no XR95...if going single stage furnace, i would want XT95 furnace...I question your sizing both furnace and AC...I would recommend a load calc for correct sizing...how hot are your summers, how cold are your winters?...I thought the XR13 AC condenser had been phased out....

IMO

Summers can hit 100, avg low to mid 90. Winters 20 below a few days, avg maybe 10-30. What's the important difference between the XR and XT? I will ask the vendor for the load calc. My current furnace is 100k, no AC. Thank you for the quick response too!

Old unit is Lennox not sure of efficiency but it already vents outside with a terrible external fan, that I've had to replace before.

It's in my crawl space so noise is a bit less of a concern. If the XV95 is a big price difference, few hundred? Maybe not worth it? Or is the blower really that much better?

Was planning on a filter cabinet and the humidifier as the only options I thought necessary.

There are 10 vents in the house and three returns. The fellow that was here said that, and square footage, were less than the 100k unit was built for hence the 80k, were you thinking the 80k and 3 ton is to small or too big? I'll find out Monday on all the questions.

This dealer came in 3-5k less than the gas company and another dealer that were suggesting Goldman and Troy. The have a good reputation locally but that was a bit of a concern since I know Trane is at the higher end. Thanks again, really appreciate it!

Sorry I meant XT value vs XR, not the XV. Too many options!

"Old unit is Lennox not sure of efficiency but it already vents outside with a terrible external fan, that I've had to replace before."

This was a common fix for the old Hart & Cooley Ultravent grey plastic vent piping that was used by 80% furnace manufacturers in the 80s and early 90s. The heat of the flue gases was too high for the plastic and cause cracking with the resultant safety concerns. The plastic pipe was replaced with metal B-vent and an external fan (which lasted about 5 years before having to be replaced).

Long story short, you can replace your old 80% Lennox with a new 95%+ furnace and install new white PVC pipe through the old wall hole.

If you are intent on the single stage furnace, then definitely pay the difference for the XT95...cost difference should be inconsequential...and tell dealer you want no price increase...he won't lose the business over this issue...I prefer Trane's Perfect Fit media cabinet because it is made to fit the return end of Trane furnaces...803 or HW 8321 thermostat...very nice basic reliable system...I would want the XR14 AC condenser...of course best matching Trane evap coil...all correctly sized...

IMO

Got the quote back. They didn't do a calc of any kind since the house is identical to a number of others in my neighborhood. With XR14 and XT95, and a merv 13 filter box (think he said it's 6"?) the price went up $118 for the XT vs XR. Tried to negotiate since I'm paying cash, all I got was 5% off, but hey, it's 5%! Waiting on quotes from two other companies as well. Is the excuse for not doing a calc a cop out or legit? I assume they take a good bit of time to do right, and free quotes make them not want to do them if possible?

Not doing a load calc is a cop out...the dealer is lazy...insist on it when you close the deal...and while I don't know exactly where you live, you should know that Am Standard offers the identical HVAC to what Trane dealer is offering, usually less expensive.

IMO

Second dealer, also Trane, got me a Manual J calc, whole house totals were "Sensible Gain = 8164, Total Heat Gain = 8,164 (.5 tons), Total Heat Loss = 34,475.

Their quote was for a 60k XT95 and a 2.5t XR13, 4TTR3030G/4TXCB003.

Cost was obviously lower, but that's a LOT smaller than my 100k furnace even with the 15% efficiency difference. Am I over thinking this?

Still waiting on the last dealer to even contact me, but they sell American Standard, so probably no diff equipment spec wise, just cost.

I like the sizing much better. I would want the XR14 condenser , Perfect Fit media cabinet, and 803 or same identical HW Mdl #8321 thermostat. Obviously with your old furnace, you were oversized.

IMO

If you have degree day data from a nearby weather station and fuel use records, you can make an excellent determination of heat loss.heat requirements. Given the sometimes little-known figures that have to be plugged into Manual J calculations with existing/old construction. That kind of estimate can be considerably better. The most difficult thing to know for that calculation may be the furnace or boiler efficiency.

Problems with fuel use method come from pretty obvious sources including long periods of vacant house time, thermostat set very low for other reasons, and supplemental heat sources like mini splits and wood stoves. These are a lot easier to get right than real infiltration rates (unless you have a blower door test done) and R-values.

What were the cooling BTU results? Your results were not correct!...

iM

Here's the specifics:

Your load calc for cooling is highly suspect...under 10 KBTUs?....no latent gain?...why a 2 1/2 ton AC condenser then?...this deserves an explanation!...

IMO

Third quote came in. S9V2 with XR13 American Standard. No load calc, dealers in my area seem to really be against this, all of them...

80k BTU and 3 ton. Price is far better than high bid and slightly better than second, but with much better furnace.

I believe I'll go with this quote, have heard more good about this dealer than the other two. Can't find any comments bad about any of them so it's very hard to judge.

Thank you tigerdunes, I really appreciate the input, other than the obvious lack of valid calcs, any last words of advice?

Dealers don't like to do load calcs because they are either too lazy or don't know how. Either way, doesn't say much for the dealer. Tell the A/S dealer you'll go with him only if he does a load calc to properly assess your heating and cooling needs.

Will do, had problems getting this info with all 5 local dealers, thank you once again!