Central heat and air questions and advice

[david1289]

I'm in the market to replace my central heat and air system. It is not an absolute necessity but I do have two old systems for the two story 2800 sq ft home. The unit for the upstairs is the oldest and not working so great at the moment.

I've gotten two separate quotes for Lennox units. Both quotes have all choices for premium units, mid level, and standard (i.e. Builders grade). I'll be considering something above builders grade if I do decide to replace anything. The premium ones have a 65 stage unit with variable speed blowers. The mid level have two stage units and blowers.

Any opinions on what kind of units I should focus on?

I would appreciate any input and advice on what to choose, what to look for, etc.

Thanks!

 

[smcgee10]

I would stay away from Lennox. Typically replacement parts are much higher and harder to get. I had a control board go out in mine. 3 days to ship from Dallas. $400. Almost every other brand of control board was $75-$150. Also 3 different companies showed up to look at the unit when I was having trouble, looked at the unit, and turned around and said "We don't work on those, sorry."

 

[Rod Snell]

Got talked into a complete Goodman system, and the initial quality was crap. Both evaporator and condenser coils were defective from the factory.
Altus AFB soon after bought similar systems for base housing and had the same problem with leaky coils and brittle lines that cracked.
Several people bought Westinghouse here and have had trouble with the inside line connector leaking, and the variable speed fan failing. Also complaining about 3 weeks to get parts.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

My dad has a York for his home. Very good unit. Was pretty expensive though. I would also recommend a rheem. Don't go for the cheaper ones or you will regret it. I wouldn't put anything builders grade in my home. Most new home builders nowadays use the cheapest units they can to maximize their profits. They don't care if the system lasts or not. Once you buy the house it ain't their problem. Their are many mid level systems that should serve you very well. Another thing, are your returns the proper size? If not it will cause problems in the future.

 

[Shadowrider]

Don't spring for the most expensive energy efficient 140 bazillion SEER A/C system. A good contractor can take a good mid-level 14 SEER and upsize the evaporator coils to make it a 16 SEER pretty easily.

Gas heating is a different story, they will last long enough to recoup the added cost and then some.

 

[OKCShooter]

Running TRANE in 20SEER...

Pretty phenomenal units.

 

[Shoot Summ]

Running TRANE in 20SEER...

Pretty phenomenal units.

This, been very happy with my Trane systems...

 

[david1289]

So far I've yet to find someone who installs Trane.

According to Consumer Reports, Lennox is the most reliable.

I figure I'll go with 2-stage units instead of the 65-stage units. I've always liked going middle of the options for best value and return. The high end options always make me wonder about repair parts and costs.

IIRC, my condensers are pulling around 12 amps which I was told was high as the new condensers would only pull 2-3 amps. Does that sound reasonable?

This, been very happy with my Trane systems...

 

[Profreedomokie]

My advice is stay away from Rheem. We had a new system of theirs put in our old house. After a couple of years ,it was get the service guy out every summer and winter to get it running. We replaced one of the units with a Trane in our current house and haven't had any problems yet.

 

[Shoot Summ]

So far I've yet to find someone who installs Trane.

According to Consumer Reports, Lennox is the most reliable.

I figure I'll go with 2-stage units instead of the 65-stage units. I've always liked going middle of the options for best value and return. The high end options always make me wonder about repair parts and costs.

IIRC, my condensers are pulling around 12 amps which I was told was high as the new condensers would only pull 2-3 amps. Does that sound reasonable?

Several Trane Dealers in this area.

I used Overholt based on recommendations her on OSA.