Replacement Forced air furnace
rooferman
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I am going to replace my 90 Plus Rheem forced air natural gas furnace. The Rheem has been a problem almost from the beginning. It is about fourteen years old. It was one of the early 90 Plus units. Break down after break down. I know this piece of equipment way better than I would like to.
Of the brands out there which ones do you folks like? Ease of install, warranty, cost, service, efficency, longevity etc. I am heating a 2900 sqare foot colonial in northern Ohio. I have central air as well.
Thanks much for your thoughts. Mike L.
Replies
http://www.goodmanmfg.com/consumer/
Let me guess, the ignitor went out more than a few times and the blower board relay crapped out, right? I just got rid of a Rheem 90+ and they only used one pair of contacts in the relay, which isn't very avialable. The board is but I didn't see spending $225 as a good investment since it was 18 years old (it dumped 3 years ago but it's in a rental that need a lot of work).
I put a Goodman in and it was very easy. really small, too. Nice to have the space in the basement. You'll need to check with the locals to see what permits, etc are needed. They also require a licensed installer to check out the install for the warranty (which applies to single family homes only). I got mine from http://www.alpinehomeair.com and it was here in a couple of days. They have a contractor assistance link, too and will find someone if you can't.
Just remember, any goodman furnace bought over the internet has NO factory warranty.
"Double Warranty – We back up the manufacturer’s warranty 100%. If your product should ever fail, send us the part under the policy terms and we’ll send you a new one free (plus shipping).""Unlimited Technical Support – We are here for you before and after your purchase. For as long as you own your product, we’ll provide you with assistance to any of your questions from qualified representatives. Contact us by email or call us toll free Monday to Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm CST and our technical staff will be glad to assist you."" This product includes a FREE one year extended parts warranty. Rest easy with this extended warranty, knowing your product has extra protection.This warranty extends the manufacturer's parts warranty by an additional one year. All original terms and conditions of the manufacturer's parts warranty are extended through this additional warranty. Warranty is serviceable through Alpine Home Air Products, exclusively. Warranty covers part cost only, not labor costs. Available only at Alpine Home Air Products."These are from the Alpine Home Air site. edit-
OK, I just talked with David at Alpine Home Air and he said that they back up the factory warranty as long as it's installed by a local contractor/installer or owner installed and inspected by a licensed contractor. He also said that, as in my case being a duplex, the furnace still gets the full warranty as long as each dwelling unit has a separate heating source.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 12/5/2006 11:12 am by highfigh
Here is part of goodmans warranty. Note item (1) and the last sentence.
The HEAT EXCHANGER is warranted for the LIFETIME of the
original purchaser and his or her spouse, or for so long as either of
them owns the home in which it was originally installed (whichever
ends first), except as provided below. However, this lifetime warranty
applies only if:
(1) The unit is installed in an owner-occupied, single-family
residence, and
(2) The unit is registered with Goodman within 30 days after either
the original installation or the closing on your home (if the product
is installed in a new home). Registration can be completed online
at http://www.goodmanmfg.com or by filling out the card accompanying
this warranty.
• If the lifetime warranty on the HEAT EXCHANGER does not apply,
the HEAT EXCHANGER is warranted for 20 YEARS, except as
provided below.
• All remaining parts are warranted for a period of 5 YEARS, except
as provided below.
Neither warranty continues after the product is removed from the
location where it was originally installed.
Neither warranty applies to, and no warranty is offered by Goodman
on, any product ordered over the Internet.
That Alpine Air site is great! I'm thinking instead of paying a company $3000 to replace my furnace and AC, I'll just do it myself with higher efficiency equipment from Alpine for $2500! Woo hoo!
You may *think* you are getting a deal, but lemme tell ya, there is a whole shipload of markup on their prices....
You get what you pay for, sometimes you pay for what you get...
It it's not a big place, you really don't need 90+ and you definitely don't want one that's way too big, in terms of BTU/hr. Too big and it will short-cycle, which is what took out the relay on mine and many others.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
OK, so don't order it over the internet, phone the order in. If you re-read my last post, you'll see that I specifically addressed Alpine's policy about internet sales and that they cover the equipment regardless of where it was bought. Go to thw Alpine Home Air site and call them so you can ask the same questions. Goodman puts that in their clause because of the local contractors complaining about sales from other places. I wouldn't have bought one if it had no warranty.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
We're reasonably happy with our Carrier unit so far.
IIRC, Goodman and Amana (and something else?) are the same basic unit, just different levels of materials quality.
I studied this pretty extensively last winter and concluded that the business is fairly competitive, price-wise, and you get what you pay for, pretty much. Biggest difference is in the pricing policies of the dealers, but even there it's more a matter of what they include in the basic quote vs have as "extras" (at least with the dealers around here).
Carrier, Trane
I would suggest getting a heating study to be sure of the right size. Double check with an online calculator.
Go with a "simple" 90+% unit. The way prices are going it will pay for itself. Besides save some gas for the rest of us!
I have a heil and 5 years on running great.