Anyone had to buy new Central air/heat pump

[magic kingdom park]

We are getting ready to replace our heat pump was wondering what brands people were buying. I know trane is suppose to be good but have seen alot of bad reviews unless you buy the very expensive model. We are only looking to buy a 2 ton and have been reading up on the ruud ultra 16 ser model. I had never heard of them until we had a company come and give us some estimates, hadn't read anything bad about them . Was wondering about anyone else experience in this major purchase. We live in NC so the weather is not to bad cold and summers are hot but not like Florida.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We went through the process several years ago. Be sure to get several estimates and make each company divvies up your options by offering different seer rated units.

Consumer reports magazine has reviewed units in the past few years. Either subscribe to their service online, or see if you library has them.

Are you going to be allowed to keep your old air handler and coil, or will you be required to get new ones?

Because we went from a 1992 system to a 2005 system, we had to get a new coil and a new air handler.

Compare warranties for each offer and inquire as to how much an extended warranty costs.

Good luck and look forward to greater comfort and lower electric bills!

 

[Eureka]

We replaced ours about four years ago, the old one was original to the house built in 1989. Old one was York and we replaced it with Payne. Has worked great, so much more efficient. Forget how much we paid but it will depend on the size anyway. We live in MD so our climate is very similar to yours.

 

[DawnM]

We got a Trane. The last Trane lasted from 1989 to 2009 so I figured it must be decent.

 

[csharpwv]

Be bought our house in 2006, the heat and ac had been replaced two years prior.

We have had nothing but small problem and small problem after small problem with our system - heat and A/C alike.

We just dropped $250 this week on a new fan for the outdoor condenser - the bearings/bushings went bad and locked up. The tech got it working again to get us through a couple hot days until the new part could be installed - it was horribly loud!

Our system is a Payne.... and it really has been.... a Payne. Even the tech said that they are very efficient units, decently made, but they fail frequently due to cheap parts. The initial purchase price is lower, but it really costs you in the long-run.

We have spent at least $1,200 in repairs on this system in the last 6 years. On average we have at least one repair every unit-season (one in the winter, one in the summer).

The tech this week said that an outdoor condenser is at least $1,500 - so you can figure a new system would be at least $2,000-$2,500 depending on how much of your current system you would need to replace.

I would imagine you could far exceed $5,000 with installation and mid-high end unit.

 

[Lisa71]

We have the sears top model and no problems ..our last was theirs too and lasted 15 years prior to our replacing it in 2005.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

Last Summer we had to get a new condensing unit (the whole outside unit) but we didn't have to get a new inside unit. I think they gave us a Rheem and the unit installed cost $3200. It is a 5 ton unit and does wonderfully cooling and heating our house. It is powerful enough to not have to run all day even when it is 100 outside. It helps if your house is very well insulated too. But so far this unit has been doing well for us.

 

[magic kingdom park]

Our rheem has lasted 20 years only having a couple of inexpensive problems it was installed in 1997 it is a 9ser wondering how much of a difference a 13 or 5 ser would make in my power bill

 

[tvguy]

We put in a Trane in 1991. Independent Carrier retailer bid carrier, but called back with a Trane bid, a little cheaper, but at the time Trane was throwing in a 10 year parts and labor warranty.

2 repairs in 22 years, 1 coverd by warranty, one not, cost me $800.

Carriers are good too, my parents is almost 53 years old. No repairs. They had an energy audit, utility guy thought they were prime candidates for a new energy efficient system.......he was shocked to see how little gas and electric this one uses. Fiqured it would take 153 years for my folks to recoup the cost of a new system in energy savings.

 

[Muushka]

We had to replace our system that was only 10 years old. We replaced our dual fuel heat (heat pump and gas) and A/C with a Trane. We have not had 1 problem with the new system. We keep it well maintained.

 

[ascwilson]

Last August we bought a Carrier after our 26 year old A/C & furnace finally died. We can barely even tell it is running as it is so quiet. You knew when our old York was running as it was loud. We did notice a difference in our heating bills this winter which was really nice.

 

[Ginny Favers]

There is a website that ranks all the models, and every single one of them, from TRANE to YORK to CARRIER, have horrible reviews. I think that when it comes to air conditioning, so many things can go wrong, and people love to complain about them.

The name that had the best reviews of all of them, even though they were still not "great", was Amana. We got an Amana system installed last year and it has been great. I do agree that you should shop around and get estimates as our estimates were vastly different, and each person seemed to think we needed a different size system. I would definitely invest in Angie's List to get some good reviews as I think HVAC is one of those things where the system you choose is only half the equation... The technician who installs it is just as important, as there are many things that can be done wrong or cheaply to cut corners and will effect the reliability and performance of the system.

 

[arthuruscg]

There is a website that ranks all the models, and every single one of them, from TRANE to YORK to CARRIER, have horrible reviews. I think that when it comes to air conditioning, so many things can go wrong, and people love to complain about them.

The name that had the best reviews of all of them, even though they were still not "great", was Amana. We got an Amana system installed last year and it has been great. I do agree that you should shop around and get estimates as our estimates were vastly different, and each person seemed to think we needed a different size system. I would definitely invest in Angie's List to get some good reviews as I think HVAC is one of those things where the system you choose is only half the equation... The technician who installs it is just as important, as there are many things that can be done wrong or cheaply to cut corners and will effect the reliability and performance of the system.

Just to reinforce Ginny Favers post, the technician can make or break the instillation.

 

[rock_doctor]

You can go here and see what is available as well as get a rough ideal what the main hardware will cost. You have to take that cost with a grain of salt as the installer will also need to supply mounting hardware, pipe, maybe even remake some of the ducts but is your estimates are excessively more then... I don't recommend doing the work yourself, but you can be a little more informed. Imho there are only a couple companies that make these things (there is more then two but you get the point). So you may be looking at a dozen different names but maybe only a small handful of actual manufacturers. Good luck, get as many estimates as you can. You will be shocked how wide the spread is from the most expensive to the cheapest.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

We are getting ready to replace our heat pump was wondering what brands people were buying. I know trane is suppose to be good but have seen alot of bad reviews unless you buy the very expensive model. We are only looking to buy a 2 ton and have been reading up on the ruud ultra 16 ser model. I had never heard of them until we had a company come and give us some estimates, hadn't read anything bad about them . Was wondering about anyone else experience in this major purchase. We live in NC so the weather is not to bad cold and summers are hot but not like Florida.

Before you let anyone sell you anything, please allow me to encourage you to have whatever contractor you use perform what's called a Manual J Load Calculation on your home to ensure you are sold the right size of compressor.

For too many years, contractors and builders have relied on imprecise (and inaccurate) "rules of thumb" to size AC equipment, which is a really bad practice considering the expense of the equipment itself and that of operating it. A unit too large for your house will short-cycle, and a unit too small won't get your home to desired cooling levels. The HVAC industry has a huge manual of installation and measurement guidelines that are, in some parts of the country, being incorporated into building codes.

Most reputable HVAC contractors these days will be willing to perform a full Manual J calculation for you to find out where your heat gain/loss sources are, what your loads are, and how to get the right "stuff" for the money.

Learned this the hard way myself with a house that costs a fortune to heat/cool, no load calculations were done, but reworking my ductwork to resolve the improper setup would cost a huge portion of a new system, so I'm kinda stuck. Trying as best I can to offer the info to the next guy down the line and save them some hassle and expense.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Not sure if you use natural gas.

We got a great deal from our gas company, as part of their energy savings program. (in NJ, with NJNG). New furnace with heat pump, AC, water heater, re-did dryer setup, insulated the attic some more, vented the bathroom fans..... And we have a fairly big house, 2500 square feet. They do $15,000 in work, $5,000 is a grant, and you pay back the other $10,000 on your monthly gas bill, interest free. I think $80 a month, for 10 years. We took that (you could pay it up front too), if we sell the house, we just have to pay it off.

I notice a huge difference in the comfort level of the house, with a heat pump. Before, I was always fiddling with the thermostat (oh they replaced that too, of course). Now, I never touch it, except I will to switch it to AC vs heat. Bills are lower too.

House now considered an energy star home. SO check it out!