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Anyone go through this recently? I am replacing the handler located in the attic(not the compressor outside) and changing old fiberglass ductwork to metal in the attic. house is about 3000 sqft. Quote sounds very fair to me at $3500 all in, but I have 0 experience with this. Any thoughts or experiences?
Just spoke to my HVAC buddy (know the kid since he was born) who installed 2nd zone heat and central AC in my house (Wyckoff). I told him exactly what you posted and said he really won't be able to tell unless he sees exactly what you got going on there. He did say that the price was in the neighborhood - could be more, could be less. He said he'll give you an estimate if you're interested. Let me know and I'll DM his info over.
Just spoke to my HVAC buddy (know the kid since he was born) who installed 2nd zone heat and central AC in my house (Wyckoff). I told him exactly what you posted and said he really won't be able to tell unless he sees exactly what you got going on there. He did say that the price was in the neighborhood - could be more, could be less. He said he'll give you an estimate if you're interested. Let me know and I'll DM his info over.
Thanks man! I don't want to waste his time since this guy came highly recommended and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting robbed. +/- $500 isn't really going to make a difference in this case and my wife is comfortable with this guy already. Really appreciate the offer though!
Really, this sounds reasonable. Do you have the quote in writing, I hope? But has your AC company checked the system and the condition of the compressor? Usually, but not always, both compressor, air handler and the duct work are replaced together. That makes sure that all the equipment in the AC system works well together and no dust or dirt gets anywhere. But I guess if compressor is not tool old and the matching air handler is available, then it is OK not to do a full replacement.
You have only one unit for such a huge house? Is the AC working well?
We had to replace flexible horizontal duct work, air handler and compressor about four years ago. The AC company also had to do some minor electrical upgrades. We paid $8500 for an extremely efficient Trane unit. This amount was an average from various quotes that we have received.
Really, this sounds reasonable. Do you have the quote in writing, I hope? But has your AC company checked the system and the condition of the compressor? Usually, but not always, both compressor, air handler and the duct work are replaced together. That makes sure that all the equipment in the AC system works well together and no dust or dirt gets anywhere. But I guess if compressor is not tool old and the matching air handler is available, then it is OK not to do a full replacement.
You have only one unit for such a huge house? Is the AC working well?
We had to replace flexible horizontal duct work, air handler and compressor about four years ago. The AC company also had to do some minor electrical upgrades. We paid $8500 for an extremely efficient Trane unit. This amount was an average from various quotes that we have received.
Thanks for the input. I have spray foam insulation which definitely helps with the load. I thought about 2 units(since I do have dual zone control) but didn't seem necessary because when the unit was functioning properly the house was as cool as we wanted it to be( low 70's) even on the hottest days. I'm not getting the super efficient model(SEER of almost minimum at 14.5), I know that, but its twice as efficient as what I have and my bills are not bad.
TD, please keep posting any quotes you encounter during this project (and what it includes).
I'm curious because our system is getting a bit old.
We had the outside compressor and inside air handler replaced soon after moving in (about 15 years ago). The contractor was an old-school guy that we knew from a reliable source. They replaced these units with fairly top notch SEER at the time, but used the existing ducting (no need to replace that), plus they rerouted the compressor piping to a different location. So all in ran around 3k as well as a rebate they took care of.
Fast forward to today...had a company perform a tune-up for a few bucks. He said everything was working ok, but as company policy he had to mention the option of full replacement (boss says to ask, so he mentions it as an aside). Cost estimate 10-20k. I asked what that could possibly include, and he mentioned that some people spend upwards of 20k on dual-zone, super-duper efficient systems, et etc.
I'm not getting any more quotes. Between IP's buddy and my brother in-law's contacts I've heard that $3500 is more than fair and borderline cheap to have a professional do the work scoped. Material(duct work and handler) alone from my internet research is estimated at about $1700-2K. So it's $1500-$1800 for labor, considering there will be 2 or 3 guys doing the work in a day that seems pretty fair. The guy doing the work did tell me that adding the compressor would add about $2K to the job, so I'd be all in at about $5,500 for a 5 Ton system.
Last edited by Goldendoodle1969; 07-10-2015 at 01:45 PM..
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