Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My house is heated and cooled by a 2.5 ton gas pack. 13 SEER. Side mounted. Ranch house, about 1200 sq ft.
Systems was designed to last 15 yrs, and it's on year 20.
It's cooling just fine right now and surprisingly, no leaks. But there's all kinds of rust on the outside and my concern is the heat exchanger - I haven't opened to inspect yet but I can only imagine. This thing looks like a dinosaur!
So, I am shopping pricing for units now. I don't want to wait for the unit to break down to replace and my guess is I need this done before the cold sets in.
As I expected, prices are varying wildly. I don't use credit so I am not interested in financing anything. Seems some of the big guys think it's OK to charge a small fortune as long as you finance with them.
In my research, I am finding conflicting info regarding product lines specifically. I've had about half of the HVAC guys insist that if I want the best, I'll go with a TRANE or a LENNOX, but then I've had several say to me, hey, they use the same exact components as Goodman, they just charge more.
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I have a similar issue, except I am having an Air Conditioner and Coil replaced. The air conditioner is outside, and the evaporator coil is in the attic with the furnace.
Mine is leaking refrigerant badly, so my options are buy a new coil, or spend twice as much and get new system. I have the same questions... which brand is better and are "off" brands just as good? The A/C tech that I spoke with today said Trane and Carrier are the best but they basically use the same components.
I was told the same thing when I bought my new AC unit two years ago. And it is difficult to compare various units because there are different lines of product made by the same manufacturer. I don't even remember what I bought, but it was priced consistently with most others of the same size,a nd it was built by Carrier, supposedly.
I would suggest having yours looked at in the fall, but I wouldn't replace it until it fails. You might get a couple more years out of it. And it's a 13 seer, which is the minimum required now, so you're not really losing any efficiency. I'd research and shop until you know what you want to replace yours with, then keep an eye out for deals on it, until you absolutely have to replace it.
Carrier, Lennox and Trane are all good choices. But, they do offer low end products which you want to stay away from. Choose a higher seer for efficiency and also the higher end units are built with higher quality materials. Kind of like a Cadillac compared to a compact Chevy. Same company, very different cars. Goodman is a lower quality unit. They may use some of the same components as the but the frames, coils are very poor quality.
The non-labeled brands are often made by the same companies cited above. Buy by the SEER of the AC & efficiency of the furnace. If you are going to stay in the house for a while, go 16 SEER and 90% respectively. It doesn't matter the brand that much. What is more important are the qualifications of the people putting it in. Check to see if they are established in the area and members of the BBB.
The most efficient cooling and heating systems out there are ground source heat pumps. This is where there is no outside coil unit as the coils are cooled by being buried in the ground. It's extremely quiet, also generates hotwater, and has energy savings not to be believed. However it's also pretty expensive to have put in because there are only a few companies in Charlotte that do it. The biggest expense is in buring the lines.
I don't recommend doing a partial upgrade. If the coil goes bad and it's an old unit, replace the whole thing. The difference can often be made up with an energy credit. It will be done an you won't have to worry about it for another 15 years - 20 years.
-----------------
Sara, if you can, get away from the gas pack and go with a traditional AC and gas heater. It looks a lot nicer. However that would assume there is somewhere in the home where the blower can be put. If not, keep the gas pack approach. Don't worry about the product lines as I said above. Go by reputation of the installer and price. Your best bet for pricing comes in the Spring and Fall when people are not using their units. This means there are no calls for repairs so the installers are idle. There will often be deals on units then so they can keep their people busy.
OK, this is where I stand. I neglected to mention in the original post that this is my rental property.
Also, I incorrectly identified my unit as a 13 SEER. Duh. It's a 10 SEER.
It heated last winter and it cooled all summer, without issue. As of yesterday, it's not heating. Figured now is the time to replace, although one of the three contractors did an actual diagnostic this morning. My primary interest, however, was a quote on replacement cost.
My goal is to make a decision this evening, and have the new unit in before Thanksgiving. Hoping some of you might weigh in, helping with my decision making process.
I got my contractors off of Angie's List and they are both rated very highly, good reputations, licensed, bonded, insured, etc. I've narrowed it down to Dorton's Heating & Air and Tyson Services Air Conditioning & Heating.
If my decision were based solely on who gave me the best "feeling", it would be Tyson's. They were easy to reach by phone, the technician was prompt and courteous (later found out he is a co-owner), he was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain things clearly and he appeared very thorough.
I didn't like that he is also trying to sell services or "extras" that IMO, generally seem unnecessary like a 5-year warranty on labor on top of the 1-year that seems to be a standard given in the industry, a service agreement, or a UV-light as an added component for an additional $255 (according to him, regularly priced $400+).
But I also noticed that he was the only contractor that did load calculations instead of just assuming I'd replace with the size already in place. The big difference between him and the other guys is probably that he is clearly skilled as a salesman on top of being good at his trade.
My biggest concern? And I'm not sure it should be one, is that he quoted a Goodman. He insisted that when it comes down to it, the components are the same and it's the packaging and name that you're paying for with other manufacturers. He also said that their prior issues with reputation was primarily due to the fact that the business model was focused on new construction and concern was being affordable to builders. He said that now, Goodman has transitioned into more of a repeat customer market base and the quality has vastly improved in the last five years.
Dorton was efficient. His quote was on a Lennox. He's also the technician that did the diagnostic and was willing to make a repair, which would have run me about $250 and possibly gotten me through the winter. He never pushed toward a replacement unit but quoted at my request when I told him I didn't think I should bother with the repair at this point.
My quote from Dorton is for a 2.5 ton but a 3 ton from Tyson. According to Tyson's calculations, the cooling load is 2.9 tons. The cost difference between the two is almost negligible.
Recap:
Any personal experiences with either of the above contractors?
Is Goodman a trusted product?
Is the UV light a worthwhile option?
Any other questions I should be asking the contractors?
If my decision were based solely on who gave me the best "feeling", it would be Tyson's. They were easy to reach by phone, the technician was prompt and courteous (later found out he is a co-owner), he was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain things clearly and he appeared very thorough.
That's as good a reason as any.
But this points out how critically important the install quality is.
It's actually more important than brand choice.
But on the point of brand choice... I like to see all 3 components the same company.
1) the furnace portion 2) the cased a/c coil portion and 3) the outside condensing unit
Quote:
I didn't like that he is also trying to sell services or "extras" that IMO, generally seem unnecessary like a 5-year warranty on labor on top of the 1-year that seems to be a standard given in the industry, a service agreement, or a UV-light as an added component for an additional $255 (according to him, regularly priced $400+).
Hey... if he is to sell these things now is the time to do it.
But aside from the UV, the warranty and maintenance contract are probably worth doing.
Quote:
Recap:
Any personal experiences with either of the above contractors? No.
Is Goodman a trusted product? It's fine; but should cost less than Lennox.
Is the UV light a worthwhile option? I wouldn't do it.
Any other questions I should be asking the contractors?
Verify that all the "little things" are equal too. eg:
all new condensing unit and coil?
with all new refrigerant (R410) line sets?
Your insight has been extremely helpful. My husband thinks I'm obsessing needlessly but I hate spending this much money and not making the right choice.
I'm so confused though. As I stated, only one contractor did load calculations and he says I need a 3 ton. The other two contractors didn't but based it on sq footage and said to stick with 2.5 ton. They both indicated that if the unit is too large, humidity levels will be higher indoors and I'll be calling with complaints. I don't know who to believe at this point. Ugh.
Condensing unit and coil would be new. Refrigerant line set doesn't apply.
The repair was for the broken gas valve. The Piedmont Natural Gas technician had also indicated she thought that was the issue. But with the age of the unit, the rusted coils, etc - it's time. Again, I'm simply afraid of choosing incorrectly.
Thank you for taking the time to read and reply to my ramblings.
Get the valve replaced.
As a former LL... I say "keep fixin' until you have no choice any more".
(and writing off the repair vs having to capitalize the bigger expense)
Take your self imposed immediate decision stress out of the equation...
do your homework in a more orderly manner, and by that KNOW what you want...
and then shop for the best deal on that Goodman or Lennox or maybe a Rheem package.
(and which contractor is really, objectively the best choice too)
This allows you to do the system replacement at YOUR leisure...
when (and if) you actually need to do it.
hth
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Update
