Well, I bought the new HVAC system, it was just installed yesterday.

I drank the Kool Aid decided to get a two-stage model, it's a Lennox heat pump with outdoor compressor and indoor air handler. After reading all over the place online, and talking with neighbors and coworkers, and also having had 4 different companies at the house with each company giving me quotes for 2-8 models, including single-stage, two-stage and variable, I decided to go with the two-stage because I expect it to be more comfortable in the house (esp. in terms of dealing with humidity) and quieter than a single stage but not as expensive or high-maintenance as a variable stage. Re the noise, the outdoor compressor sits right below our bedroom window, so that was another detail making me want a quieter model. I don't think the electric bills will be much less than had we gotten a single-stage, but they also won't be more, so I decided that it would be worth it to have the better humidity control and quieter unit.

I decided to go with the Lennox because of the following: the main reason was that everything I read said that the biggest factor in an HVAC is actually the installation moreso than the model etc. and the company I wanted to have install it offered better deals on Lennox than American Standard and a few other models. I had quotes for Trane and American Standard (aren't they the same? I forget at this point), and each model was a good $1500-2000 more than the comparable Lennox models. Also, besides Nina, I learned a lot of people I know have a Lennox of some sort (and that's what my mother got when she got a new unit), and the concern about their supply chain for parts is supposed to be a non-issue because they have a plant or distributor not too far from here apparently. Oh, and it has a 10-year warranty.

So, we'll see how it all goes and hopefully I won't be posting here in six months that this was the worst purchase ever! (We need a fingers crossed emoji here!)

Thanks to all the WTFers who chimed in with suggestions and ideas

I hope you love it as much as we loved ours! Find out the size of the filters on the air handler. You can save a bunch of $$ by buying them yourself online. Easy peasy to replace the old ones (which you should do at least once/year).

Sounds like the right choice!

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Originally posted by Nina:
I hope you love it as much as we loved ours! Find out the size of the filters on the air handler. You can save a bunch of $$ by buying them yourself online.

Good advice. They're remarkably cheap on Amazon. I haven't noticed any difference between the cheap ones and the more expensive ones.

quote:

Easy peasy to replace the old ones (which you should do at least once/year).

Or more - I change mine winter and summer. OTOH I have dogs so maybe once a year would be enough without them.

Pro-tip: Write/label the size of your filter on the front of the air handler. Take a picture of it and email it to yourself with the subject "Furnace Filter". Now you can find the size any time you want it by searching "Furnace" in your email from your phone.

Expert Level: Create a running word doc with everything you think you might ever want to refer back to. Paint colors, floor types and colors, register sizes, window sizes, room sizes, appliance model numbers, warranties, plant types, furnace filter, refrigerator filter, copies of owners manuals and receipts - everything you can think of in one place. Email it to yourself as something like "House Info". Every time you add to it send another email, maybe "House Info 2, 3 4", etc.

Very handy.

I use the native "notes" app on my phone to save all those household and car specs for things I might need to buy...

Thanks y'all!

I use my iPhone's Notes app too, I can see it on my iPad as well, and periodically if I have a super important note I'll email it to myself. I think I can actually open it on a laptop through my email, but I never do that.

Once I figured out that the notes were searchable, I started using it even more.

P.S. I realized yesterday that I forgot to ask about the filter... I suppose I should go downstairs and take a look.

BTW it's getting kinda hot and sticky here and the house is nice and cool, and quiet.

Sending yourself an email stores it in the cloud.

So does using a note app like Evernote or OneNote.

The idea is the same. I agree it’s handy to have these things available when & wherever.