topic Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently? in Community Chat

Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

cherry — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:39:01 GMT

If you have, could you tell me which brand, and are you happy with it?. Right now we are looking at a Lenox

I am dismayed to hear the expected life of a furnace is now only 20 years. It seems they don't last like they used to

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

PinkyPetunia — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:43:07 GMT

I would like to know, too. I have a gas fired forced hot air system.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

2blonde — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:01:15 GMT

I have a good friend in the HVAC business (he installed my current heat pump and electric furnace for me at cost). He does all kinds of furnaces, heat pumps and A/C. He says there are so many brand names, but most units are only manufactured by a couple manufacturers. He also says he doesn't see much difference in repair rates from one brand to another.......there are lemons anywhere. The most important thing is to get a reputable installer. Many problems are the result of poor installation.

@cherry

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

Oostende — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:03:29 GMT

I replaced my twenty-year-old furnace almost exactly a year ago. I replaced the air conditioner at the same time.

I went with the Lenox. My old furnace and air conditioner were Carrier.

The Lenox is excellent quality and came with an unmatched waranty. They were also the most expensive.

It was the blower that made the difference to me. I live in a house with the furnace in the basement and two floors above that. A good blower was imperative to force the warm air high enough to warm the top floor, (Or cool it efficiently in the summer.)

I live in the mountains, close to the Tetons. It gets cold here. A good furnace is a necessity. I researched a lot and went with the Lenox.

By the way, I think Costco has a relationship with Lenox. Maybe you could get a better price through them if you are a member.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

cherry — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:04:34 GMT

@2blonde The guy we are looking at is reputable. He iinstalled our last furnace 27 years ago. We have never had any problems

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

2blonde — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:09:18 GMT

@cherry If he's been in the business that long and you already have experience with him, then by all means go with whatever he recommends!

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

SilleeMee — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:18:27 GMT

My old forced-air-gas furnace was nearly 40 yo. I had three different hvac companies come to my house to analyze my needs and I got three different recs from each of them.

With the limited budget I had at that time, I chose a mid-priced Rheem to heat my house. It's been about five or six years running with no problems.

One of the biggest change from the old one is the electronics in the new one. My new one does not have a pilot flame. It has an electronic spark thing instead. There is also a flame detector thingee that detects when the the burner comes on. This is a pain in the neck because it gets "dirty" and must be cleaned or your furnace shuts off and won't come on until you clean it. I encourage you to learn how to do this because it happens more than than you think...mine two or three times last winter. Professionals charge around $75-$150 for annual cleanings/checkups here and the flame detector and spark thingee are the main things they clean. Once-a-year cleanings is not enough for the flame detectors.

Also have had to replace the original flame detector once because cleaning the old one did not help. I did it myself...like changing a lightbulb, sort of.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

Lipstickdiva — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:31:24 GMT

@SilleeMee, we have a furnace that is now 21 years old in our house. Ours has that same stupid thing you are talking about and we didn't know it. My DH used to work nights. One evening I kept hearing the furnace kick on but it would run for maybe a minute and shut off. I would wake up in the morning and the house would be in the 50s. But everytime DH came home, everything was working fine. This went on for a couple of weeks and DH was starting to think I was nuts. LOL

Finally one morning I woke up frozen, he came home and it was doing it for him. He called his buddy who told him what needed to be cleaned so we've been able to do it ever since then ourselves.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

Lipstickdiva — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:33:08 GMT

I've not changed our furnace but we had to get a new AC. We also went with Lennox. The warranty on them could not be beat. 10 years and it is parts AND labor.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

ID2 — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:34:39 GMT

We have a Heil that is new. Works fabulously! So much than the Bryant we had in our old house.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

SilleeMee — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:42:51 GMT

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
@SilleeMee, we have a furnace that is now 21 years old in our house. Ours has that same stupid thing you are talking about and we didn't know it. My DH used to work nights. One evening I kept hearing the furnace kick on but it would run for maybe a minute and shut off. I would wake up in the morning and the house would be in the 50s. But everytime DH came home, everything was working fine. This went on for a couple of weeks and DH was starting to think I was nuts. LOL

Finally one morning I woke up frozen, he came home and it was doing it for him. He called his buddy who told him what needed to be cleaned so we've been able to do it ever since then ourselves.

@Lipstickdiva,

Exactly what happened to me! Woke up freezing and thought my furnace was broken. Then I called for service and he fixed it. But that only lasted half-way through the season and it happened again. I troubleshooted myself, found the dirty detector problem, cleaned it and bam. I even bought a spare detector! I just can't live with the thought of my furnace going out...especially if it gets below zero outside!

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

mac116 — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:48:30 GMT

We replaced our 33 year old furnace/AC with another Lennox. Love it because my heat bills are about one half of what they used to be. More energy efficient.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

JustJazzmom — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 16:47:25 GMT

Is the furnace for oil or gas? Weil/McLain is a good brand for either that was recommended to us.

Also see if the furnace has a rebate in place from your gas company.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

colliegirls — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:57:29 GMT

We recently replaced our 20 year old Carrier with a Lenox. So far so good, it is very efficient.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

shaggygirl — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 16:03:31 GMT

Replaced last fall, new one is Payne. What a difference a new one makes!

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

cherry — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 16:43:11 GMT

@JustJazzmom wrote:
Is the furnace for oil or gas? Weil/McLain is a good brand for either that was recommended to us.

Also see if the furnace gas a rebate in place from your gas company.

It's natural gas

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

JustJazzmom — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 16:46:38 GMT

@cherry wrote:
@JustJazzmom wrote:
Is the furnace for oil or gas? Weil/McLain is a good brand for either that was recommended to us.

Also see if the furnace gas a rebate in place from your gas company.
It's natural gas

Burnham Alpine brand is good too, get the most energy efficient one. Be sure the furnace is serviced in the summer months yearly. Ours is a wall mounted one.

We also went with a gas fired water heater from Rheem.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

nyc1 — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 17:34:59 GMT

We got a new one the middle of last winter. We bought a TRANE. It came HIGHLY recommended. I worked really well and I could feel a difference immediately.

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

lulu2 — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 17:59:32 GMT

@cherry

We had our furnance replaced after Hurricane Sandy flooded our house. We went with Lenox. (our previous furnace was Lenox)

Cherry, nothing lasts as long as it once did. We were lucky with our previous furnace and were on borrowed time. I wish the same could be said for our kitchen appliances..

Re: Has anyone installed a new furnace recently?

hoosieroriginal — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 18:03:00 GMT

Don't use Carrier - they are moving their plant to Mexico from Indiana and 1400 people are losing their jobs - they don't deserve our money!