York vs. Heil

[vckbdc]

I am in the process of putting a new heating and air system in my house, and was wondering if anyone could share their experience with me. I'm basically looking at a high efficiency gas furnace and a 2 1/2 ac unit. I have gotten quotes on both York and Heil systems, and they are within $300 of each other, with the Heil being the cheaper of the two. Cost is a consideration, so I'm likely going with a single stage unit on the furnace. My question is, are there any drastic differences that would give one the edge over the other, in general terms? The York dealer proposed using a Goodman condensing unit since it is cheaper and has a longer warranty. The second question is, is there likely to be any conflicts with using a York unit inside and a Goodman unit outside? It's pretty obvious I am a homeowner, and would like to get the opinion of someone other than a salesperson. Oh yeah, my gut feeling is the York seller would do a more profeesional installation job, but it is just a gut feeling. Anyone's input is greatly appreciated.

[Wild Leg]

I personally don't like mismatched equipment, but the installer's skill is the key to a good system.

Brand name is not important.

[NormChris]

I work directly for the York factory as a technical trainer. I would hate to see you mix brands between the indoor and outdoor units. If you want the system to provide the rated efficiency you need to have matched equipment.

In addition, the equipment warranty is in question unless the equipment is matched properly. Our equipment is rated and warranty valid only if the indoor and outdoor units are of the same brand and matched properly.

[amd]

If you go for the Goodman condenser, make sure that he installs a matched Goodman coil. If the blower provides sufficient airflow, I don't see why it would pose a problem.

York uses tubular heat exchangers, while heil generally uses clamshells (htexch); that's the only significant difference.

Note: I am not a technician. Please wait for someone to verify this.

[vckbdc]

That's a good point on the warranty, never thought about that. Maybe some Goodman guys out there would know if that would void the warranty. I have to make a decision in the next day or two, so I'll take anyone's opinion that will give it to me. Thanks!

[Christheheatingdude]

Personally I am a fan of the Heil. Dont have experience with the York, so I cant address their quality.

What model Heil equipment are they quoting?

[NormChris]

The quality of the installing contractor is of great importance!

[bornriding]

I personally prefer Heil over York anyday. Have not cared for the Yorks I have worked on ( never installed any ). I do install 'Tempstar' which is the twin brother of the Heil and I will stand by it.

Richard

[vckbdc]

per the estimate, the furnace is a H9MPD075F12B and the A/C is a 12 seer 1#HAC230AKA, or at least that is what it looks like from the fax he sent me. I looked on the Heil website and could not tell which model series this was, so I would like to know that as well. I also have a 12 sq ft ranch with a finished basement in KY, with mediocre insulation. Looks like a 75,000 btu furnace which just seems a little small for my house, but he looked at what I had and guess he knows best. I know this model isn't the best on the market, but is it a pretty good unit? I'll probably be living here at least another 6-8 years. Thanks.

[vckbdc]

Uhmmmmm....make that a 1200 sq ft ranch, told you I was a novice!

[Jultzya]

H9MPD075F12B and the A/C is a 12 seer #HAC230AKA, 1200 sq ft ranch with a finished basement in KY.

That is good equipment, however I feel it's a little on the big side.

Make sure they do a load calc on your home to properly size the equipment!

Also get the BEST installer you can find!

Depending on your utility rates you could possibly save a considerable amount of money by going with a HP (Heat Pump) system.

[hq4ever]

"In addition, the equipment warranty is in question unless the equipment is matched properly. Our equipment is rated and warranty valid only if the indoor and outdoor units are of the same brand and matched properly."

I assume you mean that indoor and outdoor means the coil and condensor must match. It shouldn't be a problem installing a Goodman coil and outdoor unit on a York furnace not invalidating the York warranty, right? If not, please let me know so I can steer clear of York.

[vckbdc]

well, I decided to go with the Heil, not enough positive feedback on the York/Goodman combo. Thanks for everyone's input. This is about the only place on the web I could find with people who actually know what they are speaking of and could provided educated opinions. if anything good, bad or ugly happens after the intall, I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks again.

[lynnbb1]

You will not be sorry with the Heil. Installed many and it is a quality furnace with both the primary and secondary heat exchangers made of stainless steel with lifetime warranties. Very simple, trouble-free controls. You may want to have the installer pull the condensate trap after about two or three weeks of operation and have him flush it out. They get a grease-like residue from the production process of the heat exchanger metals and it builds up. Most times it will flush through during normal operations, but I have had a couple plug up. After that...no problem!
Lynn

[jonm]

I'm a Tempstar dealer, same as Heil and am partial to them. Sizing is one the more important issues, Have a load calc done. I'm not sure where you're located. I live in the Buffalo NY area so we do get some winter, my home is a 1400 sq ft home and I have the 50,000 btu model. Home is about 25 years old. Have a load calc done and don't guess at size.

[vckbdc]

I'll make sure I talk to the guy about the size. I have an old Lennox G8 in there now, and I checked the specs on it and it says it has a 110,000 btu/hour input capacity, and an 88,000 bonnett capacity. Does this mean it is an 88,000 btu furnace? If so, are the furnaces now just better at what they do and that is why a lower btu rating is needed? I was told by a Lennox dealer that the fans are stronger in the newer units than my old unit, is that the reason? These are probably obvious things to those of you in the business, but I am trying to rid myself of at least some ignorance. Thanks.

[Wild Leg]

Originally posted by vckbdc
I'll make sure I talk to the guy about the size. I have an old Lennox G8 in there now, and I checked the specs on it and it says it has a 110,000 btu/hour input capacity, and an 88,000 bonnett capacity. Does this mean it is an 88,000 btu furnace? If so, are the furnaces now just better at what they do and that is why a lower btu rating is needed? I was told by a Lennox dealer that the fans are stronger in the newer units than my old unit, is that the reason? These are probably obvious things to those of you in the business, but I am trying to rid myself of at least some ignorance. Thanks.

With your old furnace, you buy 110,000 btus, but get only 88,000 to heat your house.
Quite a bit goes out the vent.
Gas furnaces have an AFUE rating.
That's the efficiency rating.

It's more than just fan speed. Most new furnaces have a draft induction fan motor to force combustion air into the heat exchanger. It works similar to a "supercharger" on a race car. It doesn't make it faster. It helps squeeze the heat energy out of the fuel. Also, the heat exchanger has been optimized to transfer more of the heat into the conditioned space. If it is a 90% (or more) efficient furnace, it will have a secondary heat exchanger to remove even more heat from the products of combustion.

Gas furnaces must be vented to the outdoors, in order to lessen the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Your old furnace is vented with metal pipe to withstand the high temperatures of the waste gases.

If you replace it with a 90% (or higher) AFUE furnace, then it will be vented with plastic pipe. This is made possible by the very effective process of harvesting the heat from the waste gases.

I hope this helps.

[vckbdc]

yes, that does help explain things. Thanks.

[vckbdc]

Well, I got everything installed and everythng seems to be working just fine. The new unit puts out substantially more air than the old, and that is a good thing. The fit and finish on the equipment looks very good, and my installer did neat and very professional looking job on the system. I turned my heat on for the first time this morning, and other than the expected "new furnace burnoff smell" absolutely no problems. Now after I take the time to figure out the programmable thermostat I'll be set.
A final Thanks for everyone's expert advise.