I know a great HVAC company out of Sulfur Springs. He will not sell you what you do not need.

quote:

Originally posted by fizteach:
I know a great HVAC company out of Sulfur Springs. He will not sell you what you do not need.

That would be awesome, but I’m in North Richland Hills, close to FW. Thanks though!

Let me know what you find. I am in the area as well and would be curious to find a good HVAC guy.

^^ so far Reliant, Air Co and Air Patrol have come out on top (reference wise).

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
Our residential HVAC system is still cranking along and cooling, but.. I was told twice three years ago that it could die anytime. It’s original to the house (2005). The yearly check/tune up is scheduled for next week and hopefully it won’t be bad news, but I’d rather be prepared and learn some than be in a pinch with no AC and have to make a snap decision.

So, assume I know nothing..cause that’s about the extent of my knowledge on the subject. I think we’d need a 3 ton system (1900sq ft, one story, in Texas) with the best SEER rating we can afford. Lay it on me.

Told three years ago... would have made it 10 yr old equipment.
Must be one shitty install to warrant a replacement. Most manufactures are including 10 year warranties today. They wouldn't be including this, if the equipment was too only last 10 years.

Properly sized, installed and maintained equipment should be lasting at least 18-22 years.

quote:

Originally posted by skins2881:
Here is A really easy way to tell what size your existing system is. Look at model number, find a number divisible by six, divide by 12 that is how many tons it is. Ex 30/12 = 2.5 ton. No clue why they do this but it was helpful for me when sizing generators.

Why not look at the electrical requirements? Unit sizing wouldn't allow for efficiency.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Excam will say find the best installer/servicer in your area and go with what they recommend. Forget the name. That is hard however, as most reviews are of brand new systems or based on their time to respond. It's hard for a lay person to evaluate how good a job they did.

Very true and I can't stress this enough!

Ask friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives, church members, etc. Who they use and see if they are happy with the service they receive.
Ask if their HVAC company resolves problems in one trip vs several return trips for the same problem.
If they have a fairly new system, see how many problems have come up with the equipment.
Properly sized, installed and set-up equipment shouldn't be requiring very much attention. When people have several problems, it usually points to a crappy install.

Thank you, Sir!

Unfortunately we have engineered the manufacturing of these type units to last just around 15 years or so if you are lucky. Planned obsolescence is a reality now and they can build these things to last to just about how long they want within a year or two. Also the efficiency drops over time.

Now here is the ball buster in heating and cooling of a home... the absolutely worse way to do this is with duct work..... yep.... very inefficient...

Mini-splits.....

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
Unfortunately we have engineered the manufacturing of these type units to last just around 15 years or so if you are lucky.

Who's 'we'?

quote:

Why not look at the electrical requirements? Unit sizing wouldn't allow for efficiency.

On some units the writing wears off. I'd usually just look at LRA for starting draw and min wiring ampacity or RLA for running load. If I couldn't read that knowing tonnage of unit gives me a pretty accurate range of startung/running draws.

I could also go out there with amp clamp and push in contactor to get start up and running amps, but I'm too lazy to remove the four to six bolts to get to the contactor.

When I engineered aspects of the CR6 reciprocating and the ZR scroll compressors, we never had a life expectancy other than forever in mind. We were proud of the durability of the designs, and put them through a lot of tests to prove it.

Looked mine up based on this thread. Looks like a 3 ton. About 10 seer. Lennox HS29-036-1P. It's about 20 years old now. Guess I get to shop too.

What's the best value Seer rating these days assuming we stay in the house 5-10 years?

Two dumb questions:

1) what is a crappy vs proper install? How can one tell? What are the symptoms? What does one ask for while obtaining quotes?

2) does a larger tonnage allow for more delta to ambient? Or just a higher volume of air flow?

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Looked mine up based on this thread. Looks like a 3 ton. About 10 seer. Lennox HS29-036-1P. It's about 20 years old now. Guess I get to shop too.

Why, are you having troubles with it?
Has it required a lot of attention lately?

Given your location, If it's been working fine, I'd continue using it.

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
You know Gene, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know the brand. Its a generic version of somebodies, Bryant, etc.. Everything in the house is just “builder” grade.

Bryant is anything but builder grade ie lower quality, it's the generic version From Carrier, you get all the good stuff of a Carrier but from the line that isn't nationally advertised, it's a very good system. Take care of it it and it will last a very long time.

If it was installed correctly, and it's still cooling your home well, then have it serviced by the best servicing outfit there, keep the filters changed, and it will last, wash out the coils, keep the drain clean... etc

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
You know Gene, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know the brand. Its a generic version of somebodies, Bryant, etc.. Everything in the house is just “builder” grade.

Bryant is anything but builder grade ie lower quality, it's the generic version From Carrier, you get all the good stuff of a Carrier but from the line that isn't nationally advertised, it's a very good system.

I take his comment to mean his system is a generic version of Bryant (which would by Payne) or some other name brand manufacture, not that he has a Bryant system.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:

1) what is a crappy vs proper install? How can one tell? What are the symptoms? What does one ask for while obtaining quotes?

2) does a larger tonnage allow for more delta to ambient? Or just a higher volume of air flow?

A crappy install is a complete mess, looks like shit and causes many equipment failures.
Most quality HVAC companies will have photos of past installs. Where you can see for yourself if they look like they've been installed by a fifth grader.

A system which is larger than required will cost more money to operate and will not dehumidify as well. Plus it can cause other issues if the ducting system will not support the amount of airflow needed.

Whatever HVAC system we have (outside units labeling is worn off and the attic is over 140 degrees, I’m not going up there to check the brand) is definitely builder grade. I wasn’t knocking Bryant btw. It’s had a couple of repairs over the 6 years we’ve been here, nothing huge. It’s being serviced on the 13th, hopefully everything will be clear. I mainly started this thread to know what I was in for if it died or needs major work. We shall see.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Looked mine up based on this thread. Looks like a 3 ton. About 10 seer. Lennox HS29-036-1P. It's about 20 years old now. Guess I get to shop too.

Why, are you having troubles with it?
Has it required a lot of attention lately?

Given your location, If it's been working fine, I'd continue using it.

Not yet but the corners are heavily corroded. I can see bare tube and have a few holes I can put a finger through.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Not yet but the corners are heavily corroded. I can see bare tube and have a few holes I can put a finger through.

Animal piss eating the aluminum. It will eventually eat through the copper given enough time. You will normally see about 3-4 rows of copper before this happens.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Not yet but the corners are heavily corroded. I can see bare tube and have a few holes I can put a finger through.

Animal piss eating the aluminum. It will eventually eat through the copper given enough time. You will normally see about 3-4 rows of copper before this happens.

That was my thought and in the 20 years I guess it once had a regular visitor. At the moment there's no boy dogs around. I've also wondered if the dryer vent could contribute to this. It's only a few feet away.