The Irish Doggy Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 I have a "high efficiency" condenser unit that is long past its last legs, is barely putting along, and the system loses about 1.5 pounds of coolant per year. I know its high efficiency because the faded sticker says so! Actually, this unit is 20+ years old and from what my latest AC guy told me, is only 7 or 8 SEER. Its incredibly noisy, and the thing will die any day now. Anyway, the missus and I are thinking about replacing the outside condenser. My understanding is that to be current with the new 13 SEER standards, the interior coils have to be replaced as well? How much should we expect to pay (two story, no attic, with basement, ~1200 total sqft) to replace this system? What kind of scams are out there for AC units? Tips, suggestions, etc. appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 I got a Rheem for the house last year because I heard they were the best. About everything on it has broken. In fact, the guy was just out there again yesterday putting more freon in the upstairs zone heat pump. I'm now worried when the warranty runs out that this thing is going to cost me a fortune. We had no heat and he replaced a ton of parts and got it goingjust a couple of months ago. Rheem. (even though lots of eckspurts said they were the best). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 We had our original ancient AC/heat pump replaced last year with new spiffy Carrier equipment and we couldn't be happier with it so far. And for anyone in the central MD area, I highly recommend Arundel Cooling. They were great and gave us all sorts of upgrades and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 I got a Rheem for the house last year because I heard they were the best. About everything on it has broken. In fact, the guy was just out there again yesterday putting more freon in the upstairs zone heat pump. I'm now worried when the warranty runs out that this thing is going to cost me a fortune. We had no heat and he replaced a ton of parts and got it goingjust a couple of months ago. Rheem. (even though lots of eckspurts said they were the best). Hence the term, Ream job. We just had a new unit put in two years ago and with new outside condenser and new inside coils plus some ductwork it ran a tad under 3K. Your mileage may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I got my parts (condenser, coil, lines - everything) through my buddy's brother and did the labor myself - < $800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Irishdoggy, Call on Skippy! He knows this territory well! Believe me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefjay Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 How old is the furnace? May want to do both at the same time. I belive you would need the coil for on top of the furnace but again it may be necessary to replace the furnace is that is also old. Probably shoud just get a 2 ton package from comfortmaker or someone you trust down your area. I guess if your talking an outside unit, coil for the furnace, lineset along with probably outdoor electrical upgrade, you are talking about $1000 or so for parts, possibly cheaper if you go the Neutron route and then another $500 or so for labor. I'm not an expert though, just know a little bit about the industry. Where do you live again, Cincy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Nine years ago I bought a TRANE. Has done a very good job. We had a few problems but everything has been repaired at no cost. I purchased a 10 yr parts and labor warrenty when I purchased the unit. There is no deductable. I had 3 contractors come out to give me an cost estimate. I chose contractors that sold the same Brand unit so that I could compare prices more accurately. I looked in Consumer Reports to find a quality brand. I chose TRANE. There were some very good articles on how to chose a contractor and unit in Consumer Reports. I am sure they have more recent articles for you to look at. Happy shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I sell ac's for a living, so here you go. With the age of your system, you definitely need to replace your coil as well, because you are correct in saying that you will not get the efficiency out of your ac unless your coil matches that efficiency. That being said, there are a couple of things to consider: Refrigerant: There are 2 types now: R22, which is the current refrigerant, and R410A, which is a new refrigerant which is more environmentally friendly. Manufacturers MUST produce R410A only by 2010. Supplies of R22 should be available until at least 2020, so don't feel you need to make the change now. Just understand that every year that passes the cost of R22 will go up, so recharging your AC 10 years from now could be costly. Your added cost on the equipment to go to the new refrigerant will be about $1000 more expensive then R22. Brand: Take a look at Amana right now. They have been in the business a long time but don't do a whole lot of advertising. They choose to dump their marketing dollars into warranties, and consequently their warranties are BY FAR the best in the industry. And the cost of the equipment will be anywhere from $400 to $1000 LESS than Trane, Carrier, and Lennox. The equipment is very good quality, and I have the backing of my service department when I say this. I would put it in MY house. They offer a 10 year parts, 10 year compressor, and until the end of June, a 10 year LABOR warranty that is available. The cost of the 10 year labor warranty to your dealer is $79, so tell them you want it included with your price. Don't ask them for that until AFTER they quote you a price. Tell 'em you want it included. So basically for 10 years you are covered for EVERYTHING. Your Trane's, Lennox, Rheem, Heil, Carrier offer a 5 year parts, 10 year compressor, and ONE YEAR of labor. Cost: You can expect to pay about $3000 for an AC and coil for a 13 SEER, R22 (older) refrigerant. Add about $1000 to go up to the R410A refrigerant. Keep in mind this depends on size as well. This price is about average for a 3 ton system, so expect a little less for a 2 ton system and maybe a little more for a 4-5 ton system. Feel free to PM me your quote numbers and I can tell you if you are getting ripped off. I have a good sense of what cost is and what overhead and commission costs, so I can be a good resource to let you know if you are getting a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KICK A$$ BLASTER Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Two years ago we replaced both the furnace and A/C units. The total was around $8000(including install), for 3500 square feet. I put in a bigger A/C unit because our house really heats up in the summer. I also went with a higher seer unit for the additional energy savings. I also had six companies give my bids and some were as high as $12000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I got a Rheem for the house last year because I heard they were the best. About everything on it has broken. In fact, the guy was just out there again yesterday putting more freon in the upstairs zone heat pump. I'm now worried when the warranty runs out that this thing is going to cost me a fortune. We had no heat and he replaced a ton of parts and got it goingjust a couple of months ago. Rheem. :D (even though lots of eckspurts said they were the best). We have a Comfortmaker AC and Heat pump, the Heat pump didn't have any freon in it last year so they covered it under warranty. Then something happened to a sensor in the outdoor unit and I had a buddy replace it for me. This year the furnace motor and fan went bad and I had the same buddy replace it, still cost me $375 out of pocket. He showed me his price list and it would of cost me $950 if he didn't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 How old is the furnace? May want to do both at the same time. I belive you would need the coil for on top of the furnace but again it may be necessary to replace the furnace is that is also old. Probably shoud just get a 2 ton package from comfortmaker or someone you trust down your area. I guess if your talking an outside unit, coil for the furnace, lineset along with probably outdoor electrical upgrade, you are talking about $1000 or so for parts, possibly cheaper if you go the Neutron route and then another $500 or so for labor. I'm not an expert though, just know a little bit about the industry. Where do you live again, Cincy? Furnace was installed 2003 before I bought the house. Yes, Cincy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Because I powder my sack, I don't have to worry about AC. Much cheaper in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 Refrigerant: There are 2 types now: R22, which is the current refrigerant, and R410A, which is a new refrigerant which is more environmentally friendly. Manufacturers MUST produce R410A only by 2010. I did not know that. I probably won't be in this house more than 2 years, so I'll probably let the next owner deal with that. Brand: Take a look at Amana right now. Thanks, I will. Cost: You can expect to pay about $3000 for an AC and coil for a 13 SEER, R22 (older) refrigerant. Feel free to PM me your quote numbers and I can tell you if you are getting ripped off. I have a good sense of what cost is and what overhead and commission costs, so I can be a good resource to let you know if you are getting a good deal. I was figuring about that. I'll definitely PM you should we decide to go forward. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Great Info Chief Dick. I remember seeing the Amana Brand spoken of highly in the Consumer Reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 While we deal more with RTUs and chilled water systems than we do with split systems, Trane is usually what is specified on all the larger projects around here. We have had very little in the way of problems with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrudge Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Shop around a little and get multiple quotes from multiple companies. Some brands are manufactured by the same company but sold with a different sticker. For instance, United Technologies is probably best known for it's main brand, Carrier. But they also own Bryant, Comfortmaker, Heil, Payne, and a few others I believe. They also make the electronic controls for other manufacturers but don't put their names on them. Amana is owned by Goodman. Also get references from people that have had replacements/retrofits and check on the quality, issues, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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