50tbrd88
forum member
I figure its worth a shot to ask this here. Wondering if anyone is an expert on home HVAC systems?
My house has a furance that was installed in 1986. It is a Lennox "Pulse" model that I have honestly never had any problems with. The only thing I know that has ever been done was a new heat exchanger in 1998 (found record in a file). I have lived here since 2007 and have honestly never had any service done until last year. I had a local guy look at it and he said it was showing its age and needed replaced. I had another guy look at it for a 2nd opinion and he said it looked fine! He did tell me that there is a control board of some sort that will eventually fail and would cost $500-$600 to replace.
From what I have read, the Lennox pulse furnace is one of the most efficient ones ever made (97% efficiency) and are better than most sold today. I hate to remove it for something vastly inferior! I just am not sure if a 1986 model year furnace would be on its last leg?? That seems to be pretty old to me, but I'm no expert on the matter.
The problem I am facing is that while the furnace has been working great (for now), its the A/C unit that has been causing problems. Every summer it quits on me 2-3 times, especially in extremely hot conditions. Last thing I want is my A/C to poop out on a 100+ degree day with a 10 month old baby in the house.
Therefore I have gotten a couple of price quotes locally. One quote is for a Ducane brand 95% single stage furnace with a 16 seer A/C unit. The other is for a American Standard 95% eff furnace with 15 seer A/C unit. Are these two brands comparable? Would they be comparable to the Lennox I have now? Should I just wait for my AC or furnace to totally crap out or be proactive and get them replaced now. I do want to sell this house in a few years to move more into the country and want to do what I can to help make it more sellable. I did buy the place right (from a relative) and with the intention to fix things up. To me, a new furnace/AC makes a good selling point when I do put it on the market.
So, anyone have advice for me? Thanks to anyone that can help me out!!
My house has a furance that was installed in 1986. It is a Lennox "Pulse" model that I have honestly never had any problems with. The only thing I know that has ever been done was a new heat exchanger in 1998 (found record in a file). I have lived here since 2007 and have honestly never had any service done until last year. I had a local guy look at it and he said it was showing its age and needed replaced. I had another guy look at it for a 2nd opinion and he said it looked fine! He did tell me that there is a control board of some sort that will eventually fail and would cost $500-$600 to replace.
From what I have read, the Lennox pulse furnace is one of the most efficient ones ever made (97% efficiency) and are better than most sold today. I hate to remove it for something vastly inferior! I just am not sure if a 1986 model year furnace would be on its last leg?? That seems to be pretty old to me, but I'm no expert on the matter.
The problem I am facing is that while the furnace has been working great (for now), its the A/C unit that has been causing problems. Every summer it quits on me 2-3 times, especially in extremely hot conditions. Last thing I want is my A/C to poop out on a 100+ degree day with a 10 month old baby in the house.
Therefore I have gotten a couple of price quotes locally. One quote is for a Ducane brand 95% single stage furnace with a 16 seer A/C unit. The other is for a American Standard 95% eff furnace with 15 seer A/C unit. Are these two brands comparable? Would they be comparable to the Lennox I have now? Should I just wait for my AC or furnace to totally crap out or be proactive and get them replaced now. I do want to sell this house in a few years to move more into the country and want to do what I can to help make it more sellable. I did buy the place right (from a relative) and with the intention to fix things up. To me, a new furnace/AC makes a good selling point when I do put it on the market.
So, anyone have advice for me? Thanks to anyone that can help me out!!
