Hi all,
I own the home I grew up in. I love it. So I'm quite familiar with the furnace that was in the house since 1980. It was a Lennox 70% efficient furnace that only stopped working once, due to a faulty hi/low temp limit switch - not bad for a 30 year old unit.
I was set on using Lennox for my replacement system, but I compared to Carrier as well.
I had five different quotes. One particular salesman from one particular "huge" company was full of sales pitch. I suggested to him that I wanted a specific Honeywell thermostat, and an HRV. He balked at the idea that I wanted to change the "menu" from his sales pricing. He was intent on having me sign that night, however, his high pressure sales tactic wasn't going to win me over.
I researched the equipment I wanted, and called Visic. Angelo came out to visit me in December 2009. He looked at the faded inspection tag on my 30 year old Lennox, and guess what?!? It was Visic who installed it!
Angelo suggested that my plenum was too large, and he was right (one other company - Laird and Son who was my only other choice - suggested the same). I asked for a Lennox cased coil to sit on my G71MPP variable gas valve and DC drive motor furnace. I also got a 15 SEER air conditioner, also a Lennox. Lastly, I wanted the best Honeywell thermostat, the Vision Pro IAQ. It can control my Honeywell TruSteam humidifier (which I recommend for this furnace), which Visic also supplied. It can also control my HRV (when I get it installed this winter), not to mention, it varies the humidifier output based on outdoor temperature.
The installation took two days, and Angelo's son John did the work with several other key technicians. They made a new plenum, a new J return, and installed a nice Lennox MERV16 filter.
The furnace sits on four riser blocks, so it's off the floor. A nice touch, as my floor isn't anywhere near level, AND.. the unit won't rust from sitting on the floor - if there was ever a water leak.
The Honeywell TruSteam humidifier works like a charm, and works perfectly when the furnace is only putting out 40% of its total output.
Now, it took a while to get used to the furnace, because the air movement is MUCH lower than my old one due to the variable speed fan. No big deal, once the house was warmed up, the Vision Pro IAQ thermostat manages the temp SO well, that it is incredibly comfortable. That is to say, it's the same temp, all the time.. no peaks, no dips.
Sure, it wasn't cheap, but I didn't feel comfortable with some of the other companies, especially with this kind of money.
A furnace is one of the most important things in your home, and it's worth every penny you spend for comfort (and energy savings!)
So far, my heating bill is more than 40% lower, due to how this unit works. Would I recommend Visic? Yes, absolutely.
I'm having them come back for a bbq gas fitting and dryer rough in, oh, and an HRV after my second energy audit.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $10,000.00
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Do your research, don't settle for "packages". Buy a good thermostat, and a good humidifier. In my opinion, the Honeywell TruSteam is the only choice. The other units simply dump water down the drain, especially when the plenum temps are so low during low heat output. The TruSteam can run when the furnace isn't.