Full AC replacement recommendations? (renters, townhouse, to buy)

[Bummer]

Over the years I have had both Rooftop and Ground Heat Pumps and/or Air Conditioners and there are definitely positives and negatives either way.

My current Heat Pump is on the roof and is placed totally out of view from the ground, virtually silent inside my home while operating but servicing is a little inconvenient. Also, up and away from most the curious critters.

My previous ground units always made a racket either while we were using the patio or in and around the rooms adjacent to the unit but servicing was more convenient. Also, a playground or nesting area for the critters.

Bottom line . . . neither application is perfect but, considering the pros and cons, I prefer the rooftop installation.

[ElleTea]

I have an old with the unit on the ground. That is a rare thing.

[DougStark]

Roach, I haven't been able to find a HVAC company that will install a mini split for a reasonable price. Any recommendations?

[Hal Roach]

My brother bought a Carrier with three blowers for 3700...16 SEER, and paid a Mexican 1000 for labor and lots of copper tubing. This was on his newly built house. He stated that was the only part of the whole project that wasn't disputed or given improvement recommendations in any form. The guys who put in my single air handler system do two or three per day. Mine was a new install in a 27 year old condo, with no existing wiring or conduits. About a thousand YouTube videos out there. I completed two LG courses a few weeks ago. Free, online. LG makes about five million of them per year and about twenty million compressors. 125 Billion per year in revenue. Meanwhile GE is swirling down the toilet bowl. I have a Samsung...but I think York and Carrier are a little better, but the Dollar was very strong at the time.

www.AIRCONDITIONER.com. 300,000 units in stock..Van Nuys..LA.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

Most are in denial but the future is clearly ductless. 90% of global air-conditioning outside the US is ductless. You can now get 28 SEER ductless. I have a 17000 BTU, 16 SEER, ductless and just paid my electric for April, which is the hottest month of the year here. 259 KWh....27.40 USD for 31 days. 26c, 78.8f, is basically too cold with ductless...you don't get the stratification with ductless that you do with the ducts. You will see it in high cost PSF infill housing first, then the tract home builders will start using them.

I'm currently looking at several builders for a home I'm doing next year and a few of them offer only mini-splits on homes below 1500 sqft and as an option on homes over that so it's already happening as you suggest...
What I'm wondering is how they handle the heating/cooling of an 8-9 room house.

[Hal Roach]

My brother put a electric baseboard strip in the bathroom for heat. For ac in the smaller rooms, you just leave the door open. Globally, areas like hallways and bathrooms will not have a blower. So this method does make more of a match with open floor plans, which seem to be dominant, anyways. LG says you can feel it 39 feet away.....the blowers use less electricity than a night light. I will post a link to the courses in the next few days. It is mostly marketing, but explains a lot of details on the benefits...respiratory, energy, comfort. Oh, the noise is only 17 db which is less than the noise from a forest.

[azdr0710]

resurrecting this thread....


might have to get a new rooftop heat pump for my 1200 sq.ft two-story townhouse....current one is a Trane installed in 2006 and running great......a recent check-up showed rusty coils and something about the rust blocking circulation when it falls in the pan at the bottom (?)......


I trust the tech and company I'm working with and they are suggesting a new 15 SEER unit will be about $15K now or $20K+ after January, 2023, when new rules go into effect......I know covid and supply chain and blah, blah have affected prices, but the 2006 one only cost about $5K.......


does anybody agree that these are the appx. current prices?.....thanks for any comments

[Terry O]

The only way to know what's agreeable is to get 3-4 quotes. That quote sounds high.

18 months ago, I bought a Trane XL16 dual-stage 4-ton (1700sq ft) "package" (heat pump and gas furnace) 16 seer/12 eer for $9-$10k. (Accurate Air, Tempe). They came in at a price that seemed reasonable. I didn't get more bids But, if they'd said $20k for less capacity & efficiency, I would have. I'm sure prices have gone up in 18 months. But, that sounds high.

[JohnZ963]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

resurrecting this thread....


might have to get a new rooftop heat pump for my 1200 sq.ft two-story townhouse....current one is a Trane installed in 2006 and running great......a recent check-up showed rusty coils and something about the rust blocking circulation when it falls in the pan at the bottom (?)......


I trust the tech and company I'm working with and they are suggesting a new 15 SEER unit will be about $15K now or $20K+ after January, 2023, when new rules go into effect......I know covid and supply chain and blah, blah have affected prices, but the 2006 one only cost about $5K.......


does anybody agree that these are the appx. current prices?.....thanks for any comments

You didn't say what size HVAC unit, but I'm guessing a 3 to 4 ton, and that price is completely nuts either way even given current circumstances. Shop around.

[john3232]

Originally Posted by JohnZ963

You didn't say what size unit, but I'm guessing a 3 to 4 ton, and that price is completely nuts either way even given current circumstances. Shop around.

My guess is it's 3 ton unit. 4 ton seems too big for 1200 sq. ft..

In any case 15k for a 3 or 4 ton roof top unit is completely outrageous.