any HVAC people on here?

looking to switch from oil to gas and looking for recommendations on brands.

current oil unit: 84,000 BTU
already have ducts
no water boiler

will get central AC with it.

 

@JBraun

 

Oil to Natural Gas? Propane? Are you interested in a dual fuel system, where it heats on electric before going to stage 2 for cold temps and burning gas? Since you have an oil unit I'm assuming a cold weather climate.

The brand is "less" important as the quality of install... however with that said there are still brands I prefer to sell and install. The brands I prefer are the ones I can get parts quickly for, which varies by location. Main thing I would do is get multiple quotes and try to find the businesses with the best reviews, get word of mouth feedback from friends etc. The quality of the install will dictate the longevity of the equipment more than the brand of equipment will. Meet the person quoting you with a list of requirements you have, make sure each contractor receives the same list. Feel them out if they are bullshit artists or just salespeople who dont know their product.

Trane makes about 5 different brands of unit, the flagship is Trane but american standard etc fall under them.
Carrier makes 2 or 3 different brands, (Carrier, Day & Night, Bryant)
Rheem/Ruud make another couple. there are only a few major MFGs and they all just slap different stickers and market them as budget units or the best etc.

For example- I'm not a Carrier factory authorized dealer (already a big one in my location) so I cant buy or install Carrier direct from MFG, but I can get Bryant. its the same stuff, just a different sticker.

hope that all helps

 

@socalrider Natural gas, not a dual system. i'm in the north. i've been recommended Bosch from a fellow racer when i started planning this project.

other thing i'm keeping in mind is the energy rebates. 95% efficient are $500, 97% efficient are $1000.

 

@socalrider basically covered it. I'm no fan of the OEM's. All the equipment is pretty much junk. I rep Rheem and Bryant. Rheem stuff seems a bit more reliable, and Bryant has a bit better tech, but really both are shit. Same for all the other manufacturers. They hide behind a 10 year warranty, but the fly-by-night guys never register the warranty, so it defaults to five years. Reputable companies will register your warranty so when your pressure switch fails, they'll happily cover that $30 part and leave me to explain why I still have to charge them 90% of the repair even though the unit is "under warranty", then make my office do a half-hour of paperwork to get reimbursed.

In short, find a contractor you trust and let them install whatever brand they have a relationship with. They'll be the one responsible for taking care of you.

Make sure your contractor does a load calculation on the house and correctly sizes your equipment, and make sure they discuss setting up the equipment properly as part of the install. Ask for their install checklist. Ask them about sealing up the blower cabinet and everything after the filter. Ask for their setup notes with temperature splits, combustion, and static pressure. Make sure your ductwork is sized for the airflow you need, otherwise none of the things I mentioned will check out.

The trades are in a tough spot right now, so it can be really tough to find a quality company, but they're out there.

 

Is your oil furnace in need of replacement due to age or is it the desire to change fuel sources ?

 

Anecdote on installs -- I have an in-law that's a tech who hated the installers at his company. He wanted me to buy from another company since he loved the quality of their installs he'd worked with. Even though that would have kept him from getting a referral bonus. He told me brand didn't count as much to him as quality of the installation did. Especially with older installers who didn't really understand the software setup options as well as better trained guys.

 

Oh, please for the love of God don't get a Google nest thermostat.

 

If you belong to Costco, use them for one of your quotes. They don’t do it themselves, but they’ll forward the lead to a local company. If you go with them, depending on what system you go with or what deals they have going on, you’ll get a Costco gift card worth 10-15% of the purchase price. Right now, it’s a 10% gift card on qualifying Lennox equipment. And if you have the Executive membership, you’ll get 2% rewards around the time of renewal.

https://www.costco.com/lennox-heating-air-conditioning.html

 

Have you priced propane vs oil? I know by me propane is F*&*ING nuts. (~$2.60/gal...almost double last winter)

Im in the middle of replacing a fireplace insert with a woodstove.

 

propane isnt an option up in the north. natural gas is what i'm switching to

 

care to elaborate?

 

really old furnace and fear of it breaking with no replacement parts. have a dog now and want to get central air. also a desire to switch to natural gas

 

Can I run the Evolution thermostat on my Infinity system?

If so, what's your price on the SYSTXBBECC01-C?

 

I’ll be taking this advice in a month or so.

 

In on this thread, as one of my houses with an old hot water heating system lost heat during the Christmas cold wave. It was originally an oil fueled boiler, converted to gas 50+ years ago, when my parents owned it. Extensive frozen pipe damage with no one in there for several days, and the age of everything, so I'll be starting from scratch. Thermostat read 28 degrees when failure discovered.

 

I have one where I set a range and it heats when I need heat and cools when I need cold. Also have my humidifier hooked up to it. I programmed a schedule a while back and haven’t touched it since. Been working great for a few years. What’s the issue with them?

 

Starting this year there are fed (US) tax credits up to a couple of thou (depends on your situation) for installing a heat pump/backup (gas, propane or elecric) system. Heat pump is up to 300% efficient down to freezing, then it tapers off. Once you get to 10-20F, it should switch to backup heat as that's more efficient.

 

same. i even have the remote sensors to detect temps in other rooms and base my schedules on the temps in those other rooms.

 

imagine you are setting up a new system for a customer, who doesnt have a google account, cant find their password, is on an iphone and doesnt understand what the google home app is or how to find it. and then you need to sit there for an hour setting up a new app and a bunch of bullshit they already dont understand. "sir, i need your face here to give me permission for this. sir i need a fingerprint to pass this screen." i didnt realize i worked for fucking google tech support.... and then the customer calls you when they are having problems understanding the software/app interface. ill get you a nice little touchscreen stat that is very easy to use, non wifi-enabled and understandable for 7-2 programming or 5-2 programming however you want. less than a hundred bucks.

i have other reasons but those are the most relatable

see above

not knowing how your infinity is set up and what components you need controlled, the short answer is yes. will you have all the functionality of the Evolution? that will depend on your system.

my pricing is not that amazing on that particular stat, somewhere near 500 from my local rep. depending on the complexity of your system and your own technical ability, wiring in one of those might be best left to a professional. how many zones you have, how many components (humidifier, filter DP, zone dampers, occupancy sensors, outside air sensors, condensate pumps etc) lots of ways to mess up the wiring and not get the functionality you want on those systems.