Lennox G51 or G61 or G61V

[limey]

Hi, found this forum about a week ago and have spent multiple hours reading the posts, what a wealth of information! I hope someone has time to help me with my question? I'm building a house for my 75 year mother, who has Emphyzema and COPD and trying to pick the best furnace in the Lennox line for her comfort. I have the G51, G61, and G61V quoted by two Lennox dealers. This is going into a ranch style house, 32' x 48' with a 4' crawl space with insulated walls, the exterior walls are 2 x 6, attic insulation will be 12", windows are anderson high performance, doors are insulated fiberglass type. Both dealers offered the three models listed above, with advantages of each progressive model, 2 stage, variable motor etc, etc. Neither dealer was a high pressure sales type. After talking with the first dealer I was opting to spend the additional $600 to go from the G51 to the G61V. After talking with the second dealer he was steering me towards the G51, stating that even though the furnace (put in the crawl space) would be somewhat centralized, he did not think the G61 or G61V would get adequate heat to the ends of the house with the two stage motor (I suppose in 1st stage), and that there is a lot more that can go wrong with the more advanced furnace. If someone could give me some advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.....limey

[t527ed]

if the ductwork is sized properly 2 stage v drive is the way to go. with new construction doing it properly should be a no brainer. depending on layout of house zoning would be something to consider also.

[Toolpusher]

I sure don't mean this to sound mean , But what are your intentions after your mother leaves the house ?
Will you sell it ? Live in it ? or rent it ?

If your going to retain the house for personal use, then go with the VS, 2stage. If your going to rent or sell then do the G51. You won't get your money back in the sell. or benefit from the upgrade.

Any new furnace will look good to the new homeowner.

Sorry for the bluntness, but your money is better spent taking care of your family now.

[bmc]

If you're building the house for her then what's $600 on a far more superior furnace(G61V)? Both the G51 and G61V are good models but the G61V is so much more quiet, efficent and can be set-up to cater to the individual's preferences. It will have no problem with air-flow if the ducting is sized correctly. As far as for more advanced, it seems the norm is two-stage furnaces now and if installed correctly there is no more to go wrong than on a standard single stage furnace. Just my advice.

[grasshopper]

From a G51 to a G61v for only $600..... no brainer. Any problems getting heat to an end of a house would tell me that contractor has ductwork issues. 2 stage heat and constantly running that low setting of the VS motor should ensure very quiet comfort. I would suspect that if he is a new construction contractor mostly the truth is he sells alot more G51's for new construction and gets better pricing and thus a better mark-up on them. We have a few guys like that around here.

[limey]

thanks for everyone's input. i'm building this house by myself and even though i'm doing this build on a somewhat limited budget, there's some places that you just don't want to "skimp". i'm more than willing to spend the extra $$'s to upgrade to the G61V, but when getting two somewhat contradictory views from the two Lennox dealers, i thought i would ask for your guys expertise and experiences. if i go with the G61V is there a dedicated thermostat for this system or one that you guys recommend that has proven out for you. again thanks for everyone's help....limey

[t527ed]

lennox signiture stat is made for that furnace.