Looking for opinions - I am going to need a new A/C (1 Viewer)

[DrStrange]

My 18 year old A/C unit is reaching the end of its lifespan. One of the major parts needs to be replaced (variable speed fan) and the two bids I got were $1,400 and $1800 with each company suggesting it is better to replace a unit that old rather than risk subsequent repairs like the compressor going out. I agree with this assessment. It can easily turn into a money pit that ends up costing more than just buying a new replacement unit.

I am seeing some nasty reviews on various major product lines. So many vitriolic reviews that I suspect the companies are attacking each others product lines by leaving hostile feedback. I have not seen so much negativity and even hostility in any product class I have ever purchased. Though I expect if the Internet existed back in the day when American made cars were so awful I might have found something similar.

This has caught me by surprise. A/C technology is very well solved. We aren't talking about anything exotic. Yet it appears that a fair chuck of the products offered are terrible values, no matter how well known the brand name is. (And there aren't but a handful of makers even though there are dozens of "brands".)

The A/C is perhaps the most important appliance for someone living in Texas. I know the hundred degree days of summer are just around the corner. So there isn't a lot of time to ponder this decision. But I'd not like to spend close to ten thousand bucks only to find I ended up with nothing more than an expensive pain in the butt that doesn't reliably keep my house comfortable.

DrStrange

 

[Quicksilver-75]

How many square feet is your house?

 

[MegaTon44]

Hey Doc,

I am not handy nor an HVAC expert, but I will share my opinion as I have purchased 2 AC units in the last few years. @Quicksilver-75 asks a very good question about square footage. My old house was like 1800 sq ft (including basement) and I had my 17 year old AC unit swapped out with a 3 ton, 13 SEER (13 is the least energy efficient allowed by law I believe) Goodman unit for $1,500 total (including labor). This included a blower to push this extra air around the house. This was a very good deal in the Philadelphia market, which I would figure is pricier than Texas, but greater vendor saturation, so more price competition.

My current house (around 3,500 sq ft) only had 1 zone AC (4 Ton, 13 SEER I believe), so I added one in the attic to blow down onto the top floor. For an Amana 3 ton, 14 SEER unit and all vents it cost $6,000 installed.

My recommendation would be to purchase a new unit and blower. The lower the SEER (efficiency), the cheaper the unit, so I would say a 3-4 ton, 13-14 SEER unit should work for you, unless your house is > 4000 sq ft, to which you may want to consider more tonnage. Rigging up an old unit is purely a money pit venture in my opinion.

 

[Mr. Cheese]

I'm by no means a HVAC expert either but I did save a ton of money on my car insurance.... an AC unit replacement.

My last house the AC unit failed (had a leak and the compressor got hot and blew a hole through the side of it). It was from 1998 so it was an R22 (If I remember correctly). I ended up going through a wholesale HVAC supplier to get a Goodman 2.5 Ton 13 Seer unit for around 650 bucks. My dad and I removed the old unit which was completely empty (we tried evacuating the system but a big hole in the compressor meant everything was gone already). We did the install ourselves and just paid my neighbor who was an HVAC guy to pull a vacuum on the system to make sure there weren't any leaks and then he re-charged it. Total cost was like 900 doing it that way.

 

[DrStrange]

My house is ~5,000 SQ feet. It is zoned, roughly 2,000 on one unit and 3,000 for the one that is out. The old unit was a 14 SEER - likely one of the higher end units from the 1990s but now that is the lowest quality unit commonly sold.

 

[MegaTon44]

How about a 4 ton, 18 SEER Amana unit. ~$2,100 + shipping on the Sears website, so I would figure whatever company you use couldn't gouge you too much on price. I would think installed would be around $3,500 with the necessary hardware. Better than spending $1,400 or $1,800 on a temporary fix, then having to spend the full amount shortly after.

 

[atomiktoaster]

Don't listen to these yankees Doc. You probably pay $1000+ annually in electricity costs for your A/C. If you can cut that by 20% spending a bit more? +EV all day.

I'll run your numbers by my friend who's an A/C guy and get back to you.

 

[luckbox]

My house is ~5,000 SQ feet. It is zoned, roughly 2,000 on one unit and 3,000 for the one that is out. The old unit was a 14 SEER - likely one of the higher end units from the 1990s but now that is the lowest quality unit commonly sold.

1 story 2 or 3?

what type of fuel..all electric, natural gas,propane?

 

[Tommy]

My central AC is over 15 years old. I had to replace a cracked condesation pan and a dual run capacitor (looks like a soda can ). Both times they suggested replacing the entire system.

I just fixed it myself. $35 in parts.

Have you priced the new part yourself? As long as you don't have to mess with the line set/refrigerant, swapping components is pretty simple.

 

[atomiktoaster]

Absent a load calculation, the rule of thumb is 500 sq ft/ton, according to my A/C guy. Unless you have a well insulated place with sprayfoam and good windows, you're probably looking at 5 ton. His guess for an 18 SEER 5 ton was $10k+ installed. Get some quotes and have them show you some numbers. Where do you keep your thermostat set? The colder you like it, the more tons you need.

 

[DrStrange]

My house is one story, metal roof and stone exterior. The windows are mid range - double pane. There are a lot of windows, really a lot. Everything is electric except for the stove and decorative fireplaces which are propane.

The broke part is a variable speed fan. It is obsolete. I got two bids for the work (and didn't tell the second guy what the first guy said). Both had the same diagnosis and roughly comparable part cost.

We use the A/C as the heater in the winter. So I am not just focusing on the summer months for cost savings. My worst electrical bill of the year is always in the cold months.

I am using several calculators for figuring the trade off between a more expensive unit / higher SEER unit vs the energy savings. It isn't cut and dried that the more efficient unit is worth the extra cost. For example, one estimate was a $50/year savings on a jump from a 14 SEER to a 15 SEER unit. It took well over ten years just to recover the cost, and once I tossed in the lost earnings on the money invested in the better unit, it never would pay for itself.

 

[luckbox]

My house is one story, metal roof and stone exterior. The windows are mid range - double pane. There are a lot of windows, really a lot. Everything is electric except for the stove and decorative fireplaces which are propane.

my mom bought a brand new home that the heat runs on propane, i am not a big fan of it since i think a heat pump would have been more efficient for her as she is in FL for the winters and she lives in the southeast USA anyway....small home 2,200 sf and i hate the heat pump hybrid hot water tank they put in also...all this energy efficient shit i think getas out of hand but i only know just enought to bitch about it.... would like to hear others that know more than i about propane heat vrs standard heat pump in mild climate

do you have an amply supply of propane that could run a furnace?....so it sounds like you have a heat pump now, one story with 5,000 SF is alot of SF for a heat pump, my opinion, but i forgot you have 2 units....