KeepRite Ion 96 G96CTN Review

The Ion 96 G96CTN is one of KeepRite’s premium furnaces, and also one of their most powerful and feature-laden. The Ion 96 is efficient, quiet, and designed to work reliably for many winters, all while saving you money on heating bills. 

This Ion 96 model review will explore all the important aspects of this furnace, including the average price to buy and install it, the features and design elements it offers, and the warranty coverage that protects it. 

Finally, we’ll conclude by comparing the Ion 96 to three other KeepRite furnaces to give you an idea of what else the brand has to offer and how the Ion 96 G96CTN stands up to other products in terms of its features, price, and tier. 

The KeepRite Ion 96 G96CTN in a Nutshell

Average Price (with installation): $4,000 to $5,600

Top Features

• Has an excellent warranty 
• High-efficiency AFUE will reduce energy bills
• ECM blower motor is quieter and more efficient than traditional blowers
• Compatible with KeepRite’s premium Ion™ System Control smart thermostat 
• Special heat exchanger design for longer life
• Secondary heat exchanger 
• Several features for quiet operation 
• Two-stage burner is more efficient and offers better performance compared to single-stage models

The Bottom Line

The Ion 96 is one of KeepRite’s best furnaces. It has a number of features for improved efficiency and performance, including a two-stage burner, variable-speed ECM blower, and secondary heat exchanger. 

The two-stage burner can operate at the lower speed most of the time to maintain your home’s comfort levels and reduce energy costs. When the mercury drops, it also has a higher speed it can use to keep up with the additional heating demand. 

The variable-speed ECM blower can make incremental adjustments to the airflow, and this lowers noise levels, keeps humidity levels under control, and keeps your home more comfortable, and it costs less than a traditional blower. 

Not only that, but if you pair the Ion 96 with a compatible air conditioner, then the variable-speed blower can provide enhanced dehumidification in the summer.

Finally, the Ion 96 has a secondary heat exchanger that extracts more heat from the exhaust gasses, making the furnace more efficient and less wasteful than traditional, non-condensing furnaces. 

In Depth Review

KeepRite Ion 96 G96CTN Product Specifications

• AFUE: 96.7 percent
• Burner type: Two-stage
• Blower type: Variable-speed ECM
• ENERGY STAR certified: Yes
• Heating capacity: 60,000 to 120,000 BTUs

Features Overview

Something that many furnace manufacturers have started to realize is that if you want your home to be truly comfortable in winter, then your furnace can’t be making a constant racket. 

As such, many of them, including KeepRite, have started designing furnaces with noise-reduction features. The Ion 96 has a fully insulated cabinet, an isolated blower motor, and a blower and inducer motor that are outfitted with soft-mounted gaskets. All of these features contribute to quiet operation. 

Another thing that’s great about the Ion 96 is that you can access even more features if you pair it with KeepRite’s premium smart thermostat, the Ion System Control. 

It allows you to program schedules for seven-day periods, lets you program home, sleep, and away modes, and gives you remote or manual access to the system. You can even program temperature, humidity, ventilation, and energy management settings from anywhere. 

Other Key Features

• Each unit is fully tested in the factory before shipping
• When paired with an electric heat pump, the furnace becomes dual fuel and can further reduce energy costs
• The cabinet is fully insulated to improve heat transfer to the ductwork
• Unit is compatible with air purification and humidification systems
• The primary heat exchanger is rigid press joint style, meaning it’s more resistant to heat, pressure, and cracks, so it will probably have a longer life than a traditional heat exchanger 
• The direct spark gas ignition is more reliable and less wasteful than a pilot light
• The insulated steel cabinet is pre-painted and equipped with a tight-fitting door latch
• Safety features like a high temperature limit control
• Induced draft combustion motor is variable-speed

Warranty Information

If you choose to buy an Ion 96, you'll get peace of mind knowing that your investment is protected, and that’s thanks to KeepRite’s generous warranty for their premium furnaces. The Ion 96 is backed by a:

• Lifetime heat exchanger warranty
• 10-Year No Hassle Replacement™ warranty
• 10-Year parts warranty  

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of a No Hassle Replacement warranty: that’s just what KeepRite calls their unit replacement warranty. It means that if the heat exchanger fails in the first 10 years after installation, then KeepRite will provide you with a brand new furnace. 

Make sure to register the Ion 96 within 90 days of installation. An unregistered unit will still be covered under warranty, but not for as long, and you might lose some of the protection altogether.     

Comparable Models by KeepRite

Model Comparison by Price: Ion 96 versus QuietComfort 96 G96VTN

The 96 G96VTN is a high-efficiency furnace from KeepRite’s mid-range QuietComfort series. 

Because it has a similar AFUE—96 percent—to the Ion 96, it also falls into a comparable price range, though it will be a little cheaper. The average cost to buy and install the QuietComfort 96 is between $3,500 and $5,500.

Even though the QuietComfort 96 is in a lower tier than the Ion 96, you don’t actually have to give up too much. 

The QuietComfort 96 is still a two-stage, variable-speed furnace, the AFUEs are very close, it’s ENERGY STAR certified, and it has similar features to reduce noise. 

But here are the things you do give up with the slightly cheaper unit: there's no compatibility with the Ion System Control and the No Hassle Replacement warranty is half the length (five years). 

Model Comparison by Features: Ion 96 versus Performance 95 N95ESU

The Performance 95 N95ESU is an entry-level model, and also one of the most affordable high-efficiency furnaces from KeepRite. As you can imagine, it doesn’t quite have the same features as the Ion 96.

For one thing, the Performance 95 is only a single-stage furnace, and these aren't nearly as good at heating larger spaces in colder weather. Similarly, it has a multi-speed blower that’s less powerful than the Ion’s variable-speed one. 

As a result of the lower price and less sophisticated design elements, the Performance model has an AFUE of 95 percent, no ENERGY STAR, a 20-year heat exchanger warranty, and nothing for a No Hassle Replacement warranty.

There are still some attractive selling points with the Performance 95, including the secondary heat exchanger, silicon nitride ignitor, and one thing the Ion 96 doesn’t have: ultra-low nitrogen oxide emissions. 

The Performance 95 has a special burner design that reduces emissions, meaning this model is environmentally friendly in a way that the Ion 96 isn't. 

Model Comparison by Tier: Ion 96 versus Ion 98 G97CMN

The Ion 98 G97CMN is also a premium furnace from KeepRite, but it just so happens to be their most state-of-the-art unit. 

The Ion 98 isn't actually all that different from the Ion 96. It also has ENERGY STAR certification, the same warranty, the same quiet operation features, compatibility with the Ion System Control, and more. 

However, there are two main things that set the two models apart. The first is that the Ion 98 is a modulating furnace, so instead of having two heat outputs, it can make incremental adjustments to the heat output. Furnaces like this are the most powerful, the highest performing, the quietest, and the most efficient. 

As a result, the Ion 98 has a higher AFUE of 98 percent, and that means $0.98 of every dollar you spend on gas bills will be converted to heat for your home.