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Replacing HVAC system

DeacWatcher

DeacWatcher

Ricky Peral
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Home HVAC Systems

As some of you may know I am in the HVAC industry but only a small part (filters). My home HVAC system is beginning to tire by evidence of increased electric bills and struggles to keep the temp steady in higher heat. I have 2 units and 1 is 16 years old and the other is 13 so if I replace one I might as well replace the other although the newer of the two appears to be fine. My house is 2485 sq ft and all on one level.

Is any one brand going to be better than another because as filters go, they are all about the same? Also, what kind of cash is this gonna set me back?
 
All depends on the size/type/efficiency of the units. For a house that size using two units, if you get two relatively efficient heat pumps, I'd expect to pay $8-10k for both total.
People have preferences as far as brand go, but I have a Carrier and a Trane and both have been great.
 
Hopefully you have some connections in the industry 'cause there is a ton of profit on those systems and deals can be had. I needed a new system a few years ago and got a referral from someone I knew in the building industry for a guy to come out and give us an estimate. His estimate was $4500. Then I reminded him I was a friend of xxxx, the guy who had given me his name. The estimate then became $3000.
 
I bought a Carrier the last year of the tax credit. It is great. The new systems are MUCH more efficient than the old ones. I noticed a large decrease in my power bill and increase in reliability.
 
I just got Trane. Was told by independent people that it's the best, but you pay more for it. So far have been happy
 
Carriers and Tranes are the best, but you pay out the nose for them.

Why are you running two units on a single level house? Would it be easier and cheaper to run a single unit with more tonnage?
 
Not to derail, but somewhat related...does anyone use a Nest thermostat? I'm intrigued by these and considering getting one, but I'm curious how big an impact that would make on our own energy bills.
 
Deadbolt said:
Not to derail, but somewhat related...does anyone use a Nest thermostat? I'm intrigued by these and considering getting one, but I'm curious how big an impact that would make on our own energy bills.
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i know several people that use them. but everybody that i know who uses one has multiple houses. like a regular house and a mountain house. they love it because it's super easy to let the Nest know that you're heading up, and in 2 hours, you want the temperature to be 72, or whatever. i don't know that it'd be quite as beneficial with only one house.
 
EatLeadCommie said:
Carriers and Tranes are the best, but you pay out the nose for them.

Why are you running two units on a single level house? Would it be easier and cheaper to run a single unit with more tonnage?
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They came with the house I bought. I imagine its because the house has big rooms with tall ceilings but again I have no knowledge in this arena.
 
We have 2 Carrier units at our house and they are generally good given that my wife leaves them on full blast from about April to October. Each year something goes on one of them when we first fire it up in the spring, but whatever it is has always been relatively minor and covered. The company that put them in has a self-contained warranty program for like $150/year for both heating and cooling on all parts and labor, so I think they break shit on purpose so that they get to process the warranty claim, but before the weather gets too hot so people are not relying on them. But they cool the house well.

In contrast, we put in 3 York units at my wife's office. Those things are straight garbage. One unit has never really worked right, and the others have had constant problems. If they make it through this summer the plan is to just junk them and get some Carriers or Tranes.
 
Deadbolt said:
Not to derail, but somewhat related...does anyone use a Nest thermostat? I'm intrigued by these and considering getting one, but I'm curious how big an impact that would make on our own energy bills.
Click to expand...

My sister and bro-in-law have one and love it. I was looking for a programmable thermostat to replace a really old one, and he was really trying to convince me to buy one. I just cannot justify the cost though. So I got my basic 5-1-1 programmable for $30 and Nest costs like $250. He acknowledged that it was a registry item and they might not have purchased on their own.

I've only just moved into my house and so I don't have a good idea of heating and air costs, but I feel like it would take a while to make up the $220 difference.
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
My sister and bro-in-law have one and love it. I was looking for a programmable thermostat to replace a really old one, and he was really trying to convince me to buy one. I just cannot justify the cost though. So I got my basic 5-1-1 programmable for $30 and Nest costs like $250. He acknowledged that it was a registry item and they might not have purchased on their own.

I've only just moved into my house and so I don't have a good idea of heating and air costs, but I feel like it would take a while to make up the $220 difference.
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I'm a sucker for overpriced automation tech with a cool factor. A rental cabin we just had a week ago had one installed, and I was mesmerized for a good while.
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
I've only just moved into my house and so I don't have a good idea of heating and air costs, but I feel like it would take a while to make up the $220 difference.
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Good choice so far. It'll cost more up front, but adding extra insulation or replacing old drafty windows will save you considerably more over the life of the home and help the resell value. The best HVAC and thermostat won't help at all if you can't keep the conditioned air from leaking out.

To get the most bang for your buck, I'd suggest insulation first. Its relatively cheap and will help a lot.
 
Our new townhouse, being a center unit, stays fairly temperate. Sadly, the A/C and furnace are both 15 years old. I'm almost looking forward to one of them breaking so we can realize some nice efficiency gains.
 
If the OP is looking at Carrier, he should also look at Bryant. They are essentially the same. My neighbor, an engineer for GE, replaced his old Trane's with Bryant's last year.
 
WFU71 said:
If the OP is looking at Carrier, he should also look at Bryant. They are essentially the same. My neighbor, an engineer for GE, replaced his old Trane's with Bryant's last year.
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For equivalent SEER ratings, Bryant units are likely a bit less expensive. Honestly, for a home unit without excessive bells and whistles, Bryant or even Goodman would be fine. Just make sure you check the efficiencies.
 
Trane XR and XL's are awesome. Quiet enough that you can hold a conversation next to three of them running. Honestly the biggest thing is to find a good, thorough installer. No sense in paying good money for high SEER values and getting a shitty install
 
BullDeacLaw said:
Trane XR and XL's are awesome. Quiet enough that you can hold a conversation next to three of them running. Honestly the biggest thing is to find a good, thorough installer. No sense in paying good money for high SEER values and getting a shitty install
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My state required a blower door test when the install was finished. Gives some peace of mind that the taping etc were done properly.
 
Wolf1297 said:
For equivalent SEER ratings, Bryant units are likely a bit less expensive. Honestly, for a home unit without excessive bells and whistles, Bryant or even Goodman would be fine. Just make sure you check the efficiencies.
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I've got two Goodman's and haven't had any major issues with them 5 years in. They're very quiet to boot. They came with a 10 year warranty, and the only problem I had was a bad compressor in one of them. The parts were covered, but the labor wasn't. I still got out for only a couple hundred bucks, and that included completely refilling the coolant.
 
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