Thanks Ray. Yes, I did hear about this. The last time I had a repair done on
the furnace (two weeks ago) my service guy was saying that.
"Ray" wrote in message
news:%mLWe.2866$N35.2823@trndny09...
Here is some peripheral info that you might not be aware of. As of next
year, the minimum SEER (basically, efficiency rating) for AC units is
being raised from 10 to 13. If you are looking to do your AC unit, and
want anything lower than a 13 SEER, you have to do it this year (you can
discuss this with your installer and he can explain all of the pros/cons).
This link explains the change...
http://www.bryant.com/corp/details/0...l?SMSESSION=NO
"Tony" wrote in message
...
Hi all. I'm new here. Both my AC and gas furnace for my home are about 20
years old. The gas furnace has been slowly failing... enough repairs in
the last couple of years to tell us it really has to go. The central AC
is of course not very efficient given its age. Since I really have to
replace the furnace I figured just do the whole thing at once. Both
existing systems are builder's grade stuff. The furnace is a Borg Warner
and the AC is either a Lennox or Carrier (don't remember right now - we
are not the original owners of this house).
I know proper installation is they key to any job of this sort, but I
also want to get state of the art plus reliability plus efficiency in
both of the new units. Oh, and overly high priced, proprietary
replacement parts are a negative (I've heard that associated with Trane
equipment). I read up a bit on central AC; from what I've read it sounds
like Ruud is well respected. Carrier seems to have a good rep for
furnaces, but I'm not sure about their ACs. So I have some questions:
1) Is it a bad idea to replace the AC and furnace with units from
different manufacturers?
2) If the answer to 1 is yes, then can anyone recommend a manufacturer
that has the highest level of performance and reliability for both AC and
furnaces?
2) If the answer to 1 is no, then are Ruud and Carrier considered among
the best, respectively, for AC and furnace?
3) Are there any that are better for either? My definition of better is,
again, reliability, efficiency, a good modern (but well proven) design,
and low total ownership cost. That last means I'm willing to pay up front
if the combination of reliability / replacement parts cost / efficiency
will result in a lower TOC.
Once I have a clearer idea of who all to look at I will need some follow
on help with things like 2 piece vs. one piece AC, etc.