Home Furnaces

[rScotty]

I'm needing to replace a 70K BTU home furnace. Natural gas. The old one is a single speed type, but it is getting close to 20 years old. No need for AC in Colorado foothills.

I see various types of gas furnaces - single speed, dual speed, variable speed and also the modulated (variable) flame type.

Not too worried about price, and frankly natural gas is cheap. I'm leaning toward wanting it to run quiet and last reasonably well. Most of the modern ones seem pretty efficient at 90% AFUE or better.
But I don't know anything about what brands are out there.

Any recommendations?

rScotty

 

[KennyG]

I suggest you find a really good installer and go with the brand he uses. That said I recently had a pair of residential Heil units installed and was impressed. I think they were 95% multi speed units. They are almost silent.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks. This should be a simple replacement. It's an old small rental house we've had for years.

Access to the furnace is good - it sits in the middle of a basement, and the ducting is good.
The bid I got from an inspection agent for the installer was for a bottom of the line 70,000 BTW natural gas Lennox single speed furnace installed - $9500. Seems high... or maybe I am just old fasiioned.

At my age, I am trying to stop being a long time do-it-yoursefer, I've just never had anything to do with appliance installers but I like your advice to shop installers, not heaters.

The Heil sounds about right. Why a pair? Two houses?

 

[ronjhall]

I had 2 stage variable speed fan 90 % 70k BTU. American standard. Replaced it after 23 years with a Lennox with same spec’s plus 96% + . I like the how quite it is running on the 38k BTU stage. It will run on circulate mode for about 35% of each hour. This mode just circulate air without heat. Need a thermostat that will make use of all the features of these multi-stage and variable speed furnaces.
I have a Honeywell for this.
My choice for a furnace is American Standard or Trane.

 

[KennyG]

The Heil sounds about right. Why a pair? Two houses?

This was for my church. We had two air conditioning units fail so we decided to replace the air handlers with residential type furnaces to transition away from an ancient hot water heating system. The units are in enclosed overhead spaces (drywalled but no sound deadening insulation) and no one can tell if they are running or not, even during silent prayer.

The units are 100K BTU 97% efficient with 25 speed fans. Not quite sure how that works and why it's different from variable speed. The cost of the units (with air conditioning) installed was about $15,000 each. This included duct modification, addition of intake and exhaust piping, condensate drains with pumps and alarms and new thermostats.

It took another $5,000 plus to get natural gas to the furnaces because of the nature of the church construction and location.

 

[fishin coyote]

9500 for a bottom tier unit is highway robbery. Now pricing may be higher in your area vs my area in NW Pa.but it shouldn’t be that much. I have contractors here installing 90%+ gas units in the 6500 range.

 

[Yander]

Thanks. This should be a simple replacement. It's an old small rental house we've had for years.

Access to the furnace is good - it sits in the middle of a basement, and the ducting is good.
The bid I got from an inspection agent for the installer was for a bottom of the line 70,000 BTW natural gas Lennox single speed furnace installed - $9500. Seems high... or maybe I am just old fasiioned.

At my age, I am trying to stop being a long time do-it-yoursefer, I've just never had anything to do with appliance installers but I like your advice to shop installers, not heaters.

The Heil sounds about right. Why a pair? Two houses?

It is high, unless there is something missing that they have to address.

I just replaced my entire A/C and heat with a Lennox for about $10k.

But that was Ohio so not sure if that is the difference.

 

[Cub 7275]

$9,500 sounds high, you might want to get a few bids. Are you switching from an old 80% furnace with a metal exhaust pipe? If so the installer has to run new PVC intake and exhaust piping and drill holes in an exterior wall (though occasionally I’ve seen them go through the roof). Is there a floor drain close to the furnace or will a condensate pump be required? Will ductwork changes be needed? Anything else complicating a swap out?

Furnaces are relatively cheap and easy enough to look up prices on the interwebs. The guy I help can knock out a straight forward furnace swap in a couple of hours. Simple ductwork is hand fabricated on site. For the complicated duct changes a shop does it which means coming back the next day or two to install the duct, which adds to the installed cost.

Before you get too hung up on any one brand name be aware many brands are made by the same manufacturer. Look at the whiteboard in the background to see who made which brands back in 2016

 

[edgarrian]

its like buying a car. so many different manufactures and brands. although car buying seems like the info is easier to understand. Much more reviews. Home furnaces are purchased, installed and forgotten until it needs replaced. Thats generally the oh **** moment

 

[ultrarunner]

I replaced several plus one 100% new HVAC multi stage variable blower install in a 2000 square foot home with only 2 wall furnaces and a window box existing.

Cost of materials for 95 efficiency natural gas furnace, single stage with 1 speed blower in the 80,000 Btu size up-flow is $1400 to $1500 all-in including custom transition plenum and condensate drainage, sundries, etc. plus code required lighting.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I replaced several plus one 100% new HVAC multi stage variable blower install in a 2000 square foot home with only 2 wall furnaces and a window box existing.

Cost of materials for 95 efficiency natural gas furnace, single stage with 1 speed blower in the 80,000 Btu size up-flow is $1400 to $1500 all-in including custom transition plenum and condensate drainage, sundries, etc. plus code required lighting.

But that was 1976!

 

[ultrarunner]

But that was 1976!

Just checked prices and I’m seeing $1200 for gas upflow.

 

[ponytug]

Just checked prices and I’m seeing $1200 for gas upflow.

Where? (Asking for a friend...)

I'm seeing 1/3 more plus down here.

All the best, Peter

 

[Carl_NH]

I see $2400 base unit 2 speed, 70K BTU, 80k BTU 96% AFUE Multi Speed 2 Stage Goodman Gas Furnace - Upflow/Horizontal - 17.5" Cabinet

But the install variability is not known - what ductwork is needed, and removal of the existing system. Price seems high - $6K would seem close.

 

[JTKub]

Are you having problems with the 20yr old unit? With the way these things are designed and built today, I'd keep what you have until you need to replace it.

 

[zzvyb6]

You might get a tax credit for buying a 95% efficiency unit. I bought undersized which reduces the warmup idle time. My Trane is a variable speed blower model which runs all the time at a very low idle speed. This reduces dust and keeps all the rooms at a uniform temperature. I bought an 80k Btu unit instead of the recommended 100k Btu deal. When it was -5F here a month ago, it held at 68 deg instead of the 70F setting. I also got the UV mold preventer light, an ozone injector for virus (covid 19 - 50x) control, and an electrostatic air filter. There's a good reason it needs to be cleaned every month !

 

[ultrarunner]

Where? (Asking for a friend...)

I'm seeing 1/3 more plus down here.

All the best, Peter

My buying info is at work but here is a quick search on Grainger for both 80 and 96 efficiency

I bought a 60,000 Btu 96 efficiency last year just under $1600… looks like price went up…

 

[KennyG]

I see $2400 base unit 2 speed, 70K BTU, 80k BTU 96% AFUE Multi Speed 2 Stage Goodman Gas Furnace - Upflow/Horizontal - 17.5" Cabinet

But the install variability is not known - what ductwork is needed, and removal of the existing system. Price seems high - $6K would seem close.

My daughter bought a house with a Goodman furnace. After working on it a couple of times, my impression is the technology isn't a lot different from the furnaces I installed in the 1960's but the build quality is a lot lower.

I wouldn't install one in my house unless I absolutely couldn't afford something better. I suppose I would consider it for a furnace in a shop or storage building.

 

[caver]

HVAC Direct carries some brands. https://hvacdirect.com/

 

[ultrarunner]

Most of my residential have been Dayton, Tempstar, Rheem and now one Goodman…

The most expensive is the Rheem heatpump and it’s dead at 10 years and spent thousands during the 10 years of ownership… and it is the only one professionally installed… go figure.

Some of the Daytons are from the late 90’s and nothing but filter changes… both 80 and 95 efficiency…