Opinions on Trane HVAC ?

[nickfixit]

Hi gang,

I'm thinking about having the following system installed in the house I am going to buy.

Trane XV95 2 stage furnace, 100,00 BTU and AFUE of 95%

Trane Xl14I AC Condensing unit, 36,000 BTU , with SEER rating of 14

Trane CleanEffects air cleaner

Aprilaire humidifier

If I buy this complete combination from the guy, his "A" product line, he'll give a 10 year extended warranty on the whole system.

I'm replacing a boiler baseboard heat system that was not properly winterized. So it's totally wasted. It froze and split the lines and boiler case.

He'll remove the old system, design and install the duct work, and install the new system for about $14,000. Everything done to code, inspected, and warrantied parts and labor for 10 years.

The guy seems to be a solid professional, and the equipment seems to be top quality and very high energy efficient.

Any thoughts ?

Nick

[Jedi Appliance Guy]

I've  had a trane 14.5 seer Florida comfort system (with perfect fit 5' filter) in my house for nine years now.. TWE040E AHU with a TTF036 condenser.   I got the 10 year parts warranty. I didn't need the labor.  I had a pro install the ducts and I set and started the equipment myself (I'm NATE certified and a mechanical journeyman in Broward and Palm Beach counties).  I don't know much about the big heaters you guys need up North but I've very happy with my Trane.

My condenser is an XE1400 and not an XL1400.  It has all the same parts except the fancy black top that I didn't want to extra pay for.

[dkpd1581]

Trane is a solid piece of equipment.  To say that he is GIVING you a 10 year warranty seems to be a bit of a strectch.  More likely is that Trane offers the 10 year warranty and is making you think that you are getting something super awesome that is really a standard feature.  The ten year warranty is a new phenomenon with the manufacturers to try and gain market share.

The cost for Atlanta standards seems high; however, the guy seems to be on his game.  Make sure that you are getting an accurate Heat Load Calculation for your house.  No matter how awesome the equipment and the warranty, if the proper size unit is not selected, you will not be happy. 

In my experience, the failure to do a load calculation properly or if at all, is one of the top reasons fo dissatisfaction, premature equipment failure and excessive operational cost - either residentially or commercially.

[nickfixit]

I think the idea is to get you to go with the top of the line models. I believe Trane provides the 10 year parts, and he's just adding the service plan. I'm sure the price being quoted actually has this "built in". I realise he needs to stay in business, I'll happily pay a guy if he's a real pro. I hardly ever pay for any service, so this won't kill me.

I plan on living in this place until I'm too old to breathe, so a quality system would be worth it in the long run.

Nick

[hvacdrd]

I agree with dkpd1581 on the importance of having a heating and cooling load calculation done. Based on the cooling capacity the heating equipment looks oversized for the area you will be living.  Furnaces run the most efficient when they run for longer periods of time vs. rapid cycles. The XV95 comes in a 80,000 btuh unit as well that will handle the 3 ton A/C.

As for the A/C make sure you are getting the 410A refrigerant model since R22 is already in the phase-out cycle. When you are too old to breathe you don't want to have a heart attack because R22 is over $30/lb.

On the plus side the 2-stage furnace is a great option and very comfortable along with the variable speed blower. You get some added dehumidification features with this blower. Trane has a solid reputation in the commercial/industrial market as well as residential.  Stepping up to the high efficiency equipment will make it easy on the utility bills. As you mentioned getting a solid professional is well worth the price in the end.

Good luck with the move.

[jahjahbinks]

i too have a trane , wouldn`t mind a goodman , i base my conjecture on how quickly i can get it repaired, trane and lennox is not high on my list . and sense i`m not going to keep parts that don`t move quickly on my truck it cost far more for me to drop everything and drive many miles for one part , and i know some that will tell you they have to order it , i would say make sure the supply house is local for whatever you buy

[mpowell_sr_]

There have been a number of problems with the CleanEffects filters in humid climates. Notably, moisture condensing inside the filter from small air leaks have been known to short the collector cells. Trane has a "fix" for this, using silicone caulk in key locations, that seems to work. Be sure your installing dealer is aware of this. Otherwise, most of my customers are VERY pleased with their 14i systems.

[dkpd1581]

Recent events in the world of Trane warrants looking at your question again.  Trane is divesting itself from American Standard shortly.  The two will be completely seperate entities.

One option that you can look at now is purchasing an American Standard unit vs a Trane name brand unit.  The two different units are basically the exact same with a different name on each.  Trane has a strong name recognition and sales base; American Standard (in the HVAC field) does not.  American Standard may very well be willing to do business at a lesser cost than their Trane cousins after this transistion.  They need recognition and cash flow.

This translates into a great/simialr quality unit at a lower cost than the traditional Trane cost.  Something to look into.

1*

[Brew Man]

Hey,

Depending on how many sq ft you have in your home.you can figure out how many btu's you need to heat your home.Aload calculation is good and you can find the paper work to do it your self.Without a load calculation you can figure that you want 50 btu's for every sq ft of your home for heating.For cooling you want 12,000 btus for every 400 sq ft.

[nickfixit]

My "top of the line" Trane HVAC failed after less than 48 hours of use in the AC mode.

The condensing unit is working great, but the blower fan motor is not running inside.

The filters are clean, the blower wheel turns freely by hand, and  the A-Coil frosted nicely.

It worked super until the fan failed to come on. I was really happy. It ran quiet, it cooled the house quickly, I though I had a real nice system.

It looks like the control board failed, and my local Factory dealer/installer doesn't carry that part as stock.

I know anything can fail, but a Trane dealer should have the control s on hand for the models he sold. I'll hear from him Monday, or so he said. 

I bought this system hoping I wouldn't have to worry about it, or need to learn everything about it. I've got a 10 year warranty and service contract, but that might be worth less than I hoped.

Hot and not real happy,

Nick