Heating & Air conditioning in Cotati, CA

Upgrade on furnace in old house: I purchased a 1500 sq. ft home with a high efficiency furnace a few years old. The furnace warmed the house but when the furnace blew air the sound was so load we could hardly talk. Over the years this noise became more frustrating. Further, on cold mornings in the West County, the furnace would run for 5 minutes, shut off and then recycle, 5 on 2 off for several cycles. Reading on the Internet it was apparent the furnace was oversized and going through overheating followed by the blower cooling the furnace. The furnace was installed by the local "sheet metal company" so I called them for a quote for a furnace with variable fan and modulating fuel valve. The nice young man looked at the furnace they installed in 2004 and said I could buy another like it, 80,000BTUs. He made no measurement, didn't inspect the ducts, just shot from the hip and said, this is what you need. My wife suggested getting a second quote so I read about other furnaces, besides Carrier and selected York. Their website sent me to Lunt. I called and two gentlemen came out. We discussed the noise and they evaluated our heating system. They brought equipment to evaluate the air flow and determined the furnace was trying to force too much air through the ducting, forcing it to overheat, hence the frequent cycling. Lunt Technicians measured the air flow through the ducting and did testing, up front at no expense to me. Using these analyses, they said I should increase the duct and air venting in two rooms to gain better balance. I followed their suggestions, had them install what they recommended and am very satisfied. The furnace, a York YP9C, is virtually without sound and the smaller 60,000 BTU furnace seems correct for our home size. I highly recommend talking to Lunt and not the "sheet metal company".
Tony B. - Sebastopol, CA