# Choosing a Furnace



## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

IM currently getting quotes on a new furnace and PV-Hot water tank installs. The price ranges are all over the map so far so I was curious what brands should i be looking at , warranty and service/tech are important , price too but i going for 95% eff and higher so probably higher end units. Most companys i got quotes from are using/pushing Lennox , Carrier , Amana . A few others came in with Am Standard , Frigidaire , Goodman which i would lean towards known brands ( i know most are all just owned by others with a lower cost brand ) 

Was thinking of going with company that had the Amana AMV90 96% eff unit 
Any ideas ? Im in Calgary AB if that matters .


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## naptown CR (Feb 20, 2009)

The major brands will all be similar. look at warranty and the company who will install and service the unit. These are the people you are going to have a relationship with, not the manufacturer. 
What do you mean by PV hot water tanks?


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

Power vented , as opposed to direct vent or just cheap tank still using b-vent to exhaust . Probably a Rheem , GE or John Wood .


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Check into a York Mod 97% efficient.
Lifetime heat exchanger warranty.


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

I was actually quoted on the York " Affinity " series , might be the one your talking about , says its up to 98% eff . Prices with GST was around $ 5900 and $ 5000 for the Amana AMV90 96% eff


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

The Mod is a comfort unit. Won't match the comfort using the Amana.


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

Ya the York sounds real nice , for $ 5900 . The other installer im going with ( the 5K quote was from York guy ) with will do the AMV90 Amana for just over $ 4000 . So for $ 1900 I might sacrifice a bit , but being the higher end Amana it must do the job well enough i would imagaine/hope. If it were a few hundred i would go for the York or Carrier/Lennox. But for that much savings it will pay for new P-Vented Hotwater tank and a G-Aire 1042 Humidifier and the tax ! Haven't sealed the deal on the Amana but leaning that way . And complete unit replacement for life is a hellluva gauratee i think.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

The Amana warranty is a good warranty.
What thermostat are they including to control the 2 stages of heat.
Hope they aren't going to use the timer of the furnace board. That kind of defeats the purpose of getting a 2 stage furnace.


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

No i think it will be a higher end Honeywell for Tstat and CO2 detectors


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

What would be everyones Top 3 picks for new furnaces above 94 AFUE ?


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

York Mod.


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## ciws14 (Nov 9, 2009)

*Best*

Agreed, right now Luxaire/ York have there stuff together on this one. Especially with their UPG board on their Air Source Heat pumps allowing the heat pump to run and the furnace to mod all the way down to minimum to supplement when conditions are right. It doesn't get much better than that. I would say Armstrong then, the new Broan/ Nordyne lineup with the IQ system looks promising as well. 

But for dealers it all boils down to local support from distributors and the factory. We have good local support and parts readily available for a couple different manufacturers. Luxire/ York are one of them and they have been a very reliable product for many years. They have had there lemons like they all have had, but they have good support for both the homeowner and installer/ dealer. Homeowners don't care about logistics to much, the want it to work when they need it. They don't care about 'dealer networks' and such. If they have a part fail, they want it yesterday. They don't want to hear about having to 'order' it.

Just my $.02 :thumbsup:


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

Thanks ciws and beenthere , the York does sound very nice for sure . Im hoping the Amana can perform well enough , being their top model i would hope it would anyway . Alot of the installers around here use them , so hoping that might mean service and tech support is abundant . Im sure it also means there getting them for a good price as well . Out the 7-9 estimates i got , the price range for install on the AMV90 ( not all had Amana option but 4-5 did ) was $ 4000 at low end and all the way up to $ 5800 . 

Thanks for all the input and anymore would be great !


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Lot of contractors use them because they are a cheaper priced unit.


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

Is it a good enough deal for the Amana AMV90 at $4K install at least ? Its either the Amana , or a goodman , american standard or a frigidaire for that price .


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Crispy said:


> Is it a good enough deal for the Amana AMV90 at $4K install at least ? Its either the Amana , or a goodman , american standard or a frigidaire for that price .


That all depends on how food the contractor is.


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

Well its a couple lead installers from a reputable company here in town , i build new homes so after i got all the 'legit' quotes from all the companys i just grabbed a couple guys from there to do it on the side , permits and all of course. The biggest savings was on the hot water tank install , the furnace is within a few hundred but im saving about $ 1000 just on the hot water tank . Plus instead of the crap CO2 and Tstats ill be upgraded to the best for under price of reg install .


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Crispy said:


> Well its a couple lead installers from a reputable company here in town , i build new homes so after i got all the 'legit' quotes from all the companys i just grabbed a couple guys from there to do it on the side , permits and all of course. The biggest savings was on the hot water tank install , the furnace is within a few hundred but im saving about $ 1000 just on the hot water tank . Plus instead of the crap CO2 and Tstats ill be upgraded to the best for under price of reg install .


Well. Who does the warranty service then if it breaks down in the first year?
Will any of thses guys take off work in the middle of the day to fix it. Or will you have to wait until they are done with their regular job. For one of them to come out. And then wait until the next day for them to get a part to fix it.


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## Crispy (Nov 10, 2008)

They have their own company registered and licensed/insured , they conract off the bigger company , thats how they get the furnace in the 1st place . Its gets registered at Amana under their comp name , and any Amana dealer/installer can service it . All bills for the 10yr service/10yr parts get direct billed to Amana . So as far as someone getting there that instant , call until someone shows up , and as far as quick service goes , considering 5 outta the 8 quotes i got all had the Amana option , i think ill be fine.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Labor warranty needs to be registered to a dealer.
Although it can be transfered to any dealer. You don't get the option of calling different dealers, and the first one that can get their, does the work.

Factory warranty usually doesn't cover first year. Thats usually on the installing contractor.
Check the fine print on labor warranty. Needs to be serviced every year to keep it intact.


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