Need New HVAC, The Fun Begins!

[loknload]

Need to replace the HVAC system in my home. Current system is 30 years old and I believe I got my money out of it. It probably would go another year but the compressor in the AC side sounds like it just ain’t going to make it?
So I started getting the price quotes.
Equipment that’s being offered, Lennox and Bryant.
I called a Trane dealer today They want 2 hours to do an in home presentation and look at the entire house before bidding the job. Told the guy look I don’t need an inspection all I want you to do is look at what’s here and give me a price!
So we”ll see?
Everyone else came in ask me what I wanted, showed me their equipment and bid the job, no dog and pony show!
I don’t know why I called Trane because I never liked them to begin with!

So the question is what are you all hating and cooling with?

 

[old bear]

I don’t know why I called Trane because I never liked them to begin with!

If you don't care for them, by all means don't do business with them. Remember each HVAC company needs you more than you need them.

I had a whole house system install done several months ago. It was not cheap, but I've noticed a savings on my heating bill already.

 

[arjay]

2 hr presentation eh? That's an extra commission on top of the job for that guy ;-)

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Tell them before they start, your time is worth more to you than their time if the can't compete just hit the bricks! Then he will "Guarantee" he can beet their price. Fine have him put up $50 to insure he isn't wasting you time! That is the real test! put your money where your mouth is. When he gives you an Apples to Apples quote in writing you can show him the lowest other quote. You'll either have $50 or a good deal! This by the way, is something worth buying the extra service plan for 10 years!

Ivan (I worked on HVAC for 43 years)

 

[doublesharp]

A quality install is more important than the brand imho. I buy Goodman/Amana and have a trustworthy hvac installer.

 

[DeathGrip]

I got rheemed last year. Happy with the unit but not happy with the company that installed it. They did make it right after almost a year.

New ACs are much more efficient. I didn't leave the old one in to long after buying the house because it was running bad, so there's no real comparison here.

 

[A-37]

New System

A timely thread.

Our rural road is finally going to get gas. Our present furnace is an oil burner. It and the A/C unit are 18 years old. The gas furnace guy is coming tomorrow morning to give an estimate. Should I replace the entire A/C system, too or would that not be necessary? We've been with the same furnace company for thirty years and are well satisfied with the installation and service.

The 275 gal. oil tank is in the basement and I want to get rid of it. YouTube has several videos on how to cut it into four pieces with a recip saw. I can do it but would rather have the furnace guys cut it up and haul it out.

The house was built in 1973 which makes the tank 45 years old. Never had a leak but can imagine the mess and smell if there had ever been one. Good riddance!

A lot of good advice in this thread. Thanks to all.

 

[ExRanger714]

Have them explain SEER--IIRC they don't really go by heat btus and tons of ac anymore.

 

[Golddollar]

Our rural road is finally going to get gas. Our present furnace is an oil burner. It and the A/C unit is 18 years old. The gas furnace guy is coming tomorrow morning to give an estimate. Should I replace the entire A/C system, too or would that not be necessary? We've been with the same furnace company for thirty years and are well satisfied with the installation and service./QUOTE]

Replace the entire HVAC system at the same time and have a filtration system added at the same time. The whole system is probably near the end of its useful life and is probably way less efficient than what is available now. It's a lot easier to have it once and done than try to replace components piecemeal. My first house came with an 8 SEER (that's the term for efficiency rating) heat pump. When it went out 15 years later I was able to replace the whole system with a 13 SEER unit and they gave me some sort of deal on including the filtration system.

 

[doublesharp]

Our rural road is finally going to get gas. Our present furnace is an oil burner. It and the A/C unit is 18 years old. The gas furnace guy is coming tomorrow morning to give an estimate. Should I replace the entire A/C system, too or would that not be necessary? We've been with the same furnace company for thirty years and are well satisfied with the installation and service.

I was in that situation in 2006 on 2 houses. I replaced everything at once with Amana at my house and a Goodman in a spec house. Ended up keeping both houses until last year and both systems were efficient and trouble free. Had to have one service call on each for a new hard start capacitor.

 

[cfplinker]

I went through this several years ago when my air conditioner failed one summer. Both the air conditioner and the furnace were original to the house and over 30 years old. The approaches were everything from looking at the outside of the house and saying that a 1.5 ton unit (or a 2 ton unit) will work fine, or looking at the size of the existing equipment and giving me the same, to taking measurements of every room, running a program, then saying a 2 ton unit is fine.

then I talked with a mechanical engineering friend who said to find out what the design indoor and outdoor temperatures were and to make sure they derated for altitude. I am at over 5500 feet and the standards require derating for elevations above 2000 feet. IIRC the design outdoor temperatures were 1degree for heating and 91 degrees for air conditioning. I can remember times where it got to 20 below at night and didn't get above 0 for a week; now we seldom break 100 but will get to the upper 90s every summer. So I want some margin in the sizing. Ask them to guarantee that their equipment will keep you comfortable when the outdoor temperatures are above their design temperatures in the summer or below it in the winter.

I met with the salesman at his office (boy does that surprise them when you show up) and we wound up talking with the factory. The factory guy agreed that their quote was "very marginal" and suggested upping it to 2 and a half tons. So I asked the salesman if they could do it for the same money.There was some hesitation but he finally agreed to do it for the original bid amount.

So far it is working fine and I have been comfortable both summer and winter and neither unit has had to run all out in that time.

P.S. I wound up getting the high efficiency units rather than the standard efficiency units and my gas and electric usage went down comparing monthly usage with the previous year.

 

[TX-Dennis]

Have them explain SEER--IIRC they don't really go by heat btus and tons of ac anymore.

SEER is not the same as BTUs or tons. SEER is Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. Higher is more efficient, but also more expensive. BTUs - British Thermal Units, a measure of heating or cooling capacity. A "ton" of cooling = 12,000 BTU/hour.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I bought a nice new Trane some years back. Very unhappy. Needed TWO major services within a few years, one over $500, one over $1,000. Neither covered by warranty. Contracted Trane customer service. They were completely unconcerned.

 

[snubbyfan]

I call our heater the green monster. It's an oil burning monstrosity that was installed in our house in 1960.
I've replaced the oil pump motor once, the heater blower motor twice and the injector nozzle.
This spring I'm planning on taking it apart, spreading the bits out across the floor and giving it a good cleaning. I'd also like to add a sediment bowl to the fuel line.
I service, lubricate it and change the filters once a year. Sometimes more depending on how severe the winter is.

For cooling? We have a coupla fans for when it gets really steamy.
Other than that, I like it hot.

 

[Jessie]

We just had ours done .Rudd. So far so good.
I understand that 14 SEER is the minimum( at least in Va. )
Prices and install wait times revolve around the seasons.
Longer wait, higher prices when the heat or cold hits.
Just shop around and keep an eye out for sales and rebates.
Good luck!

 

[vonn]

Got a new furnace and a/c two years ago and the savings in electricity (think a lot of a/c) will pay for it soon,get the highest efficiency you can and you won’t be sorry. Replaced everything except the duct work and the comfort level improved. The new electronic thermostat contributed I am sure.

 

[Collo Rosso]

I'm in a area where heat pumps work just fine. We do see below freezing weather (where heat pumps lose their efficiency), but it's for a few days or nights at the most. Mine died about 6 years ago at the tender age of 21. I got a couple estimates. I think the cheapest was around $5500. One came out, gave me an estimate and handed me 2 business cards. One of the cards was for him, not the HVAC company he was working for. Hmmmm?
Gave him a call and glad I did. For $4000 he replaced everything but the ducts with a goodman 1 1/2 ton unit. Even got a programmable thermostat. Not one problem out of it and my electric bill went down too. He called me about a week later to see how it was doing and then called again about a year later. Good service!
You may want to ask around.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

19 year old home and 19 year old forced air gas furnace with central air unit. Called my old buddy who has always serviced these units, asked him what he would do if it were his home. His advice was to replace without waiting for failure, as work becomes very hard to get done and proportionately expensive during high demand times.

New furnace and AC unit are on order now, to be delivered soon. Work will be scheduled during slack times for my installer. Everything will be paid for upon completion. Same contractor (and his son) will continue servicing these new units, as they have done the old units.

No fuss, no muss, no mess. No more Freon issues. And, if I drop dead next week, no worries for my bride for another 20 years or so.

Spend it now or spend it later. Get someone to do the work when it is easy to get new units and schedule the job, or wait until everything crashes during the worst weather conditions imaginable.

It ain't going to be cheap, but it doesn't have to be brutal if you plan for it.

 

[ameridaddy]

I have a York air conditioner with a Honeywell air handler; nine years old and trouble free so far.
It replaced a 25 year old unit, and my summer electric bill dropped immensely. I'd have like to have had a heat pump, but not practical with the AC ductwork and my oil-fired hot water baseboard heat.

 

[Gripgrabber]

Go with the highest SEER you can afford, the higher the seer the lower the units discharge pressure will be, thus lowering the wattage use, saving you money!! Btw a rule of thumb is 500 to 700 square feet of living space per ton of cooling. The better your house is insulated (sealed windows, better insulation) would raise the number higher ie 700sqft per ton. Now days you can go on the web and see wholesale prices of new units (dont, you will blow a gasket) good luck!!
Keep your superheat and subcooling in check!
Inside joke