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I am about to have central air installed in my house. Does anyone have any recommendations on what type of unit to get? What seer rating?
I think I am going to with a Carrier unit, but I am unsure of what seer rating and model. One company quoted their base model 13 seer unit. Another said the base models from all companies are garbage and recommended getting better quality than their base model and go with a seer rating closer to 16-17.
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(set 28 days ago)
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We have always had carrier and am quite happy. By practice we have leaned towards the mid-grade of units. If your house is not well insulated (windows, walls etc) then you really won't benefit from the savings of the higher end models.
As with any major project get several estimates and try to provide specificss to the contractor so you can compare apples to apples.
I am about to have central air installed in my house. Does anyone have any recommendations on what type of unit to get? What seer rating?
I think I am going to with a Carrier unit, but I am unsure of what seer rating and model. One company quoted their base model 13 seer unit. Another said the base models from all companies are garbage and recommended getting better quality than their base model and go with a seer rating closer to 16-17.
I have an 1,100 square foot Morton ranch.
Can anyone offer an help?
What did you have installed in your house?
Get the 16 seer. then you can get the tax break. Where are you located? Did you get more than 1 quote?
I personally would skip the high SEER units (and did). considering the extra cost that is required to buy them, the tax break doesn't cover the increase fully, and the increased efficiency doesn't save you enough money, mainly the biggest issue is that you are only using it 2-4 months out of the year.
I would go with either a Carrier, Rheem or Ruud. You will be able to get away with a 2 1/2 ton unit. Im not crazy about spending the extra money on a higher SEER unit either. The payback is about 10 years and by that time it wil be almost time to replace. Remember a 13 SEER was considered high a few years ago.
I also strongly urge you to get a roof mounted attic fan($180) with a thermostat installed while they are there. This will keep your attic from getting 140 degrees and save on your a.c. running.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mambwe
I am about to have central air installed in my house. Does anyone have any recommendations on what type of unit to get? What seer rating?
I think I am going to with a Carrier unit, but I am unsure of what seer rating and model. One company quoted their base model 13 seer unit. Another said the base models from all companies are garbage and recommended getting better quality than their base model and go with a seer rating closer to 16-17.
I would go with either a Carrier, Rheem or Ruud. You will be able to get away with a 2 1/2 ton unit. Im not crazy about spending the extra money on a higher SEER unit either. The payback is about 10 years and by that time it wil be almost time to replace. Remember a 13 SEER was considered high a few years ago.
I also strongly urge you to get a roof mounted attic fan($180) with a thermostat installed while they are there. This will keep your attic from getting 140 degrees and save on your a.c. running.
Can you explain this attic fan to me please? I have a fan at the top of my stairs in the ceiling. I have to turn it on each time I want to suck the house air out of the house. Does this attic fan that you are referring to do something different? Thanks-
Can you explain this attic fan to me please? I have a fan at the top of my stairs in the ceiling. I have to turn it on each time I want to suck the house air out of the house. Does this attic fan that you are referring to do something different? Thanks-
The attic fan doesn't suck air out of the living space, it sucks air out of the attic space. Shouldn't be needed if your house has proper soffit/gable/ridge venting (most post-WWII stock plan and developer houses don't).
if your attic gets up to 120-140F, then an attic fan will help keep it cool so it doesn't affect the next floor down. It also keeps your air handlers, if in the attic, from having to work harder. But I heard it can be a $400+ install. Our attic is new and seems to have good ventilation without fans.
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Central air answer
