NFT: new furnace/AC unit

and what state are you in?

In comment 15225841 EricJ said:

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and what state are you in?

I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300.

The other were in the $9K range..........

Same efficiency rating for all units?

than its probably OK. You're going to find bad reviews on everything but depending on what it is (broken parts, for example) then the warranty should cover it. A lot of it has to do with install + proper sizing.

So I'd compare warranties, and compare the sizing specs and see if there are any outliers and if there are, investigate them further.

And I've decided to go with a brand new HVAC unit. All that I can say is I'm paying more for a 97 Percent efficiency with a 20 Seer rating as opposed to the basic stuff they put in houses in my state which was 95% 13 Seer. This is the house I plan on living in when I retire so I bit the bullet. The warranty and the installers guarantee on there own work was important to me as well because I just don't want any problems in the future. I researched for weeks and decided based on my current situation. Had I planed on selling it in a few years I would have gone as basic as I could. Good luck!!!

In comment 15225843 BillKo said:

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In comment 15225841 EricJ said: Quote: and what state are you in? I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300. The other were in the $9K range..........

The reason why I ask is because NJ offers rebates if you are upgrading everything and making the entire home energy efficient.

I have a quote from a company who will install Rheem ventless furnace and hot water heater. 16 Seer AC unit, blown insulation and spray foam all of the cracks.... for $11k

the energy rating of your HVAC units, IMO. However, if upgrading the insulation isn't an option then definitely pay for the better HVAC equipment.

In comment 15225860 EricJ said:

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In comment 15225843 BillKo said: Quote: In comment 15225841 EricJ said: Quote: and what state are you in? I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300. The other were in the $9K range.......... The reason why I ask is because NJ offers rebates if you are upgrading everything and making the entire home energy efficient. I have a quote from a company who will install Rheem ventless furnace and hot water heater. 16 Seer AC unit, blown insulation and spray foam all of the cracks.... for $11k

That’s a damn good value sir. I’d say the OP needs to call your guy ASAP!

In comment 15225860 EricJ said:

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In comment 15225843 BillKo said: Quote: In comment 15225841 EricJ said: Quote: and what state are you in? I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300. The other were in the $9K range.......... The reason why I ask is because NJ offers rebates if you are upgrading everything and making the entire home energy efficient. I have a quote from a company who will install Rheem ventless furnace and hot water heater. 16 Seer AC unit, blown insulation and spray foam all of the cracks.... for $11k

That was my highest quote at $9900, which include a water heater. The brand is Carrier. 10 years on parts and 10 on labor.

They sell under their own name, under the Amana name, and under a few other names. I don't know if Airtemp is theirs or not.

Goodman product is absolute junk as we can attest after being sold a Goodman furnace and air conditioner that didn't last very long.

The seven-year old furnace left us without heat two days after Christmas, and that after $600 in repairs in three attempts by a reputable local service company who is a Goodman dealer. There's a lot more trouble in this story, that I won't bother to detail.

And the air conditioner condenser leaked prematurely.

I'd need to do more research but isn't that going to increase the change of carbon monoxide presenting itself in the home?

went with Rheem, and it's just under $10k. Trane was higher, Carrier my guy won't sell anymore since they fired all those USA employees and moved to Mexico. I'm ok spending the $ on Rheem/Trane/Carrier. Not familiar with Airtemp.

In comment 15225887 UConn4523 said:

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I'd need to do more research but isn't that going to increase the change of carbon monoxide presenting itself in the home?

I think I probably did not explain it correctly. It is direct vented out via PVC (not truly ventless) with no chance of a backdraft. So, actually less chance of CO2.

be since they were purchased by Daikin. I would worry less about brands and be more concerned with who’s installing it. The install can make or break the system. And yes, there's something like three major manufacturers that make the overwhelming majority of units - they just stick different labels on the same units.

New phone.... can't type to save my life.

Recently replaced my system, got quotes, went with company I trusted. Wanted Carrier, he talked me into Bryant by saying there’s a few manufactures, and they make them all. To the point he said the carrier vs Bryant model, he said literally the only difference is the color and a sticker with the company name on it.

The day of install, he calls me over. Shows me the Bryant and Carrier stickers in the box and said “if you still want a Carrier, that sticker will cost you a grand - which one do you want me to put on it” and he cracked himself up...

So point is, yes there are say 20 brands. But maybe five actually make them.

Standard two stage furnace. Its been great so far and highly rated. American Standard and Trane are actually owned by the same company.

Ours is 97% efficient. We reduced the efficiency a bit by having the company that installed it time the stages so that the more powerful stage 2 runs for longer than it would under the standard 97% setting. We have a bedroom above a garage so it just wasn’t pumping enough heat up there on the first stage. I thought it was cool you could adjust the cycles like that.

it's funny just got my AC fixed (capacitor) and asked tech if you were building your own home what would you use, he said Goodman. Best friend had to replace his 2 ac units, his good friend is heating a/c guy, what he recommend Goodman, I never even heard of them.

In comment 15225843 BillKo said:

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In comment 15225841 EricJ said: Quote: and what state are you in? I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300. The other were in the $9K range..........

I recommend TempStat in NJ near Philly.

Many of the components are all the same and used in almost all units regardless of brand...

In comment 15226003 US1 Giants said:

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In comment 15225843 BillKo said: Quote: In comment 15225841 EricJ said: Quote: and what state are you in? I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300. The other were in the $9K range.......... I recommend TempStat in NJ near Philly.

Do you mean TempStar?

I think they are related to Kenmore or something like that.

In comment 15225970 eric2425ny said:

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Standard two stage furnace. Its been great so far and highly rated. American Standard and Trane are actually owned by the same company. Ours is 97% efficient. We reduced the efficiency a bit by having the company that installed it time the stages so that the more powerful stage 2 runs for longer than it would under the standard 97% setting. We have a bedroom above a garage so it just wasn’t pumping enough heat up there on the first stage. I thought it was cool you could adjust the cycles like that.

Same here although i'm at 95% and 16 seer I believe. But we sprayfoamed the entire house so we get 0 drafts, 100% even distribution (every room feels the same), and our energy bills are very low. I don't plan on needing to build again in the near future but if I do, I'm definitely setting aside money for the sprayfoam, the difference is massive.

In comment 15226049 UConn4523 said:

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In comment 15225970 eric2425ny said: Quote: Standard two stage furnace. Its been great so far and highly rated. American Standard and Trane are actually owned by the same company. Ours is 97% efficient. We reduced the efficiency a bit by having the company that installed it time the stages so that the more powerful stage 2 runs for longer than it would under the standard 97% setting. We have a bedroom above a garage so it just wasn’t pumping enough heat up there on the first stage. I thought it was cool you could adjust the cycles like that. Same here although i'm at 95% and 16 seer I believe. But we sprayfoamed the entire house so we get 0 drafts, 100% even distribution (every room feels the same), and our energy bills are very low. I don't plan on needing to build again in the near future but if I do, I'm definitely setting aside money for the sprayfoam, the difference is massive.

I wish we would have known when we built years ago. We ran this thermal scanner along our walls and you can literally see the cold spots in the corners of the external facing walls. Our house is well built, but they really screwed up with this bedroom above the garage. You can see where they ran the lines across the ceiling of the garage as there are a few sections of drywall where the ceiling is lower. That’s fine, I mean you have to run the heat lines somewhere but they should have installed some kind of booster to push the air faster through those lines.

Long story short, I won’t be buying a house with a master above the garage ever again lol.

we almost went above the garage on our build but costs were adding up and I put the kabosh on it since it would have been a bonus room. Saved us on taxes too and we don’t need the room.

But to your point my last house you’d feel the cold or trade the walls practically, fucking terrible. It was a 1700 sq ft house and my biggest winter bill was almost $500 with electric + gas. I’m not 2500 sq feet and I’m usually at $250 electric + gas in the winter, with a really really cold month maybe hitting $300.

When upgrading to spray foam it was an extra $4k - I’ll recoup that within 5 years if not sooner not to mention the HVAC will last longer not running so much.

In comment 15226039 BillKo said:

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In comment 15226003 US1 Giants said: Quote: In comment 15225843 BillKo said: Quote: In comment 15225841 EricJ said: Quote: and what state are you in? I am in NJ (near Philly)......for Airtemp it was $6,300. The other were in the $9K range.......... I recommend TempStat in NJ near Philly. Do you mean TempStar? I think they are related to Kenmore or something like that.

Nope. It was TempStat. He did great work and even filled out my tax rebate form for an efficient HVAC install. His business is based out of Sicklerville, NJ.

We had a huge mildew problem as we never had AC. We had Mitsubishi heat pump unit installed. We had 5 head units put in and the AC is amazing. Then there is the heating capability which has no problem even at 20 degrees. You feel the heat and the units are very quiet. For AC I highly recommend the mini-split with the heat pump . Electric bills are very friendly.

In comment 15226138 UConn4523 said:

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we almost went above the garage on our build but costs were adding up and I put the kabosh on it since it would have been a bonus room. Saved us on taxes too and we don’t need the room. But to your point my last house you’d feel the cold or trade the walls practically, fucking terrible. It was a 1700 sq ft house and my biggest winter bill was almost $500 with electric + gas. I’m not 2500 sq feet and I’m usually at $250 electric + gas in the winter, with a really really cold month maybe hitting $300. When upgrading to spray foam it was an extra $4k - I’ll recoup that within 5 years if not sooner not to mention the HVAC will last longer not running so much.

Crazy man. It’s amazing the things you learn with your first home. I have a list of like 20 things I would do if we build again. That being said, the best purchase I have ever made for my house is the water backup sump pump. That thing has saved us from having a flooded basement at least three times now in 5 years due to power outages and one time when our main pump broke.

In comment 15226323 eric2425ny said:

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I have a list of like 20 things I would do if we build again.

yeah...after owning a couple of homes and being involved in multiple remodel of others.... I also have a list of must have items or design elements that I would include in a new build.

Some examples....

Spray foam insulation
Complete breaker and wiring design to include two breakers for each room (one for lights and one for outlets).
Radiant heat
Natural gas to the BBQ with an outdoor kitchen
3-4 car garage
Bidet in the master bath
Laundry room between the bedrooms

This is the best one...extra large closet with a floor to ceiling concealed door. This is for storing the fully decorated Christmas tree. Throw a sheet over it and just slide it out right before x-mas. Push it back in afterwards. Closet stores the tree and any other Christmas related items you would need.

100% worth getting it upgraded. the way my new system works is that after the heat turns off the fans stay on so all that hot air doesnt sit in the vents. its much more efficient and I can say with the difference in my heating bills it'll pay for itself in a few years.

In comment 15226516 cjac said:

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100% worth getting it upgraded. the way my new system works is that after the heat turns off the fans stay on so all that hot air doesnt sit in the vents. its much more efficient and I can say with the difference in my heating bills it'll pay for itself in a few years.

What does RUUD do differently? I have American Standard and I leave the blower on 24/7. Keeps air constantly circulating (important if you spray foam) which helps keep the temperature even everywhere with sustain temperature. There's also the philosophy that you shouldn't keep starting and stopping the fan to reduce wear and tear.

In comment 15226555 UConn4523 said:

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In comment 15226516 cjac said: Quote: 100% worth getting it upgraded. the way my new system works is that after the heat turns off the fans stay on so all that hot air doesnt sit in the vents. its much more efficient and I can say with the difference in my heating bills it'll pay for itself in a few years. What does RUUD do differently? I have American Standard and I leave the blower on 24/7. Keeps air constantly circulating (important if you spray foam) which helps keep the temperature even everywhere with sustain temperature. There's also the philosophy that you shouldn't keep starting and stopping the fan to reduce wear and tear.

Rudd doesn’t do anything differently. I have a 15 year old Trane and the fan continues running for a few minutes after the furnace shuts down to run the residual heat thru the ducts.

Leaving the fan on 24/7 is a personal choice, but there are drawbacks. While it does in theory reduce wear and tear on the fan motor, they rarely fail before you replace the whole system for other reasons. And it’s costing you several hundred dollars a year to run the fan 24/7, far more in the long run than the cost to replace it if it eventually did fail.

Then there’s comfort. It does help equalize house temperature. But most people find running the fan when the furnace is off to feel drafty, thus making the house feel chillier than the room temperature would suggest. Plus, any ducts running thru attics or other unheated places may get chilled and thus be blowing cold air into the house.

And it’s definitely dubious running the fan 24/7 in summer. Beyond the reasons above, moisture condenses on the coils as the AC pulls humidity from the air. Keeping the fan running will blow that moisture right back into the house before it has a chance to drain off, rehumidifying the air.

is the installer. I have to upgrade because when they built the house the upstairs AC Unit was only 2 ton when it would have been 2.5 ton at least. We're going 3 ton with this one. Probably Trane.