Looking for some help deciding between Coleman and Trane (both 2 stage) HVAC units

[Aharami]

I am replacing my single aging furnace with 2 new units - one 95% furnace in basement for 1st floor and one 80% in attic for 2nd floor. I am keeping my current Trane condenser for 1st floor, and getting a new AC unit for 2nd floor.

I have two quotes from the same contractor for two different brands

1. Coleman units for $14K
Coleman TM9V 96%, 2 stage burner, variable speed motor, 100K BTU
Coleman TM8V/TMLV 80%, 2 stage burner, variable speed motor, 100K BTU
Coleman TCJF 16 SEER 4 ton R-410A condenser
2 Honeywell wifi 2 stage thermostats
1 yr warranty on labor and parts by contractor, 1yr factory warranty on parts, 5 yr factory warranty on furnace, 10 yr factory warranty on condenser

2. Trane units for $19K
TUH2C100A9V5VB 95% 2 stage variable speed furnace
TUD2C100A9V5VB 80% 2 stage variable speed furnace
Trane condenser 4 Ton 18 Seer R-410A for second floor
2 Honeywell wifi 2 stage thermostats
1 yr warranty on labor and parts by contractor, 1yr factory warranty on parts, 5 yr factory warranty on furnace, 10 yr factory warranty on condenser

I know nothing about Coleman. I know Trane is considered a good brand. But is it worth it to spend the extra $5K on the Trane units?

Thank you in advance.

 

[TheBigEarl]

Coleman is built by York, who is owned by Johnson controls, so they aren't a fly-by-night company at least. I don't think their rep is as good overall as Trane, but the unit has a good warranty so it should be comparable. Probably not worth 5k extra just for a different name, the Trane unit is more efficient at 18 SEER, but that won't save anywhere near 5k over the life of the unit.

My advice would be to focus more on the company doing the work. What you are having done isn't a straight ahead replacement, you are separating an existing system and doing a lot of reconfiguring, ductwork, blanacing, etc. There isn't 5k difference between those 2 brands in just a condenser and 2 furnaces, so the lower price option is expecting lower install costs. Make sure you have good references on their work before proceeding - the quality of the install has way more impact on the lifetime reliability on a typical small split system than the brand of equipment.

 

[Bitek]

Trane is great stuff. I would rather spend a bit more on quality than save a few bucks and up with something of poor quality. I recently got a new Trane unit and it is very nice.

That said, best thing you can do is research the installers. A properly designed system correctly installed will mean more than minor differences in brands.

Make sure they are doing proper load calcs and a good inspection of current ducting. A 4 ton unit for AC only for a 2nd floor sounds oversized on an average house.

A 2 stage 18 seer unit also seems like overkill. 16 seer 1 stage is fine. The variable fan is really nice tho.

 

[Aharami]

Coleman is built by York, who is owned by Johnson controls, so they aren't a fly-by-night company at least. I don't think their rep is as good overall as Trane, but the unit has a good warranty so it should be comparable. Probably not worth 5k extra just for a different name, the Trane unit is more efficient at 18 SEER, but that won't save anywhere near 5k over the life of the unit.

My advice would be to focus more on the company doing the work. What you are having done isn't a straight ahead replacement, you are separating an existing system and doing a lot of reconfiguring, ductwork, blanacing, etc. There isn't 5k difference between those 2 brands in just a condenser and 2 furnaces, so the lower price option is expecting lower install costs. Make sure you have good references on their work before proceeding - the quality of the install has way more impact on the lifetime reliability on a typical small split system than the brand of equipment.

Trane is great stuff. I would rather spend a bit more on quality than save a few bucks and up with something of poor quality. I recently got a new Trane unit and it is very nice.

That said, best thing you can do is research the installers. A properly designed system correctly installed will mean more than minor differences in brands.

Make sure they are doing proper load calcs and a good inspection of current ducting. A 4 ton unit for AC only for a 2nd floor sounds oversized on an average house.

A 2 stage 18 seer unit also seems like overkill. 16 seer 1 stage is fine. The variable fan is really nice tho.

Thanks. I posted in hvac-talk.com and got a similar response. Installer over brand. I recently had another installer in there who works with Carrier. He agreed to do a load calc and figure out proper sizing. Hoping he isn't too much more expensive

 

[paperfist]

Man I'm glad my bro-in-law is in HVAC as those prices look crazy.

Only 1 year parts and labor warranty from the installer? Will they come out in the middle of the night if it fails?

 

[WilliamM2]

That Trane furnace should have a 10 year warranty if it's registered with Trane. I didn't see any models with shorter warranties when I selected one this year. The condenser is the same, it will have 10 years, only if registered with Trane.

Those prices look extremely high to me. I had a complete Trane 95% furnace, and 16 seer a/c installed for $5200 in July. That included all new intake and exhaust, and some minor duct work. So even with 1.5 systems, $14K or $19K seems a bit high. I'd call another contractor and get another estimate.

 

[shortylickens]

Mom just got a Trane AC, coil, and furnace. They are very nice. Company makes quality products and supports them well. And she spent a solid year researching so it wasnt an ignorant decision.

 

[bamx2]

Get more bids.