Carrier is a global heating and cooling company that manufactures a wide variety of residential HVAC units and systems. Since the company’s inception in 1902 it has produced many of the innovations which are now industry standards. Carrier’s residential product line is typically rated among the highest. They also provide advanced training for service technicians that want to be certified in Carrier repair.
The Carrier Gas Furnaces come in a range of lines that offer varying comfort features and affordability. The most advanced line from Carrier is the Infinity line including the Infinity ICS Modulating Gas Furnace, at 95% efficiency. The modulating operation only fires the furnace to the required capacity to meet the demand for heat, thus cutting fuel usage and avoiding significant fluctuations in temperatures within the home. Tighter temperature control is also possible with this operating feature. The Infinity 96 (96%) and the Infinity 80 (80%) share Comfort Heat Technology for tighter temp control and pilot free ignition.
Carrier Performance gas furnaces are offered in 96%, 95% and 93% efficiency models qualifying them for Energy Star rating. Pilotless ignition and a variable speed fan also help to reduce fuel use and increase consistent control of the home’s environment. Durable components and heavy-gauge galvanized steel cabinets are other features in this line with models up to 100,000 BTU capacity. Carrier 90 and 80 Boost gas furnaces are equipped to improve the efficiency of matched air conditioning units and heat pumps by up to 1.5 SEER.
Home owners looking for greater affordability often consider the Comfort line of Carrier gas furnaces. They emphasize fuel efficiency without as many operational features as the Carrier Infinity or Carrier Performance models. Single stage heat and a variable speed fan are very adequate to move warm air through the systems which are offered in 95%, 92% and 80% efficiency models.
The value-oriented line of Carrier gas furnaces is the Base models offered in 92% and 80% efficiencies. The Carrier Base 90 and Base 80 offer solid construction, single stage heat and units that offer capacity as high as 154,000 BTUs.
All Carrier gas furnaces come equipped to run on natural gas but all may be converted for use with LP, or liquid propane. The conversion may reduce the BTU capacity slightly but generally does not affect the furnace’s heating efficiency.
Carrier gas furnaces come with a robust warranty that covers top of the line heat exchangers with a lifetime limited warranty while others have a 20-year limited warranty. Most models come with a 10-year limited warranty on parts. Carrier requires that furnaces be registered within 30 days to guarantee the full benefits of the warranty, a standard practice in the industry.
In terms of price, Carrier models tend to be on the upper end of the price spectrum, with the Infinity series being the most expensive and the Base series being least costly. Their performance ratings usually reflect the cost pattern.
