We have had GE appliances in every house since our marriage in 1963. We moved into our present home back in 1996 and we bought all GE profile. Yes, our microwave died after a respectable number of years…the same happened to our dishwasher. Their replacements did not survive as long as the originals did. Our 18 year old GE Profile fridge gets a huge hug and an "I love you" from me each day. In truth…her ice maker was replaced twice and we finally gave up and started buying bagged ice at the grocery. Our 18 year old GE profile slide in electric range was removed to make way for a brand new Viking D3 series electric range…there is no gas in our area…last week our Viking range was removed after a short three month stay with us…it arrived with several damages. I never used it. The Viking OTC microwave…made by Sharp…was a horrible piece of junk…it arrived damaged too. The Viking dishwasher…made by Blomberg…was so beautiful but we never used it either…it needed special salt and at a cost of anywhere from $14.40 to $20 per one pound bag we felt that in our extremely hard water area…the cost of running this appliance might be ridiculous. Plus the fact that we were concerned about the condensation and the problems with getting the dishes properly dried. We are old and we are creatures of habit…we are not stupid but we felt in this case modern technology might be too complicated for us. Now because we need both a counter depth and a fully stainless wrapped free-standing refrigerator, we are purchasing a GE Monogram which is the only fully stainless freestanding wrapped fridge available. Viking discontinued the one we originally purchased and they have yet to replace it. This is why we sent back all of the Viking appliances. We heard that their new refrigerator will be made by Electrolux…the one we bought was made by KitchenAid…Jenn Air also made their freestanding fridges. All were rated equally pretty good…not great. A solid good. We are not doing a full kitchen remodel…so we do not have the option of a built in fridge or a wall oven. We do plan to purchase the 240 Advantium OTC speed-cooker and the top of the line dishwasher. We are considering the Dacor induction range or perhaps just their electric slide in or freestanding. Once again, we need a range with at least some stainless on the sides and the Dacor has a choice of handles. Their fully integrated handle will be our best option to go under the GE Advantium. I like my appliances to match. Sort of. For those of you who point out just how many of these GE appliances need repairs each year…remember that no appliance is perfect. They all need repairs. For people like us who have specific needs, we can't go with a Sub Zero or Wolf. It isn't always about money or who has the most to spend on what. If we could pick anything and there were no restrictions…I would probably still go with GE because for us their products have aways performed admirably. I know that they are now or soon to be owned by Electrolux…GE selected a very reputable well known company rather than selling out to some lesser known foreign one…our Viking dishwasher was from Blomberg…I have yet to find anyone who has ever heard of them. I realize that GE Monogram is considered by many of you as a Profile in disguise…as the men were removing our new Viking appliances they walked past our old Profile and they told us that it looked brand new. And it does look and perform as if it were new…perhaps it is because I hug it each day…I tell it that it must hang on until it's replacement arrives. Middleby, who purchased Viking or perhaps Viking, decided that they were no longer going to sell the freestanding stainless wrapped fridge that we purchased. We had no choice but to go with Monogram. Time will tell if it performs as well as its predecessor. In the meantime…please do not scare off people by saying that GE Monogram and their other products are inferior to Sub Zero and Wolf. I too would love to have my kitchen full of their products but that would mean a complete remodel. After just redoing two bathrooms and putting brand new Fabrica carpeting throughout our home…and doing a few other things around the house…our budget would not allow us to renovate the kitchen. Besides…our cabinets and tile floors look as good now as the day we moved in here. We are from another generation…we learned to value what we had and take care of it…that said some things last and others are replaced…but in this reuse recycle world…we decided that our money could be spent elsewhere. And so no Wolf or Sub Zero…they are admirable brands…but for those of us who simply can't afford them or can't use them…no matter the reason…there is nothing wrong with the GE brand…they have a few bad apples just like anyone else. My cousin has Sub Zero…she just had her fridge worked on…so they are not 100% perfect. Sorry for the long read but I am tired of seeing GE badmouthed…they are an admirable company…yes they have been sued…I know all about it…but in comparison to their satisfied customers…those of us who purchased extended warranties…we have always received great service from GE. Always ask who does the warranty work…and when we had our NON- GE HE washer and dryer repaired a few months ago…twice…we were told by both techs that ALL appliances now are made with planned obsolescence as a "built in" feature. Depending on the appliance and of course the manufacturer ever appliance made today is made to last only a short while. We all know that automobile manufacturers do this…but now our kitchen appliances are programmed to fail…some faster than others. Everything is made that way. For months I have been researching kitchen appliances…reading reviews…and I have yet to find anything that is 100% perfect. I did however discover that my OTC Viking microwave…made by Sharp…cost me twice as much simply because it had the Viking logo on it. I refuse to buy a Dacor OTC for the same reason…it costs $700 MORE than the same Sharp version. We all have our own unique needs…so for you to badmouth one brand while urging someone to buy another brand is unfair. Yes voice your opinion…but remember that what is right for you and your home might not work for me. Do not say I should buy a KitchenAid fridge…I did…disguised as a Viking…but along the way not only did the KA fridge morph into an Electrolux…but it lost its pretty stainless sides. Life is a gamble…we all take risks each day…just because a tech was late arriving at your house or because you had an appliance that was a lemon…we got stuck with an experimental model clothes dryer…had no parts available…we have all had bad experiences with appliances, cars, etc. I just can't believe that GE Monogram has been around for as long as it has without some degree of success. Remember…we all love to complain about everything…appliances included…but we rarely get online to leave compliments about products we love. Before I sign another contract…aren't there any people reading this who own and love the newer GE Monogram appliances? You can't blame the entire company because one tech arrived late at your house…or did a lousy job…and that goes for a few appliances that didn't work properly…hasn't anyone read or heard anything good about GE Monogram…something recent…the internet is filled with stories dating back to 2005 and earlier…they must sell a lot of this brand for it to still be around. Thanks to all of you who read all the way to the end…next week I MUST decide what to buy…the people who sell this stuff always love it of course…I would like to hear from some of you who are happy with your Monogram appliances. Surely there must be some of you who are glad you bought it. Right? Right?

Thanks tk03. I understand what you and udarrell are saying. I have a call into a window joint to see if I can get storm windows on my house soon. At the same time, I do need to act on a new system soon, too. So, let's say I get the house fairly sealed up with storms, maybe new weather stripping around the doors if needed. Then, from my OP, which system set up would be optimal for 2700-2800 sq. ft. home with 17 registers (+ 5 more in basement) and which of the dealers has done an adequate job of sizing my needs? Here's what my Trane rep had to say about my questions: "The static air pressure test is not required. Balancing of the dampers can make a nice improvement, without the static air pressure test. The exposed ductwork in the basement can be sealed with foil tape or duct sealer (caulk type or 1 gallon can). Home Depot has those items so you can do on your own if you like. The cost for us to do the duct sealing would range from $250.00 to $500.00 depending how much time it would take. The air infiltration for your home is most likely average, the equipment that I recommended will do the job well. The duct sizes within the walls cannot be modified to increase airflow very easily. The existing ducts that are in your house are typical for the homes in the area. The variable speed furnace will react to the duct work and adjust airflow. How? Electronically it monitors the RPM of the motor and checks the amp rating and speed settings. If it is not moving fast enough the power level is increased to the motor and the speed is increased. The current furnace cannot respond to the ductwork like the XV95. The TRANE XV95 can move up to 40% more air." My response: "I'm just concerned that if I were to make home improvements after purchase (buy replacement windows) that the furnace and/or AC would be oversized for my needs due to higher efficiency, less heat gain/loss from the replacement windows. At the sizes you recommended, would I be in danger of the AC satisfying the thermostat too quickly or not removing the proper amount of humidity if I were to tighten up the house with new windows, thus still leaving me with warm/cool spots in my house?" Again, thanks for your help! - Angrysalad

I personally have no problem with a customer following me around. I prefer to educate them on certain items they can do themselves. A little communication goes a long way to make a user feel warm and fuzzy as long as they don't get in the way. I have clients that only need me or one of my techs. to come around every 3 years or so to do real maintenance and checks. The residential maintenance agreements do help me keep technicians busy during gaps in the schedules. I actually have clients who want someone to come out and change their filters. Most are elderly or afraid to touch anything. We usually try to schedule those when a tech. is going to be passing by and we can do it gratis if the customer provides the filter. It's amazing how that "value added" service has helped business. But as you can see, for some people those maintenance agreements are worthwhile to some while others can save their money and do certain things themselves. Of course, for commercial clients, it's cheaper for them to buy an agreement than it is to hire someone full time to do it. And what's great is they can call the shop, ask questions and if the office Administrator can't answer a question (she does great), a tech. will call back. Even many handy types buy the agreement just to have resources (we also sell parts). These extras have allowed me to pretty much lock in whole neighborhoods.

Hi Tiger,Ryan and Gary Happy 4th guys. Hope you're out there partying!! The Infinity system is running just great. Its so quiet inside the house that I can barely tell its on. I am so so happy with it. Its a real sweet baby. The temperature in Sacramento has been very nice these past two weeks, just in the 80's. Its kind of weird because last month we hit the 100's. I am confident though that this baby can handle it when we go back up to the 90's and 100's. As for the ducts Ryan, the flexi is attached to metal, but I don't know if its the insulated kind. But it is very quiet. I don't hear noise from the vents. I did take a peak into my attic from the ladder and the flexi is nicely layed out, no spagetti up there. Also all direct from the airhandler and no Ys. Well i've been partying all week Gary. I love this baby. But the real big party will be in the winter when its real cold outside and my living room will actually feel warm. For me that will be the biggest test because I can't handle the cold and like it very warm in the house. My old heat pump always blew in cool air when its below 45 degrees outside. If any of you will be in the Sacramento area in the future, let me know and we'll have an Infinity party or we can party Infinityly!! You guys take care and thanks again for all your help. I'll be travelling quite a bit on the job from mid July until late September, so if you post something and I don't get back to you please know that I'm on the road. Demi