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I need someone is knowledgeable about HVAC. Since,when a contractor suggest something for the HVAC,I can't tell if they are being helpful or trying to make more money off of me and I will lose in the end.
1.I was wondering about getting a new air cleaner/purifier since my dad is using a standard air filter,but my mom and me have allergies,but my dad tend to forget things like to change the air filter every month or so...
So,is it a good choice for me to get the Infinity Air Purifier and it claim that I need no cleaning at all,but I need your guys' insight?
How about Carrier humidifiers,ventilators,and UV lamps? Review(s)?
2.As a homeowner,are you suppose to have the original copy of the permit or no?
When do you know that you need to get a permit?
3.What do you guys mean that the brands of furnace are the same,as in the same company build different brands or the sneaky contractor put a sticker on it and call it that?
4.So,if a labor warranty is 5 years,then the company that built the furnace or whatever will pay the contractor for the labor,correct?
3.What do you guys mean that the brands of furnace are the same,as in the same company build different brands or the sneaky contractor put a sticker on it and call it that?
4.So,if a labor warranty is 5 years,then the company that built the furnace or whatever will pay the contractor for the labor,correct?
Parts and labor warranties cover the defective part/s and the labor to install it. Make sure though that whatever you sign specifically points out exactly what they are going to do and the parts needed.
If you have a gas furnace now, it would be easiest to replace it with the same type.
If you have a gas forced air unit now, it would be very difficult and very costly to change it to a boiler system.
If you have natural gas now, it does not make much sense to convert to oil. You would have to install an oil tank, etc. Again, not worth the money to change.
YOu can change to a heat pump, but you will need to make sure you have enough electrical capacity to handle it. A heat pump needs an additional 240V circuit or two for the air handler and heat strips.
A geo-thermal heat pump usually needs a water source, such as a pond, lake, river, or well for it to be worthwhile.
Stay with what you have and upgrade within the same type as needed.
As far as the air filter. Every one I know of needs to be maintained and/or serviced at some point.
We bought a home last year that had 20+ yr old gas furnaces and separate a/c units. Both old furnaces were running maybe 50% efficiency- both clamshells were cracked, amongst a host of other little problems.
It's a split zone system, and we noticed that in the attic they had flexible duct snaked up to the roof rafters, then down to the registers (in a lame attempt to create more 'storage space' in the attic. This idiocy added more run to the duct which = loss.
We had a well respected guy come in and perform a calc on the house, determined the ductwork on the 1st level was okay, but the attic needed a total overhaul. We yanked out all the old furnaces and a/c, installed 95% efficient Goodman heatpumps w/gas back-ups and are saving a TON of money while being more comfortable. This set up blows away the last dual zone system we had in our last house.
We tracked the average mcf gas usage as compared to the last resident and we are using 75% less natural gas. When the heatpumps are running we notice a marginal increase to the electric bill, maybe 25-30% higher.
As it stands the total cost vs. savings should breakeven at 7-8 years based on $13.00 p/mcf and current electric prices. That's not too shabby.
Highly recommend this set-up if possible. (Not necessarily Goodman, but the set-up as a whole).
First thing I would do is clean the duct work. Make sure who you have do the work is licensed in your state (if needed), has a truck mount vaccuum, takes off the registers and cleans from there to truk lines. I would also make sure of price BEFORE cleaning, don't let them just rack up a price and make you feel like you have to pay for a "blow and go". If your Dad forgets to change the regular filters, chances are that he'll forget to change this filter, which will need changing or cleaning at some point, which is thicker and will cause other problems down the road.
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