Gas furnace brands.. Lennox carrier or Ruud

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Well-known Member
Going to install a new gas furnace. Checking the difference in reliability and performance of premium brands Lennox and carrier versus lower cost
brands like Ruud. All are 96%, two stage, variable speed. Big difference in price. Will the reliability and longevity be much different. Do any of you have
practical experience with recent products from these brands ?
 
My HVAC guy likes Goodman furnaces and Weil-McClain boilers. I have both and they are very reliable. I have three Goodmans in my two shops and they have been very good. He steered me away from Lennox because they use a lot of proprietary parts and are more expensive to repair. Why not ask your HVAC guy what he would recommend. Also, consider a high efficiency unit.
 
My experience is not too fresh. Nevertheless ... I bought a top-of-the-line Lennox (96%, etc.) that lasted just a shade over 10 years. Repairs were going to cost over half the cost of a new furnace. When I decided to replace the Lennox, the dealer from whom I bought the Lennox said it has quit selling them. (It's the biggest furnace dealer in the area.) I opted for a Bryant, which has been working flawlessly for the past few years. Take my experience for what it's worth, but I'd be cautious about Lennox.
 
IMO... you have 3 types... single stage motors , two winding motors and variable speed inverter motors. The first type last up to 17 years (average).. the second type also do well. And the inverter type motors last 10 years (on a prayer and warantee) and cost 1300 to replace the those motors. My replacement motor only lasted 3 years... SO...add to that an outside ac unit with the same problems but throw in a .... single stage compressor, a two speed compressor and then a truely variable speed/capacity compressor and you have a 10 to 12 year time bomb.

BUT... all the higher seer units must go into this expensive territory. since you are only buying a heating unit, maybe you can stay away from this outrageous variable speed catch 22 junk. Now about the heat exchanger............
 
Except my Goodman variable speed motor quit and $1100 later due to two diodes or capacitors. Old now sits on the shelf repaired by me for just a few dollars, but hope it works.
 
Dad had a 40 year old lennox never had a problem of tech look at it. He replaced it with a Carrier. The Carrier was nothing but trouble for the first two weeks. The company sent out seven or more techs before one noticed the intake and exhaust pipes were hooked up backwards. Then they also replaced two little circuit boards. The furnace should have had warranty only being a month old. They charged him for the repairs.
 
I don't have a lot of experience with Rudd. My Dad's cousin was a Lennox Dealer. My Dad got 22 years out of a Lennox, it only got changed out because of an addition/ remodel. I don't know how they are now. Carriers have been hit or miss over the years (both residential and commercial)

I have put in a lot of Goodman and Evcon (Coleman). Goodman use to be a lot cheaper then name brand, but that has run out. I haven't had many problems with either brand. I have a 3 ton Goodman Duel Fuel waiting to
go in my house right now. 96% AFUE, 16 Seer, 2 stage heat/ cool, ECM, and variable speed. Withe the rebates and current price of energy I should get my money back in 5 years.

Yes, the more bells and whistles the more costly they are to repair. With new equipment (high efficiency ultra- thin coils and supper high pressure refrigerant) I wouldn't expect to get more than 15 years out of it. Duct design, good equipment installation, and proper maintenance will have a bigger impact than the name on the cabinet. 410A is already being replaced, I'd stay clear of the replacement refrigerant for a year or two until they get the bugs worked out.

The Contractor you hire will be the most important part. Get an extended warranty, unless you work on it yourself.
 
It is sad to say that the past history of furnaces, heat pumps, or appliances can predict future reliability.
I will recommend finding a HVAC business with a long business history. No HVAC business selling junk will remain in business for a very long time.

Today's new furnaces have expensive replacement parts. So look for the longest parts and labor warranties.

Consider maintenance agreements too. Usually maintenance agreements will give you a break on expensive parts and a discount on service calls.
 
We replaced our 11 year old Carrier last Spring with a Comfort Zone, which is the same as Lenox and about 6 other brands. Carrier is independent. They produce their own units and parts. Thats the main reason we stayed away from Carrier. Our old unit had a small feeder fan with a bad bearing. Bearing was part of the plastic casting and not replaceable. New fan, if they became available was $1100.00. This unit already had the heat exchanger replaced two years ago under warranty. So we decided to go the replacement route. I would avoid Carrier if I were you. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
My Coleman was a 90% efficiency furnace installed in 2004. Fan was replaced for $200 3 years ago and we had several problems with for about a year. New repairman looked at and said they installed the wrong fan.


Replaced it with a $400 fan and it's worked perfectly every since. The problem is that was 19 years ago - I doubt you can buy that furnace new.
 
I had a Goodman, don't remember how long but the heat exchanger cracked. The supplier has new in stock. They had problems with them.Was under warranty but not labor. I learned how to replace them that day. I also had several circuit boards to replace over the years. I think the boards were due to running on generator power during power outages. It has been replaced.
 
I don't know the climate of the bluegrass location but if it's not too cold I'd buy the older, simpler, most popular (cheap) line from a good manufacturer. Might use a little more fuel but it'll be less likely to need service and cost less to fix.
Why do you need a furnace?
 

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