Trane XC Communicating Gas Furnace Review

Tranes top dog gas furnace is not Tranes highest rated gas furnaces as far as efficiency is concerned (The XV two-stage is rated at 96+ AFUE) coming rated at 95% AFUE but it does have one additional feature that other gas furnace offerings from Trane do not have. It has the ability to communicate with the ComfortLink II communications system and the telephone access module. This ability is nearly the same types of communications systems that commercial building automation systems use to communicate except building automation systems have advanced and use IP protocols for communication which is much faster. Now, what does this mean to you when considering this an option to purchase the Trane XC gas furnace? It will alert your mobile telephone of any problems and allows you to remotely make adjustments to the temperature set point of the gas furnace if you are in a pinch and forget to reset the thermostat (unless you have a programmable thermostat that does this automatically according to schedule). The difference is if your thermostat is on a schedule to turn the equipment on at 5 p.m. before you come home and you are running early you can dial into your gas furnace and tell it you are coming home sooner and you want the temperature to be comfortable when you arrive at home. Depending on the cost and your schedule this feature could possibly be worth it. The future is HVAC systems you can go to with your computer at the office and monitor temperatures and other things at home. These systems are available now but they are cost prohibitive for residential use.

Specific features listed by Trane for the XC Gas Furnace are:

• ComfortLink II Communications capability - see above for comments on this feature


• Communicating user interface - see above


• Variable speed blower motor - this is for quiet operation and to ramp the speed of the blower to a programmed speed for heating and dehumidification.This is good and these motors, referred to as ECM motors are more energy efficient than standard blower motors.


• Three-stage gas heat for better fuel efficiency - 3 stages is good for a gas furnace if it is controlled properly. Trane has the controls for this furnace down pat so there really is no worry there. The only question is why is it not rated higher efficiency-wise than the XV that only has two-stages of gas heat?


• Powder coated cabinet made of heavy gauge metal - this is industry standard.


• Comfort-R (™)  is only good if the system is coupled with an air conditioner and it helps dehumidify the house which makes you feel more comfortable.


• Silicon Nitride Hot Surface Igniter - this is good for a gas furnace. It allows automatic ignition (no pilot light to worry about) and the Silicon Nitride is tough and difficult to crack or break.


• In shot burners - this is industry standard for gas furnaces


• Aluminized Steel one piece heat exchanger - one piece means it is not assembled and less likely to leak.


• Fuse protection on the low voltage side of the electrical circuit - industry standard


• Insulated cabinet - this is for quiet operation and for heat loss and heat gain depending on what mode it is running in and where it is installed.


• Horizontal flow, down flow, up flow with the horizontal flow easily converted for left or right configuration - this makes it easier for installation and for Trane to offer a one size fits all gas furnace furnace so they don't have to stock so many different varieties of that model.


• Stainless steel secondary heat exchanger - stainless steel is good and offers durability against corrosion. Corrosion resistance is important for high efficiency gas furnaces especially the heat exchangers.


• Washable filter along with compatibility to have an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator), humidifier, or an air cleaner adapted to or fit the gas furnace. Of course, this is only applicable to Trane products.