Central Air replacement

[C W]

Hey all.



I have a couple off topic questions regarding replacement of a central air unit.



history:

My A/C is as old as the house (22yrs) and when we turned on the air last week, it sounded fine, yet the house would not cool down. Had the guy out this morning and he found a couple leaks; in the condenser as well as the coil. Basically, there isn't any coolant/refrigerant to make the house cool. Refilling it would be pointless as it would just leak right out. He gave a quote for $2100 to replace the condenser and coil.



questions:

I asked if he could just replace the fittings that were leaking. He said no. Is that true?



He also stated the unit I have is too big (it's a 4 ton unit). Said I could go with a 3-3.5 (he's getting back to me on that). I guess they just put big units in when the houses were built, but now they're more efficient?



Finally, the unit he wants to use is a Goodman, 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). Is this a good unit?



The guy is also doing a complete load rating on the house and will get back to me on that.



I'm going to research a little on the web, but any info you guys can provide is much appreciated.



Thanks

CW

 

[Greg Grimes01]

i always figure 1 ton of ac per 500sq.ft. of house. goodman is a cheap unit. go with a york ,trane ,or carrier.pay a little more and get a good unit... where are the leaks at ? alot of times the leaks are on the schrader valves ,which can be replaced.leaks in the evap. core are rare. get a second look..

any more questions ,feel free to ask,or call....i do ac work in houston....

 

[troy malone]

$2100 doesn't sound bad... i have a buddy that does heat and A/C. He put in a new furnace (gas forced hot air) and A-Coil in my house a few months ago for $2300..(half what a company quotd me) He wanted to put in a new outside unit and a SEER 13 a-coil for an additional $2000.. My outside unit was still in very good shape, so i decided to wait... the new stuff is way more effecient.. i noticed a big difference in my gas bill this past year..



troy

 

[Kevin Palmer]

It almost sounds to me that he just happens to have a unit he is willing to sell you??? Hmmmm.



I would suggest calling another AC guy and see if they come up with the same info.



Good piece of mind...

 

[Ben Poche]

i put in a 4 ton ducane my self last year all new copper pipe and units condensor and evaperator with electric heat and secondary pan and it cost me $1300 for all parts whole sale ducane is made by lenox and it has a 10 year warrenty.i have 1800sqf

 

[Bret Pardew]

2nd & 3rd opinions are great....

 

[Wes Davis]

Although I am not an A/C guy I can tell you that if your original system is 22 yrs old then you should go ahead and replace the entire system including having your duct work completely inspected and replaced if needed. The savings on your energy bill will be substantial and in very few years will make up for the cost of your new unit. That is just how efficient these things are now compared to 22yrs ago. You may also want to contact your power company assuming your A/C is electric as it is common for them to have programs where they may subsidize part of the cost of your new system. They will also send someone out to your home to inspect your duct work, windows and doors for energy efficiency and may have a deal with a manufacturer for you to buy the equipment from all in the name of energy conservation. I have even seen the power company pay 50% on new attic insulation as part of these programs. My experiences are all down in Florida but should be the same everywhere.

 

[Richard L]

I had my whole heat-pump and Air handler box replaced about 15 years ago and got a Rheem unit for about $2400. About 5 years ago the compressor went bad so I had the the outside unit replaced with an SEER 12.0 unit and it was much larger than the previous unit. It's 3.5 tone unit and I have an 1860 Sq Ft home in hot-hot Texas.



This new unit works good and knocked about 25% off my heating/cooling bills. I have actually had to shut some of the AC vents since the cold air blowing on you can be too extreme.



...Rich

 

[Paul Howard]

My AC guy quoted $500 to replace the A coil and refrigerant lines. He said to never change anything until it is broke. My lines have a very slow leak and so does my A coil. He is going to change them after his busy season is over.

 

[Scott Tanner]

I work in the a/c industry, and if you're in philadelphia, it'll take a while to payback a 13 seer unit. the condensing unit you have runs about 500 bucks at graingers. See you bryant or carrier dealer, and ask him if there is a bargain list unit you can get. you should be able yo R&R the condensing unit for less than a 1000 bucks..

 

[Gavin Allan]

Goodman is cheap equipment. Rheem/Ruud would be better equipment.



Installation is much more crucial to unit's life and performance however. Get a good installer.



Get 13 SEER (more will not payback for your location).



22-year old equipment has served long enough. Replace the system for better efficiency and comfort.



Consider air/air heatpump for heating. Investigate utility co rebates.



Rules of thumb for sizing are worthless. Pay contractor $150 to do a proper Manual J calculation. If they tell you Manual J is not needed, tell them to hit the road.



Good luck.

 

[Daniel Wiggins]

I live in houston and had mine replaced last year. I had them deck the attic, take out the old stuff, put in a new Carrier 14 seer system with gas furnace and my total with the touch screen digital thermostat was $5k. My light bill went from $330 a month in the summer to $210. Winter isnt more than $85 a month now.

 

[Ron N]

Greg is right. I agree that is how we size a unit in north tx as well. I have done A.C. work for 24 years now.I am sure that g g will agree, you pay like the old oil commercial, you can pay now or pay later.The higher seer rating the lower the bills. You can buy a cheap unit and replace in eight to twelve years or buy a better unit for more and replace in fifteen to twenty years. The inside coil is the cheaper of the units to replace. A high efficent inside coil should cost about 250 or so, and make sure the price is with a good expansion valve. AS far as outside units go any of the carrier products, ie bryant,day and night,payne and carrier are great units.The most expensive and longest lasting I think is Lennox. As far as a good cheap unit, the one that I prefer is Goodman Janitrol. Ok I know this is a long statement,but now you need to find out from the A.C man what fittings and where they are leaking and post it back.They maybe simple things that can be fixed,as Greg said.Putting off buying a unit for a few years. So Post back please. Ron