You won't know for about 5 years.

pilot first off, most people always have some buyer's regret over new HVAC. The Trane equipment you are considering is first rate. The only other HVAC I would look at would be Carrier Infinity two stg furnace with the Performance 15 or Infinity 16 HP. I am not a proponent of Trane's XL16i HP. several suggestions. 1.you need a load calculation for the XL15i-being undersized will hurt you on AC cooling as well as hurt you and defeat the purpose of HP heating in the winter. Get the load calc in writing and insist upon it.If your home is not the best insulated, I suspect you might require a 3 1/2 ton HP and yes they do make 3 1/2 ton mdl in the XL15i HP. The main purpose of dual fuel and HP heating is to leverage those inexpensive electric rates. 2.if you do elect the 3 1/2 ton, dealer will need to check size both supply and return of ductwork system and any modifications required. 3. if your area/climate has humidity issues in the summer, then I would substitute the HW VisionPro IAQ stat for the mdl dealer is providing. This stat has the "dehumidify on demand" feature that the others don't. 4.dealer will need to calculate your temp balance point-where the heat loss and heat gain is apprx equal. Yes, good dealers can make this calculation in writing. I have a Trane dual fuel and my changeover is set at 30 degrees-however it could go lower.That is my choice. 5.I am not a fan of EACs for two reasons. I suspect over 99% homes just require a good 4-5" pleated filter media cabinet MERV10 for good IAQ and protection of evap coil and blower motor. The filter usually lasts up to one yr and replacement is very simple. Plus many homeowners that elect EACs do not follow the maintenance/cleaning instructions and schedule and this will be problematic for the operation of EACs. In other words, they can be a PITA. I can not advise you on AprilAire EACs other than to say I don't want an EAC. That's just my opinion. 6.I will have to look up the best coil configuration and advise later. You do want a Trane coil-no 3rd party substitute! 7.regarding setbacks,I do not advise more than 3-4 degrees on HPs. ask dealer their recommendation. 8.run fan 24/7 except in summer mths where you might reintroduce humidity to your home following completion of the cooling call. IMO

Dear All; Got a call from our cabinet man this morning: they'll deliver the rest of the cabinets Wednesday and begin installation Thursday. Of this week! Thank you so much for reminding me I am not odd for having second thoughts! I specifically remembered sweet marthavila's post about her lusty red Aga but didn't equate it with what I'm feeling because, well, you just didn't seem "crazy" in your post. You seemed rational. I was feeling crazy about second guessing everything, not rational (it's so much easier to correctly and kindly assess others!). I'm not crazy, I'm human! I'd forgotten that .... Note to self, channel marthavila. Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if there's been a panoply of drool-worthy finished (or nearly finished) kitchens lately, and with each one I find myself thinking "oh wow, now there's a kitchen!" When I see the kitchens which are strikingly different from our (proposed) kitchen I'm able to just love them and move on. But it's the white kitchens which all appear to be a v. creamy white which have had me second-guessing, even though I nixed every creamy white out of our kitchen months ago! But in these pictures ... yummy. Pass the spoon! (And yes, I am talking about you and your beautiful cabinets here, buffettgirl. I guess the white cabinet grass is always greener in someone else's kitchen!) In truth, our kitchen has ended up costing more than we'd thought / planned (name one whose doesn't, right), but as each decision was made so carefully and with so much validation behind it I don't begrudge it, necessarily. It's that we cannot afford to do this kitchen over any time soon (if ever), so that's why my worry over "what if I hate it and we spent so much on it?" Again, thank you for reminding me a) I am definitely not alone in that regard and b) that it is better to spend more to get what I really, deeply want and which makes my heart sing than have gone with the "oh well" or the "whatever" choice. ricklish -- so what sink are you going to get? I love the look of your mom's sink .... Thanks for your supportive words. Carla, thank you for the exercise. You're right! pcjs, holligator, mollyred -- thank you for sharing your own second-guessing stories with me. I love reading how much you love your beautiful new kitchens. Rayna -- boy, you and I will totally get each others no-sunlight kitchens! I'm excited about seeing your space -- thank you for your bright encouragement. These are my sunglasses, and they should look fabulous in the kitchen if it is too bright! Thanks for reminding me, rhome410: You and your sister are wonderful! plllog -- you made me laugh and I love the analogy. That's how I feel about so many of these beautiful, artful kitchens here on GW. I'm going to love my counters! organic_donna -- coming from you and your incredible home (because I've seen your bathroom, too!), I really appreciate your generous words. your home is stunning. tinker_2006 -- I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all your pictures and reading your posts. You have such exquisite taste that your home, with its combination of stained and painted finishes, is going to be a thing of beauty. I know it! amck -- congratulations on your daughter's wedding! What a wonderful way to start the summer, with a beautiful bride in the family .... Thank you for reminding me that we each have our dreams and there's nothing wrong with pursuing them, and in fact it could be just plain pound foolish to not do it. sherilynn -- I always love reading your posts! You are an incredible and generous font of information and boy do you have a gorgeous kitchen. Thank you for talking me through your different whites and the wax ... an interesting thing to keep in the back of my mind. The trim in the rest of our house is a v. deep cream (BM Calming Cream), it almost looks yellow. It reminds me of the trim of my youth (in GB), really old oil-based whites which have yellowed over time. I'm going to peek at your whites to see about using them on the kitchen ceiling. Thank you! daki -- do you like your new kitchen? I guess the second guessing never really goes away. It sounds wonderful. akchicago -- thank you for the important reminder to not sell any part of this process short. Don't forget the budget; don't forget the utility (both short- and long-term) and don't forget my pleasure with it! Important for all of us to keep in mind. cat_mom -- thank you, Friend! You know what an animal-lover I am but how stupid is this? After looking at your kitchen I realized "holy cow! We forgot a pet feeding station!" And your kitchen is so incredible -- I'm just so happy to have seen your pictures! Lynn -- I've thought of you as this has been going on, remembering your post from last autumn about how you work from home and that the noise and confusion just got to you. Without your knowing it, you've already comforted me! Your kitchen is so pretty, it's definitely a(nother) comfort to know you cried over the door. (That sounds bad, but I mean that someone with a visibly gorgeous kitchen also fretted about it along the way.) When looking at your pictures I saw your chopsticks and that made me think of Mu Du Noodles on Cerrillos (in SF) -- we love Mu! (esp. my 1.5 year-old son, who loves Mu cuddles) malhgold -- the v. first time I "saw" you on GW I misspelt your user name. I've felt bad about it ever since. (We "met" when talking about the Thermador Freedom Columns. Did you end up getting them?) Thank you all, and a Happy Presidents' Day! -Brooke

Sorry to hear of your experience. I bought a new machine a year ago, and it's supposed to be heavy-duty. Yes, it's OK, but no more heavy duty than the old all-metal machines. The new one has the touchiest bobbin I've ever sewn with, and the foot pedal is plastic and moves all over the floor. I have not gotten rid of any of my old ones, and some date clear back to the 1800s. You can get parts, they're out there........if you hit the specialty sites online. I also prefer a direct gear driven mechanism and I'm not sure they're even made on any machine anymore. It's almost impossible to get the timing off on them, and a quick (do-it-yourself) fix if you do.