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Replacing HVAC system

tsywake said:
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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I currently have Goodman's and will probably replace with either them or Amana (which now owns Goodman) as they have been good to me before this house and with this house considering their age. Their warranty is also very good. I am just looking for a quality install because I have seen an idiot or two in this industry.
 
If you don't HAVE to replace them right away, make sure you don't replace them in your peak season. Or more specifically, what would be the peak season for the heat/air companies in your area. They don't need to make a deal when it is 100 degrees out, all their techs are running around town, and people are desperate to have their broken unit replaced.
 
Bubble Boy said:
If you don't HAVE to replace them right away, make sure you don't replace them in your peak season. Or more specifically, what would be the peak season for the heat/air companies in your area. They don't need to make a deal when it is 100 degrees out, all their techs are running around town, and people are desperate to have their broken unit replaced.
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I was planning on doing this anyway as my wife's summer flower bed is in the way and hot or not, messing that up could cost me a few points.
 
DeacWatcher said:
I was planning on doing this anyway as my wife's summer flower bed is in the way and hot or not, messing that up could cost me a few points.
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If you tiptoe through the tulips carefully, you might score those points back. :thumbsup:
 
DeacWatcher said:
I currently have Goodman's and will probably replace with either them or Amana (which now owns Goodman) as they have been good to me before this house and with this house considering their age. Their warranty is also very good. I am just looking for a quality install because I have seen an idiot or two in this industry.
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I bought a Goodman a couple/3 years ago and it came with a 10 year parts & labor warranty. Pretty good deal. Outside of some initial issues with the thermostat, its been a good unit. But its also still fairly new so we'll see.
 
I got a Goodman about 3 years ago and it's worked fine except it has a freon leak somewhere. Not a fault of the product but rather the installation. I saved a TON by using "a guy" with a small business. 1 year later I have no AC (due to leaking freon) and the guy has closed shop and I'm stuck with a yearly $200 service call to add freon. Whoever you go with make sure they are large enough to stay in business. I would think the install is where most of the mark up is made so you can probably negotiate their offer. In hindsight I wish I would have spent a bit more to have a better piece of mind as the hotter days come rolling in.
 
GoDeacsGo said:
I got a Goodman about 3 years ago and it's worked fine except it has a freon leak somewhere. Not a fault of the product but rather the installation. I saved a TON by using "a guy" with a small business. 1 year later I have no AC (due to leaking freon) and the guy has closed shop and I'm stuck with a yearly $200 service call to add freon. Whoever you go with make sure they are large enough to stay in business. I would think the install is where most of the mark up is made so you can probably negotiate their offer. In hindsight I wish I would have spent a bit more to have a better piece of mind as the hotter days come rolling in.
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Damn, that sucks. At least he went out of business.
 
HCAV technician told me this morning the compressor for our upstairs air conditioner is out. Parts under warranty, but he quoted me $1,500 in labor to replace. Plus, he would top off refridgerant when they did that - our unit holds 5 lbs freon and it runs $100/lb - so that could add up to another $500. Blech.

We have an upstairs system and a downstairs system - both turn 10 years this August.

- Is this quote outrageous? Seems steep to me but not sure.
- Is it worth putting 2 grand into a 10 year old system? Instead of replacing the compressor, should I just go ahead replace the system?
- If I replace the upstairs system, any reason to do anything to the downstairs now (which is running fine as far as we know)?

Any thoughts or help appreciated.
 
Yeah, that's insane. It's a few hour job. You're looking at $500/hour.

And while $100/pound is on the high end for R22 (the price is going up because it's being phased out, but you can buy a 30lb bottle for $200-250, so he's adding a nice upcharge), there's no reason he should have to replace all of it unless you have some sort of massive leak. A top off should be a pound or less.
 
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Disclaimer- I'm a priest, not a HVAC technician.

We had an issue with some of the heating element about a year ago, and it was about $1,500 to repair on a 10 year old unit. I had the same question that you had. So I asked for a ballpark guess on what a new system would cost. I forget the exact number, but $1,500 was nothing compared to the number he threw out. Though, I've always known that we'd be moving in the relative near term, so I wasn't thinking long-term investment.
 
I'm with both of the above that the price quoted is out of line. Unless all your freon leaked out, he shouldn't have much to top off. He is required by law to recapture any freon in the system when he opens it to replace the compressor. Sounds like he is charging you for all the freon he has to put in.

Many times when a compressor goes on a 10 year old system, you are better off replacing the whole thing.

Newer systems are more efficient than older ones. At 10, if the compressor is fixed something else is likely to go soon.

No reason to replace the other system as long as it's working.

Depending on where you live, and what you heat with, you might want to look into replacing the A/C with a heat pump. If you do, make sure the lines are sized correctly.

I'd check with another contractor about both the repair and replacement.

Might check and see what kind of a deal they would make with you on a replacement instead of repair. You don't know what you might get if you don't ask.
 
I recently paid $500 for repairs/servicing on a 20 year old AC unit. Tech quoted $5000 for a new unit. The guy that owns John's Heating and Plumbing used to own my house, so the units were maintained fairly well.
 
Unless you have a leak, you should not need a top off. It's a closed system.

I have a friend I trust that works in HVAC that checked out my system last year. Mine is 14 years old and only AC as I have gas heat. Both have been there since the house was built. I know he will replace mine for me in a year or two for about $4,000 total but that's the buddy discount.
 
RevDeac06 said:
I've always known that we'd be moving in the relative near term, so I wasn't thinking long-term investment.
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I don't think this is a forever house for us, but I think (hope) we'll be in it long enough for things like new heat pumps to pay for themselves

Deaconblue said:
I'm with both of the above that the price quoted is out of line. Unless all your freon leaked out, he shouldn't have much to top off. He is required by law to recapture any freon in the system when he opens it to replace the compressor. Sounds like he is charging you for all the freon he has to put in.
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To be fair, the $500 wasnt a number he gave me. I gave me $/lb and I'm imagining worst case scenario.

Deaconblue said:
I'd check with another contractor about both the repair and replacement.

Might check and see what kind of a deal they would make with you on a replacement instead of repair. You don't know what you might get if you don't ask.
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They're going to have another guy call me back with a quote on a system replacement tomorrow. I'm expecting full on sales pitch at that point. I'll probably call at least one other technician and try to get a quote for both repair and replacement.

KitchinDeac said:
Where are you located?
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Atlanta
 
timthedeac said:
I don't think this is a forever house for us, but I think (hope) we'll be in it long enough for things like new heat pumps to pay for themselves

To be fair, the $500 wasnt a number he gave me. I gave me $/lb and I'm imagining worst case scenario.

They're going to have another guy call me back with a quote on a system replacement tomorrow. I'm expecting full on sales pitch at that point. I'll probably call at least one other technician and try to get a quote for both repair and replacement.

Atlanta
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Sounds like you're on the right track. Atlanta is definitely where the heat pump would work well. You wouldn't be using the auxiliary/backup heat very much most years.
 
Deaconblue said:
Sounds like you're on the right track. Atlanta is definitely where the heat pump would work well. You wouldn't be using the auxiliary/backup heat very much most years.
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Should've clarified - it is a heat pump. I just said AC cause the cold air is what we wanted more of last weekend
 
Deaconblue said:
I'm with both of the above that the price quoted is out of line. Unless all your freon leaked out, he shouldn't have much to top off. He is required by law to recapture any freon in the system when he opens it to replace the compressor. Sounds like he is charging you for all the freon he has to put in.

Many times when a compressor goes on a 10 year old system, you are better off replacing the whole thing.

Newer systems are more efficient than older ones. At 10, if the compressor is fixed something else is likely to go soon.

No reason to replace the other system as long as it's working.

Depending on where you live, and what you heat with, you might want to look into replacing the A/C with a heat pump. If you do, make sure the lines are sized correctly.

I'd check with another contractor about both the repair and replacement.

Might check and see what kind of a deal they would make with you on a replacement instead of repair. You don't know what you might get if you don't ask.
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This. I had a 10 year old heating system in need of repair on Thanksgiving. The repairman said when they start having problems, they continue to have problems. I repaired it anyway. It broke again on New Year's Day (something else). It was in danger of leaking gas, so the gas company turned off the gas to it. Of course, cold as hell. Another repair/replace decision. I replaced for about $5k, and moved away about 8 months later. You don't recoup that cost, but it does help your house sell faster. Hope those folks are enjoying the brand new HVAC I bought them.
 
You have a compressor with a fan on top outside for the upstairs with the air handler in the attic probably. Replacing the outside unit should run in the 2k-3k range. 1.5k for the labor alone seems a little high.

Sounds like the tech is saying he will service the airhandler also.
 
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Related question, nothing urgent but would be good to know. We bought a house in September that is heated by oil on the main level and is heated/cooled by electricity on the upper level. I think the upper level was an addition, hence the second unit. Come to think of it, I don't know how the main level is cooled (aside from the cold air falling from upstairs), we've only been there during the fall/winter, so our main concern so far has been heat.

Anyway, when one of them goes, is there any reason to continue having two units, or is it a realistic possibility to somehow join the two duct systems together and have the entire house heated/cooled by a bigger unit?
 
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