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The A/C ton rating is the cooling capacity. The capacity chosen is matched to the cooling demands of the house and it's not good to go bigger or smaller. Yes the inside coil/evaporator and outside compressor unit should be reasonably matched within the same tonnage range. I think you might want to get another estimate and see if they can just fix your inside unit more affordably. There are some A/C websites that might help explain some of the questions you have.
It can't be fixed affordably when the part, labor, etc is $1000! I got more than one estimate and they all say the same price range.
I was given a quote today on a new ac and the efficiency on these units they quoted are 14 and 16. Someone tonight told me that that the efficiency goes up to 22 and it would save me on my electric bill. Can someone explain this to me? It doesn't make sense how it can save me. I do know the higher the efficiency the more cost of the ac unit. What brands are good? There are lots of brands out there and all I know of is Trane since I have that. The guy quoted me on a Goodman, but I have never heard of it. He also quoted me American Standard, but I only thought they made bathroom and kitchen items. If they would do the job, he told me he can't just install the unit inside and not outside. Can't the outside unit be reused and not replaced?
It’s very simple when it comes to efficiency. The bottom of the barrel budget units are single-stage compressors and either 100% on or 0% on. There are also two-stage units with things like 0-67-100. The best units are variable units with increments as small as 0.1% so the unit only works exactly as hard as it needs to work, like 65.4% for instance. That way the unit runs way quieter and only uses the energy it needs. Don’t consider any brands besides Trane or Lennox. The rest is budget trash. Carrier is good for commercial, it’s mediocre for residential.
It’s very simple when it comes to efficiency. The bottom of the barrel budget units are single-stage compressors and either 100% on or 0% on. There are also two-stage units with things like 0-67-100. The best units are variable units with increments as small as 0.1% so the unit only works exactly as hard as it needs to work, like 65.4% for instance. That way the unit runs way quieter and only uses the energy it needs. Don’t consider any brands besides Trane or Lennox. The rest is budget trash. Carrier is good for commercial, it’s mediocre for residential.
I have a Trane now, but it was put in by the previous owner of the condo. Right now my efficiency is a 13 he told me. How much of an efficiency can a condo have?
From what I’ve been reading to research a new unit for our upstairs area (19 year old York Diamond 2–ton, SEER B-52), going into these dual/variable stage units is an increase in efficiency but at the expense of reliability. Sticking with a single stage (on/off) appears to be where the reliability is at. I’ve also heard repairing the stage/variable units is notably more expensive.
Neighbor across the street has variable via Carrier. It’s 4 years old. Two weeks ago they discovered a leak in the evap coil, and the bill was going to be nearly $4,000 to repair it. The installer is a neighborhood resident and was able to get Carrier to honor most of it. But they had to replace the entire unit both inside (coil) and the compressor outside too, which I didn’t understand why the outside unit needed to be replaced.
When we replace “Mater” next year, I’m sticking with the basics, and making sure it’s easy to service and repair. I hear Lennox is good but their supply chain for parts is limited and therefore costly to maintain and service.
I want something that any basic service tech can work on and can find a part at my local Grainger store. For where I live (DC), I don’t see the benefit of saving $400 a year during the ac months if it’ll cost me $600 to fix because it’s “complicated” or “proprietary”. I want cool air, and will let the ceiling fan disburse it more evenly around the room in total silence.
Trane and American Standard are the same. Our main unit is America Standard via 2006, and other than needing a new evap coil next year, has been very good to us.
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