Was caught up in work last 2 days. Tigerdunes, you said "A word of caution. Manufacturer literature can be misleading. Yes, the 602 thermostat will work. But it is not a true two stage thermostat and you would be running on high stage most of the time whether needed or not. The 602 by being the wrong stat totally shortchanges the capability and function of a nice two stage furnace like the XV95." Can you please let me know which Trane t-stat is a true 2-stage one. Or is it better to use some non-Trane product instead? I will appreciate any recommendations. Also, regarding "code for your location regarding condensate draining" , I have confirmed that township code requires condensate to be drained inside the house. And for me that's the slop sink in the lower level:-( I have a question regarding an additional return. One installer mentioned that I need to add a return in the lower level (there is none currently) and that it will cost about $400 since they have to put in ducts etc. Another installed said that they could simple cut an inner wall and put a register that hooks into the current return from upstairs at a cost of about $50. Which of these options makes sense? One final question: I am close to making a decision. Is it considered acceptable to ask the preferred installer to give me a better price? How is this approach viewed by professionals in this business? Thanks a lot for your help and Mike too!

We are not completely sold on going with a heat pump..we currently have an 8 seer 2.5 ton AC and an 8 seer 3 ton AC with gas furnaces. It is a 200 dollar difference to go with the 16 i heat pump versus the 16i AC units (same VS furnace.) For a 15 the quotes were: Trane XR15 2.5 Ton Dual Fuel Heat Pump System Trane XR15 Heat Pump System 4TWR5030 Heat Pump 4TXCB031BC Evaporator Coil TUD2B060A9V36 Furnace Includes (if necessary): Condenser Pad 1" Filter Rack Honeywell IAQ Thermostat Drain Pan Water Safety Switch All Labor Warranty: 10 Year Compressor 10 Year Evaporator Coil Lifetime Heat Exchanger 10 Year Parts 5 Year Labor with on-going Preventative Maintenance Agreement Trane XR15 R-410A 2.0 Ton Heat Pump 4TWR5024 This is $12,100. For the AC option:\Trane XR15 2.5 Ton AC System Trane XR15 Split System 4TTR5030 Condenser 4TXCB031BC Evaporator Coil TUD2B060A9V3 Furnace Honeywell Pro 4000 Thermostat Warranty: 10 Year Compressor 10 Year Evaporator Coil Lifetime Heat Exchanger 10 Year Parts 5 Year Labor Trane XR15 2.0 Ton AC System Trane XR15 Split System 4TTR5024 Condenser 4TXCB025BC Evaporator Coil TUD1B060A9V3 Furnace Honeywell Pro 4000 Thermostat Warranty: 10 Year Compressor 10 Year Evaporator Coil Lifetime Heat Exchanger 10 Year Parts 5 Year Labor This XR15 AC option is 10,400. I had not heard that the 16i was not a significant upgrade over the 15...i hope an expert will chime in. The sales rep suggested a heat pump in case natural gas prices stay low you would have the option of NG heat....

The upstairs is aprox. 1700 sq feet. With a huge master bathroom over a garage, which used to never get cool, now it does. We have six return air ducts, including the larger one installed with the new system. We do not plan on living here for more than five years so we wanted the least expensive option--I think that's why we got the XR, we hardly need heat where we live. But I wonder if that's part of the humming issue. Every HVAC company that came in to quote said we had good duct work except for the master bath. Everyone said we needed an additional line to that, which is what we got. The old 2.5 ton Rudd never cooled the upstairs enough. What would they do to correct the hum? Change out the air handler? The downstairs unit does not hum, it's a 2.5 ton. It's quiet outside now at night and it clicks on and all I hear is that annoying hum! Thank you for any opinion.

The thermostat that was installed upstairs with the duel fule model was Honeywell TH8320U1008. I had originally asked for a variable speed furnace. They priced it out but then they learned what they priced me didn't have variable speed so they had to upgrade the furnace at no cost to the XV95 furnace. I've never had a heat pump before so I don't know much about them and why I would want one for the second floor and not the first floor. Someone else told me they wouldn't have put a heat pump in the attic for the second floor because something about the condensation line freezing in the winter. When you say I would have been better off with the XV80, is that based on cost or performance? Since I din't pay the extra for the XV95, will it still perform? I d