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dave351

Price check on Trane quote

dave351
12 years ago

I live in mid Michigan (a few hours north of Detroit) in a rural area and I just bought a house- 1,500 sq ft single-story brick ranch with basement. House has a 25+ year old natural gas forced air furnace and no central AC. I want to replace the furnace and add central AC.

Business must be good for HVAC folks in my area, because this is the only contractor who has called me back out of the 6 I've called this week to ask for quotes. Hopefully I'll be able to get quotes from at least two other dealers, but I thought I'd post this one and see if it looks like it's a fair deal.

Quote from Trane dealer:

"Remove existing gas furnace and replace with Trane TUH080 high efficiency 80k gas furnace (95%) and a Trane 2.5 ton AC package (SEER 13).

Install a cased A-coil in the hot air plenum of the new furnace, install programmable thermostat (no model number given, but mentioned a 5/2 model) and low voltage wiring for the furnace and AC.

The above complete and ready for operation with a one year warranty on all material and workmanship."

Total price = $5,519.00

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Comments (16)

  • tigerdunes
    12 years ago

    dave

    what size and eff furnace are you replacing?

    post complete mdl numbers of furnace, AC, evap coil, and thermostat quoted. If you don't know, then find out.

    how about a whole house air filter cabinet?

    post back.

    IMO

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Tiger, I posted what he gave me but I'll call him Monday morning to find out the model numbers. No mention of whole house air filter.

    Does it seem odd that he gave me a brochure for an XR80 furnace but wrote "95% efficient" on it (and stated 95% efficient on the quote)? The Trane website says the XR80 offers "up to 80% efficiency" - am I missing something?

    The other thing he mentioned was that he could "downgrade to the contractor models and save a few more hundred dollars." Does that mean he's offering me the lowest-quality models of each unit?

  • tigerdunes
    12 years ago

    Dave

    I'll tell you exactly what you have been quoted if you provide complete mdl numbers of all components.

    As requested in first post, what size and eff is current furnace?

    Where is current furnace located?

    How would you describe the insulation properties of your home?

    How are filtering your return air?

    Post back.

    IMO

  • neohioheatpump
    12 years ago

    You don't want a 80% furnace if Michigan. You want 95% 2 stage. You want him to clarify that in writing. If you want to get fancy you could ask for an upgrade on the A/C to a heatpump. You could use that for the mild cool days above freezing. You would have to find out your electric price though. Pricing isn't bad if its 95% furnace. You could also ask for upgrading to highest efficiency single stage a/c-heatpump. This upgrade doesn't cost alot. Some installers like to make extra dollars on upgrades and sometimes its not worth it.

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The Trane guy doesn't seem to want to give me model numbers, or maybe he's just too busy to get back to me. In the meantime, I got another quote, this one from a Ruud dealer.

    Ruud UGRL06EMAES 95% Efficiency Up-Flow Furnace
    Ruud UANL024JAZ 2-Ton Cased Cooling Unit
    Ruud RCFLHM2417AC 2-Ton Cased Cooling Coil
    White-Rogers 2-Stage Programmable Thermostat
    Right Angle Media Air Cleaner

    Includes normal install, along with changing out return air ducts to obtain more air flow. Includes taxes, permit fee and one year warranty.
    Total cost: $5,825.00

    House info as requested: House was built in 1960. It's brick, single story ranch style, ~1500 square feet. Has "adequate" insulation in the attic.

    I am replacing a Heil HUGB080BF01 in the basement, and adding central air to the system. I don't know the efficiency of the existing furnace.

    Thank you.

  • neohioheatpump
    12 years ago

    I like trane equipment better if its the 95% furnace. You would need to clarify that with the installer. NOthing wrong with Rheem/Ruud - I just think that trane equipment is nicer.

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Neo, I would actually prefer Trane as well, but I can't get the contractor to answer my questions about the specific model numbers. If I can't trust the guy, then I don't really want to give him my money, if you know what I mean.

    I still don't understand how he could quote me a TUH080 and say that it'll be 95% efficient, and needless to say, he has not answered that question for me either.

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Sorry for the double post. I wanted to add that the Trane quote is for a single-stage furnace. The Trane contractor said he didn't like installing two-stage furnaces. The Ruud quote is for a 2-stage furnace.

  • neohioheatpump
    12 years ago

    I would go with the RUUD installer then. 2-stages if really nice is possible. You may be able to negotiate with the installer and possibly get the highest efficiency single stage A/C. They don't cost much more than the 13 seer.

    So your not considering upgrading your A/C to a heatpump?

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Would a heat pump save me that much money? At this point, having just closed on the house, my bank account is pretty bare right now so I'm trying to save every penny I can.

    And even at this point, I'm still thinking about possibly putting this off for a year, and "getting by" with a couple window ac units and hoping the 25+ year old furnace lives for one more year.

  • heatseeker
    12 years ago

    so your going from strait heat to ac and heat and nobody mentioned changing the ductwork? also The reason the guy dosn't want to give you model numbers is because he knows your going to shop him around. I wouldn't waist my time either. He'll give you all the info treat you real nice and then you'll go with a price thats ten bucks cheaper. Trust me I've seen it.

  • neohioheatpump
    12 years ago

    Good argument.

    A heatpump can pay for itself over a reasonable amount of time when just upgrading from a heatpump over the basic cost of straight A/C. it can really pay for itself in a few years if the upgrade cost is less than $500. If gas were to get expensive it can pay for itself even faster.

    I like to mention it to people, often they don't realize its not that much more expensive.

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    heatseeker: Correct, I am going from nat gas forced air heat to heat plus AC. Both people I've had in so far have said that the ductwork is adequate, other than the Ruud guy wants to increase the intake slightly. As far as the Trane guy "treating me real nice and my going with a price that's 10 bucks cheaper," I would actually have prefered a Trane system but I'm going with the advice I've read on this forum over and over that says "get 3 quotes".

    Also, I'm not necessarily going with the cheapest thing I can get - for example, I haven't called any Goodman dealers (based on advice given in other posts saying to stay away from Goodman). So I'm not really sure what I can do to justify the Trane dealer taking 10 more minutes out of his day and giving me the model numbers of the equipment he put in my quote. Any advice would be appreciated.

    neo: Since the Ruud guys have responded to my questions, I'll ask them what it would cost to sub a heat pump in place of the AC and see what they think. I'll admit that I don't know the price difference between electricity and natural gas in my area, but I'll work in finding out. Thank you for the advice. I appreciate having some options!

  • tigerdunes
    12 years ago

    Dave,

    Rheum/Rudd HVAC is a solid brand of HVAC that is often overlooked and underrated.

    Pls dbl check with dealer about the furnace mdl. I believe it should be the RGRL mdl. It is a two stg 95% efficient. However I don't think it has a var speed blower which I definitely would want. The VS is much quieter and will help on AC efficiency numbers. This may or may not be important to you.

    I am not going to debate the HP substitution other than to say it would be an added cost. I would have to know your electric and nat gas rates to see if there is any justification and reasonable payback.

    Check the furnace out though.

    IMO

  • dave351
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    tiger, thanks for the reply. I've read a lot of your posts on this forum and I appreciate your sharing your time and expertise.

    After getting my quote, I researched the model number on the web and read a post by a Rheem/Ruud installer who said "the only difference is the R or U in the model number and the nameplate" (link to thread provided below). The more I search around the web, the more I've found references like "(R or U) GRL" or "*GRL." So, I am *assuming* that UGRL = RGRL and UANL = RANL.

    How much do you think the VS would add to the cost of the system and how much could it save in operating cost? I live a couple hours north of Detroit MI, so my goal was to get a very good furnace and a somewhat basic AC since the furnace will probably be used for at least half the year, while the AC will (hopefully) only be used A couple more questions... I've had several people recommend to me to get a humidifier added on to the furnace because supposedly it will help cut down on heating costs. Does it really cut down on costs, or is it purely for comfort (and either way, is it worth it?)

    Also, I got the model number for the thermostat... White-Rogers 1F85-0477. Any opinions on that? Would I be better off buying a Honeywell myself and asking them to install it?

    Thank you.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Reference to thread

  • tigerdunes
    12 years ago

    Dave

    Ask dealer for matching AHRI number. I could not find one listed on AHRI Directory website.

    I would definitely recommend at the very least, a two stg furnace 95%+ eff with a variable speed blower. Definitely worth it and that would be my recommendation.

    IMO

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