selected compatible with your A/C system? (compatible: provide the correct air flow)

I'm told that the size is appropriate.

[motoguy128]

I'm personally partial to Carrier. It's the same cabinet and burner system as the Infinity I believe, so the blwoer is very quiet. Actually the ID fan is suprisingly louder than the blower and airflow because it's so quiet. Definitely try and flip for the 2 stage thermostat. It will make allow the furnace to run as intended. Pulling a new thermoostat cable usually isn't that big of a deal. There are also thermostat models that use 3 wires, which could be equal to the cost of opening up walls or pulling new wire in some cases.

[BaldLoonie]

We've been A-S dealers for 21 years so I'll split the vote so far But either will do you fine if the installers are as good as they claim. I'd get the 2 stage stat soon as you can, I believe they are that important for comfort with a 2 stage furnace.

NOW, you aren't comparing like products. The Carrier has a fixed speed high efficiency blower motor, probably a Genteq X13. The American Standard is a full variable speed which would normally sell for quite a bit more. If you wanted variable speed capability from Carrier it would be the Infinity 59TN6.

[dan sw fl]

Actually the ID fan is suprisingly louder than the blower and airflow because it's so quiet.

What does the above statement mean?

What is ID Fan?

What is "it's " in _ because it's so quiet _?

[Old College Try]

We've been A-S dealers for 21 years so I'll split the vote so far But either will do you fine if the installers are as good as they claim. I'd get the 2 stage stat soon as you can, I believe they are that important for comfort with a 2 stage furnace.

NOW, you aren't comparing like products. The Carrier has a fixed speed high efficiency blower motor, probably a Genteq X13. The American Standard is a full variable speed which would normally sell for quite a bit more. If you wanted variable speed capability from Carrier it would be the Infinity 59TN6.

When I told the carrier guy I was considering a variable a.s. unit he quoted me on the 59TN6 with infinity stat. I'm trying to figure out if the carrier variable is better than the american standard and if its worth the extra dough. I will say that these guys really have sharpened their pencils which makes my decision tough.

[RyanHughes]

What does the above statement mean?

What is ID Fan?

What is "it's " in _ because it's so quiet _?

Probably referring to the inducer fan noise relative to the actual blower motor.

[BaldLoonie]

Now you are comparable on furnaces but having the Infinity control gives the advantage on features to Carrier.

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2

[darctangent]

To Old College Try:

If you REALLY want to get taken for a ride, keep making it about the equipment.

All you have truly said about the contractors is that they have been around for a really long time, and that one teaches HVAC. Also one spends alot of money on advertising. I guess that should count for something, but if my mother told me that those were the qualifications, I would slap myself just to make sure I wasn't having a bad dream!

Has anyone told you HOW the decided that 60,000 BTUH was the proper size? "Because I know" isn't a valid answer! what have they done to test the ducts? what is their commissioning process? Do they preform combustion analysis? How do they dial-in the airflow on the new furnace? What warranty are they offering? Is that from the contractor or the manufacturer, or some other third party (beware of third party insurers) ?

[Old College Try]

To Old College Try:

If you REALLY want to get taken for a ride, keep making it about the equipment.

All you have truly said about the contractors is that they have been around for a really long time, and that one teaches HVAC. Also one spends alot of money on advertising. I guess that should count for something, but if my mother told me that those were the qualifications, I would slap myself just to make sure I wasn't having a bad dream!

I received quotes from several contractors and settled on these two based on my comfort level with them. They did calcs on the system and both suggested 60K units.

Has anyone told you HOW the decided that 60,000 BTUH was the proper size? "Because I know" isn't a valid answer! what have they done to test the ducts? what is their commissioning process? Do they preform combustion analysis? How do they dial-in the airflow on the new furnace? What warranty are they offering? Is that from the contractor or the manufacturer, or some other third party (beware of third party insurers) ?

I decided to settle on the Carrier dealer. Unfortunately I did not ask either about testing of the setup. I've spent alot of time researching and unfortunately this is the first time that I've come across this suggestion, but it makes a lot of sense. I did choose to add an extended 10 year manufacturer labor warranty and the price was peanuts considering peace of mind. What I am disappointed in is the fact that I didn't stand my ground with my wife to opt for the infinity system. It really wasn't that much more and the added comfort features as well as the awesome factor of the controller was worth it to me. Any suggestions on wifi controllers for the Carrier 59TP5 (Performance 96) that will give me the most functionality of the furnace I'm having installed? Advertised features are:

2 Stage, Ideal Humidity System, SmartEvap, ComfortFan, ComfortHeat Technology.