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HVAC replacement

dimyh

By dimyh
in Can You Help Me With This?

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dimyh

dimyh 1874

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AC unit has died and I'm looking to upgrade. It was an old system, probably 15-20 years old, so not a shocker. First time dealing with this stuff so any tips (and just the tip are appreciated). Heater is around the same age so I will probably update all at once. Old one was a 4 ton unit for an 18k sqft home. Should I go down to a 3.5 ton unit? Also is Goodman a good brand? Already got 1 quote using that brand.

 

 

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skeeter

skeeter 454

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My home is a bit over1800 ft² ... had my POS contractor-brand Carrier unit replaced with a 4-ton 16 seer Amana unit (top of the line Goodman) with gas heater in 2012.  Has run tip-top since installation.  Unit has the single large media filter that I change every 6 months.

My neighbor had his replaced in 2017 with a 4-ton 18 seer Trane unit.  A bit more expensive, but he's happy with it.

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dimyh

dimyh 1874

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45 minutes ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Yea, no shit. Just give your Butler the checkbook and let him take care of it.  Meanwhile take the jet to your cabin in Aspen until it gets fixed.

Whoops. I was thinking in Surly 1% numbers. Place is same size as skeeter's. So one vote for Amana. Did you see any immediate benefit on electric bills?

And sounds like I need to take the Vic approach and don't go under 4 tons.

 

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luke duke

luke duke 6414

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Posted
AC unit has died and I'm looking to upgrade. It was an old system, probably 15-20 years old, so not a shocker. First time dealing with this stuff so any tips (and just the tip are appreciated). Heater is around the same age so I will probably update all at once. Old one was a 4 ton unit for an 18k sqft home. Should I go down to a 3.5 ton unit? Also is Goodman a good brand? Already got 1 quote using that brand.
 
 


Goodman is fine. Just make sure and register the unit after it’s installed to maximize the warranty. If you’re home is well insulated a 3.5 ton may be sufficient. Do a Manual J calculation to be sure.
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skeeter

skeeter 454

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18 hours ago, dimyh said:

Place is same size as skeeter's. So one vote for Amana. Did you see any immediate benefit on electric bills?

Average monthly whole house usage for the 5 month period, May thru September 2019 was about 1560 kwh.  Our thermostat was set at a constant 73 degrees all day long, except when Mrs. skeeter had her hot flashes, then lower. 

The Amana unit has a two-stage scroll compressor and fan system that cycles down power use when the temp differential is not that high, like at night.  I think this is the norm for most any modern hvac system these days.

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dimyh

dimyh 1874

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20 hours ago, Errestaurants said:

The brand/maker of the unit is not as important as who does the installation in my experience. The major brands are all pretty comparable. 

And because of your avatar I implicitly believe you. Good to know and now time for a beer.

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Jkwellborn

Jkwellborn 6724

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Anyone have experience going from an updraft unit located in an interior closet to a unit entirely in the attic?  Considering doing this when ours shits the bed.

Fuck that shit. Air handlers in the attic is a bitch move. I always hated installing those, especially in existing homes.
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William_Cannon

William_Cannon 86

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Goodman is fine. Just make sure and register the unit after it’s installed to maximize the warranty. If you’re home is well insulated a 3.5 ton may be sufficient. Do a Manual J calculation to be sure.

This.

Also one of my HVAC engineer friends says there is little difference between Goodman and Amana. In many cases it’s literally just the badge.
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  • 11 months later...
Noogman

Noogman 161

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Going to resurrect this thread for my own needs. We moved into an 1100 sf, 2-story condo/townhome back in December. One of the things we're planning on replacing sooner than later is the HVAC. Both electric heater and AC are about 20 years old, and we want to get ahead of the AC before it shits out on us in the heat of summer. Couple of things:

1) The ductwork is older and does not have a splitter in it, so all of the air hits the top floor first and whatever is left over goes to the bottom floor (ductwork and interior unit are located in the attic). Made for a chilly downstairs in winter, but we're not sure how it'll be come summertime (I know heat rises blah blah). That's something we'd like to get fixed with this. How much of a pain is this going to be to do correctly/how much is this going to cost/is it even feasible to do? 

2) Anybody have any recs in the Austin area for a good HVAC company?

3) Anything else I need to consider before moving forward?

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3281

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david naylor is my guy.  he does great work and is honest.  treats his employees really well.  we've used him for well over a decade now for a couple full installs and several minor things.  doesn't nickel and dime you.  in fact a couple times we've had issues and he's come out and spent a few hours fixing it and then not charging us even though the work didn't fall under any kind of warranty.  he is good.  512.656.6226 is his cell.  he also has a business line but i don't have it on me right now.

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Updawg

Updawg 2286

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I’d get a couple of bids and would definitely consider getting a splitter. That doesn’t sound good they way it is now


I replaced mine through go green two years ago and definitely recommend them. A good installer is very important.

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Judge Roybeanbag

Judge Roybeanbag 11820

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On 4/29/2021 at 1:35 PM, Updawg said:

I’d get a couple of bids and would definitely consider getting a splitter. That doesn’t sound good they way it is now


I replaced mine through go green two years ago and definitely recommend them. A good installer is very important.

We used Go Green 2 years ago as well and they did a great job.  

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  • 1 year later...
fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4638

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3 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

Bump.

My downstairs unit is 15 years old and is on its last leg.  I got a quote for a 4 ton lennox 2 stage AC and furnace for $13,100.  17 SEER. In central TX. How reasonable/unreasonable does that sound?

I Have No Idea What I'm Doing | Know Your Meme

 

 

 

I’ll check the seer but got a quote for 12k a week or two ago. Might have been 14seer, obviously bigly different, but I can’t recall at all now.  Interested myself as I’d like to upgrade.   But would I need to upgrade both units?  That’s Houston area. I hope the pricing isn’t terrible, this dude has been our AC guy since we built the house and has been great. 
 

Mines a compressor going out, and is killing the soft starts somewhat frequently. 

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Jkwellborn

Jkwellborn 6724

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I’ll check the seer but got a quote for 12k a week or two ago. Might have been 14seer, obviously bigly different, but I can’t recall at all now.  Interested myself as I’d like to upgrade.   But would I need to upgrade both units?  That’s Houston area. I hope the pricing isn’t terrible, this dude has been our AC guy since we built the house and has been great. 
 
Mines a compressor going out, and is killing the soft starts somewhat frequently. 

14 SEER is probably the lowest SEER available now.
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statsman

statsman 5474

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I got an 18 Seer five ton Lennox last summer. A month later, heard a bump and the compress shut off. Turned out there was a voltage surge in my 45 year old house and the circuit board is supposed to shut down if the voltage spikes (part of 18 Seer). They said I needed a voltage regulator put in, as my voltage averages high. I pointed out they could have checked my voltage before selling me the unit. 

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4638

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12 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:


14 SEER is probably the lowest SEER available now.

Ok so it was one above that then. Because there supposedly is about to be another jump up, and the lowest of low available now was a bit cheaper, I remember that. I’m traveling but will find it when I get home. 

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