UGH....we need a new AC/Heating unit!

[tiggerlover]

When we bought our house last summer we knew that the house had the original AC/Heating unit, but we were lead to believe replacement would not be right away. Well, 9 months later it looks like we will need a whole new system. We are looking at about $6,000 for a new unit and our home warranty company is not sure how much they will cover. We have American Home Shield and first estimates are that they will cover only $1,000, but they are still checking into it. Has anyone had any experience with a claim thru AHS or any experience replacing a heating and AC system?

 

[S. C.]

When we bought our house last summer we knew that the house had the original AC/Heating unit, but we were lead to believe replacement would not be right away. Well, 9 months later it looks like we will need a whole new system. We are looking at about $6,000 for a new unit and our home warranty company is not sure how much they will cover. We have American Home Shield and first estimates are that they will cover only $1,000, but they are still checking into it. Has anyone had any experience with a claim thru AHS or any experience replacing a heating and AC system?

We just got a Geo Thermal system last sept-oct. We love it, living in michigan our heating bills for jan,feb,march was $50 & $60 a month. We keep our heat on 72 degrees have a full basement and the house is appr 2000 sq ft.

We've never had central air till now so this will be new to us. DH's sister is the one who recommended this system to us. They had it in their other house for over 15 yrs and liked it so well that when they built their new house they went with the same system.

I think DH said you need an acre to go geo thermal. You might want to google it for more info.

 

[tiggerlover]

We just got a Geo Thermal system last sept-oct. We love it, living in michigan our heating bills for jan,feb,march was $50 & $60 a month. We keep our heat on 72 degrees have a full basement and the house is appr 2000 sq ft.

We've never had central air till now so this will be new to us. DH's sister is the one who recommended this system to us. They had it in their other house for over 15 yrs and liked it so well that when they built their new house they went with the same system.

I think DH said you need an acre to go geo thermal. You might want to google it for more info.

In Virginia Beach having an acre would mean you have a prime piece of property and we aren't so lucky. I have never heard of Geo Thermal before, but sounds like a good deal. Thanks for the information.

 

[NikiM20]

i just replaced my outside air unit today ....$1400 for 1 hrs work and they only came in the house to turn the thermostat on.....Said when this on goes out they will have to replace everything on the inside too

 

[S. C.]

In Virginia Beach having an acre would mean you have a prime piece of property and we aren't so lucky. I have never heard of Geo Thermal before, but sounds like a good deal. Thanks for the information.

I don't know how exactly but we have a heat pump it runs off of our well water and some how uses the heat in the winter and the coolness in the summer.

DH said you don't need an acre to have a heat pump just need an acre if you want to use it as Geo Thermal. I guess Geo Thermal is more effecient then just the heat pump.

 

[jfulcer]

When we bought our house last summer we knew that the house had the original AC/Heating unit, but we were lead to believe replacement would not be right away. Well, 9 months later it looks like we will need a whole new system. We are looking at about $6,000 for a new unit and our home warranty company is not sure how much they will cover. We have American Home Shield and first estimates are that they will cover only $1,000, but they are still checking into it. Has anyone had any experience with a claim thru AHS or any experience replacing a heating and AC system?

Ok, two suggestions:

1) I checked AHS's web site and they specifically say that heating/AC is covered - but I would check your policy to see what it specifically says. I would NOT rely on them to tell you what you are entitled to - that is what your contract is for. I would seriously review your contract before agreeing to anything with them.

2) Did you have a home inspection? Some good home inspection organizations guarantee their inspections are accurate for the life that is left in major mechanicals on your house. Again, check your inspection and see if there is a guarantee and exactly how long he said the furnace would last.

Good luck!

 

[decaff38]

Get at least 4 estimates for a new unit plus the labor. I would say you are being taken at $6,000.00. The new air conditioning unit have energy rebates and tax credits too so be sure to ask about them when they do their estimates. Estimates are FREE!!!! The more info you have the better decision you will make. I would also speak to your neighbors about their systems to find what works the best.
My husband owns a HVAC company and said it would be impossible to charge $6,000 for and airconditioning job unless your over 6,000 sq.ft.

BEWARE!!!!!

 

[golfgal]

Get at least 4 estimates for a new unit plus the labor. I would say you are being taken at $6,000.00. The new air conditioning unit have energy rebates and tax credits too so be sure to ask about them when they do their estimates. Estimates are FREE!!!! The more info you have the better decision you will make. I would also speak to your neighbors about their systems to find what works the best.
My husband owns a HVAC company and said it would be impossible to charge $6,000 for and airconditioning job unless your over 6,000 sq.ft.

BEWARE!!!!!

It sounds like she needs a furnace and an AC compressor. Even so, $6000 is on the high side for both unless they need to redo the duct work, etc.

 

[tiggerlover]

Ok, two suggestions:

1) I checked AHS's web site and they specifically say that heating/AC is covered - but I would check your policy to see what it specifically says. I would NOT rely on them to tell you what you are entitled to - that is what your contract is for. I would seriously review your contract before agreeing to anything with them.

2) Did you have a home inspection? Some good home inspection organizations guarantee their inspections are accurate for the life that is left in major mechanicals on your house. Again, check your inspection and see if there is a guarantee and exactly how long he said the furnace would last.

Good luck!

1) I know they cover the heating/AC, but the catch is they get to decide what they cover. *If* the unit is repairable in any way, shape or form they will do the minimum repair to make the unit operational. They are still on the fence as to what they will cover as they are having a hard time locating an available replacement part since the unit is 20 years old. What we are going to end up doing is taking a cash out from them, by this I mean whatever they are willing to pair in repair costs they will send to us towards a brand new unit. But even though 2-3 HVAC places have said it needs replacing they won't cover a new unit as the things that are wrong can be repair. All the HVAC people agree it *can* be repaired, but it will only be a temporary fix and may cause other problems down the road.

2) Our home inspection was not contingent on the sale of the house. The housing market here last year was such that if you had any contingencies at all one of the 5 other people bidding on the property would get the house. The home inspector was very upfront with us, so we knew it would be an issue at some point, just not this soon. But it was also because of this that we signed up for the home warranty to begin with, so it was a good thing.

I am hoping that I will know more tomorrow from AHS and we will have one final company come out to give us an estimate on everything. My fingers are crossed that AHS will cover a little bit more than they originally said.

 

[tiggerlover]

Get at least 4 estimates for a new unit plus the labor. I would say you are being taken at $6,000.00. The new air conditioning unit have energy rebates and tax credits too so be sure to ask about them when they do their estimates. Estimates are FREE!!!! The more info you have the better decision you will make. I would also speak to your neighbors about their systems to find what works the best.
My husband owns a HVAC company and said it would be impossible to charge $6,000 for and airconditioning job unless your over 6,000 sq.ft.

BEWARE!!!!!

I have talked to a few people, co-workers included and I was told $6000 was about right. We are replacing everything, the unit outside, the one in the attic, they have to put in a new slab, run some lines from the attic thru a new gutter to the unit outside and remove the old equipment (the unit in the attic will have to be cut in pieces as it won't fit out of our access area. I will see what the last company says on Monday after they come and do thier estimate.

 

[tiggerlover]

It sounds like she needs a furnace and an AC compressor. Even so, $6000 is on the high side for both unless they need to redo the duct work, etc.

I just pulled the quote as I was curious and what is included is a 3 ton air handler, condensor, drain pan and safety switch, digital thermostat, concrete pad, sheet metal, refrigerator line, 13 SEER system, parts, labor with a 10 year warranty on the compressor, 5 years on parts and 1 year labor.

 

[mum4jenn]

Are you sure the whole unit needs to be replaced???? We had a leak in the condenser coils and we could have gotten a whole new unit or just have the coils replaced. The company we called said they had to order the part and it would take 2-3 weeks and cost $750 total. My dh found someone he works with that is certified in that kind of work and he got the part needed that very day and did all the work for $400. Even if it is the whole unit that needs to be replaced do call around and also check with your power company for rebates available. They usually offer rebates for buying energy effecient models as well as some different brands have rebates.

 

[CEDmom]

We had both our outside unit and inside condensor replaced 3 years ago. All together it was about $4500-5000. We upgraded to a bigger unit so there was some duct and electrical work that had to be done.

Even with a home inspection these thing can go with no warning. Literally ours was fine and then 1 day it just blew.

Sorry, I don't know about dealing with a home warranty.

BTW, how old is your system? Ours was 15 yr old when it went. We consider ourselves lucky that it lasted that long since many neighbors only got 10-12 out of theirs.

 

[tiggerlover]

We had both our outside unit and inside condensor replaced 3 years ago. All together it was about $4500-5000. We upgraded to a bigger unit so there was some duct and electrical work that had to be done.

Even with a home inspection these thing can go with no warning. Literally ours was fine and then 1 day it just blew.

Sorry, I don't know about dealing with a home warranty.

BTW, how old is your system? Ours was 15 yr old when it went. We consider ourselves lucky that it lasted that long since many neighbors only got 10-12 out of theirs.

We are upgrading as well, the current unit is 20 years old and rusted out, the drain pan is so rusted they are afraid if it fails we risk the ceiling getting wet and falling in. We are upgrading as well, we currently have a 2.5 ton and were told that for over 2,000 sq. feet we need a bit bigger of a system. We have been told by several people that we have been fortunate that the system has lasted 20 years as the normal life span is 10-15. I feel a bit better now hearing that you paid that much 3 years ago.

 

[tiggerlover]

Are you sure the whole unit needs to be replaced???? We had a leak in the condenser coils and we could have gotten a whole new unit or just have the coils replaced. The company we called said they had to order the part and it would take 2-3 weeks and cost $750 total. My dh found someone he works with that is certified in that kind of work and he got the part needed that very day and did all the work for $400. Even if it is the whole unit that needs to be replaced do call around and also check with your power company for rebates available. They usually offer rebates for buying energy effecient models as well as some different brands have rebates.

We can do a basic fix for about $1,000, however, the system is in such need that it would be a waste of money. We have definitely decided to replace VS. fixing, we are just getting a few quotes before we make our decision. We want to fix it once and for all and be done with it and not have to worry about secondary issues since the unit has exceeded its life span.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

I got estimates last fall for a new system (AC & furnace). They would have to replace all the stuff (except vents), as our system is 18 years old. The estimates were for $6,000-$10,000, I had no idea it was so expensive. Thankfully we have not had any problems with our current system but I do know it could die any time it feels like it. I think the average life span is only 15 years.

Hopefully your home warranty picks up a good chunk of the cost.

 

[tiggerlover]

I got estimates last fall for a new system (AC & furnace). They would have to replace all the stuff (except vents), as our system is 18 years old. The estimates were for $6,000-$10,000, I had no idea it was so expensive. Thankfully we have not had any problems with our current system but I do know it could die any time it feels like it. I think the average life span is only 15 years.

Hopefully your home warranty picks up a good chunk of the cost.

I am feeling better hearing about your estimate and the last one, I was beginning to worry that I was being taken. I hope you don't have to replace yours any time soon because it is a HUGE expense!