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| Only dead fish go with the flow  |
Hey Gang, I need to replace my central air conditioning unit. It's an old Kenmore unit that must be around 30 years old. I've been putting it off but I need to scratch this off the never-ending list. Not sure if it matters but I have a forced hot air system (Trane furnace). What brands should I be considering/avoiding? I intend to do the install myself. My neighbor has whatever equipment is needed and he'll give me a hand. My house is around 2,000 sqft. | ||
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| Thank you Very little  |
There are quite a few good products, I think BigDeal did something similar, got local quotes then bought his AC unit direct, not sure of the company then contracted with a local installer to save a bunch of money. Your big issue will be the warranty on the new unit and if the manufacturing company requires professional install or it voids the warranty Go with the best seer level you can afford, in your case the minimum they sell today is 13 which is going to be significantly better performance than your old unit. | |||
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God, let's not go there again given the attitude of our local pro HVAC member(s) to that approach. pessimist, if you want more info on what I did with my replacement system, email me (address is in my profile). Without a licensed HVAC contractor doing the install, you'll likely have no warranty. Rule of thumb, find a good, licensed contractor (assuming you can find one) to do the install so you can insure your warranty is in place. Standard warranty today across most products is 1 year parts and labor on everything and 10 year compressor replacement to the original purchaser. 14/15 SEER is very common, though you can chase SEER into the 20's if you're willing to pay the up charge. As HRK noted, even a new 14/15 SEER unit will offer you far better performance than your old machine. ----------------------------- Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter | |||
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I like Carrier. We just replace our still running 26 year old Carrier with a new one and also replaced the furnace with a new Carrier at the same time. We got the basic Carrier 13 SEER unit and our electric use went down dramatically compared to the outdated unit LOL. Had it installed by Carrier factory authorized installed who also included 10 year parts and labor warranty with no requirements on maintenance by them or anyone else. The owner came out to give us the estimate and told me he would happily sell me a more efficient Carrier AC unit but that the extra cost would not be recovered by energy savings here in the midwest. I certainly appreciated his honesty. | |||
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My HVAC is 17 years old - may be due for replacement any time now..... Costco usually has HVAC products / installation in the local store. Is this a good path to go? Or not recommended - find a licensed HVAC contractor / dedicated HVAC business? "Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy "A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book | |||
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I just had my last of 3 Trane systems replaced with Carrier systems which we like a lot so far. But I’m only in the 4th year on the first downstairs Carrier system. Don’t just buy the brand, buy the company that’s installing it and servicing it over the years. | |||
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| Thank you Very little |
 I figured you could handle it LOLI think he's just looking for hardware recommendations which is why you came to mind as to how/where purchase a unit privately | |||
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| Member |
My non-attitude typical response is go with the best warranty and proper install. There is several sites that sell systems direct. I do not recommend letting the efficiency rating an important factor in your decision. If you can afford the higher level system and will be staying at your residence for a good length of time, then consider it as an factor in the decision. Now there is a variance in what people think is a proper installation. Even a professionally installed system can fail, but the odds compared to an improper or a good enough mentality or simply just ignorance ( there is plenty of that out there in the trade )has a greater probability of failure. So key is trust the person who is performing the install. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. | |||
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Good advice but its even simpler than that. If you really research the components included under the skin in most of these machines, you'll find there isn't a world of difference between them. Hence the reason the warranties are virtually identical across the industry. The name on the outside of the case is becoming almost irrelevant, with the exception of a few of the high end high SEER systems. And as much as I pride myself a skilled DIY'er and frugle consumer, hire a licensed HVAC contractor to do your install so there's no issues with the manufacturer's warranty. ----------------------------- Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter | |||
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We've had about three threads on this in the past year. I chose Daikin. ------- Trying to simplify my life... | |||
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If you want the best: Trane. Buy you’ll pay for it. If not, most of the other brands use a lot of the same equipment. ——————————————— The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1 | |||
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I'm with the "go with the best installer, and the brand they install". In this immediate area, the brand used by the best HVAC contractor is Trane. It's either a 10 or 12 year warranty on the compressor (forget which). This is for a ducted system. We also have a few Trane mini-splits, installed by the same contractor. When in doubt, mumble | |||
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I asked the same questions when I was looking at replacing a 17 year-old heat pump (Trane) and a 25 year-old air handling unit (make unknown). The advice I took was to look for the installer with the best reputation and go with what he sells. In my case the best installer is a guy with a 2-man crew that installs and repairs American Standard equipment. They not only installed the new heat pump and matching air-handling system, but also installed motorized flappers in the existing ducts, and a remote sensor on the top floor. What a tremendous difference all of this work made on the habitability of a 40 year-old house, and it's been trouble-free (5 years) since installation - as it should be. The advice I received and will always remember is - With great equipment but a mediocre installer you are likely to have problems, but with a great installer, even with mediocre equipment, you are likely to be happy in the long-run. Not that American Standard is mediocre (it's very good equipment), it's the being aware that who you get is more important than what you get. | |||
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Avoid Lennox. They use copper indoor coils which are susceptible to corrosion. You want aluminum evap coils. | |||
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You did good. Trane and American Standard are both owned by Ingersol Rand and built in the same factory last I heard. ——————————————— The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1 | |||
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I've replaced my system twice - once within two years of moving in, and again earlier this year. This time, I spent more by having all the ducts replaced with new insulated ones, and having the old insulation in the attic replaced. The old stuff was the consistency of shredded newspaper. During the winter I may not have saved a lot on heating, but I did keep the house a few degrees warmer than I had in the past. So far this summer, I have noticed that the system doesn't run nearly as much when the temperatures get up to 100-105 degrees. My old system would probably run continuously during the hot hours trying to maintain the set temperature. The new system cycles on and off during that same temperature. Yes, it cost me more, but I plan other upgrades on the house in the next year to make it more attractive and efficient before I decide to move. | |||
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| Get my pies outta the oven!  |
Not true anymore. I had a new Lennox system put in last July and everything is aluminum alloy now. | |||
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I'll take my 'attitude' (facts, experience and knowledge) and go on down the road. There's plenty of other member's who can't wait for the opportunity to post inaccurate information. You'd think they'd at least revisit a thread and read the post (quoting their post) which points out their false comments. I guess knowing the FACTS before giving advice is something of the past. So sad to say the least, makes it hard for someone to get the facts, when the facts get overshadowed by all the false assumptions/posts. | |||
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| Only dead fish go with the flow |
Thanks for the comments. I see there must have been some controversy  in a prior thread that I missed. Not to re-open wounds but my reluctance to contact install vendors straight away is really based on information from people in my area that went through the process. I was hoping to spare myself what I know is inevitable from the local vendors i.e. labor quotes that well exceed the cost of a good unit.The warranty issue is a valid concern. But paying more than the cost of the unit up front to keep the warranty in force doesn't seem to make sense. | |||
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pessimist, you do not have a location or contact info in your public profile. Maybe someone here has had experience with a company local to you. I do not usually post specific company information online. Do you know what makes a good or bad install? Load calculations, duct sizes, air flows, and current codes? This is part of the labor cost, along with warranty work, taxes, licenses and normal business expenses like giving free estimates.  Go to a local hvac supply house at a morning non rush time with a couple of dozen fresh donuts. Ask the counter people for names and numbers of people or companies that seem to stay busy with installs. Do not ask for quality comments as they can not give them. Many of these have bulletin boards with business cards tacked up. If you want to do your own install, learn what makes a good install, and double check the compatibility of the old duct work unless you are replacing it also. | |||
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