NEW HVAC system (1 Viewer)

[walnutz]

Quick question for the FFA -- I live in NC. My current AC system is 13 years old (bought the house in December and knew we would have to do something about this). The unit us making an ungodly screeching noise - sounds like metal on metal grinding. Sound is horrid. I am told that it is a fan motor and would be ~800 to repair. I am thinking dumping 800 into an old unit is useless in some ways. So, we got a quote for a 3.5 ton unit. I am wondering if 9.7K is a fair price for a 3.5 ton unit?

Any feedback?

 

[VA703]

no home warranty program?

 

[comfortably numb]

10k seems like a lot without knowing too much

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

10K is obscene.

 

[wilked]

No ductwork replacement? Materials are probably under $5K, seems like a little high

 

[Cjw_55106]

What exactly would you be getting done?

 

[Doug B]

13 years is not "too old" for an HVAC system unless it was run without oil or otherwise mistreated. I could see going north of $9K for a Rolls Royce unit or something with a huge SEER rating (assuming your talking about both a new indoor air handler [incl electric heater, no furnace] and new outdoor condenser unit at once). But for a well-good-enough set-up should be at least $2K cheaper ... and $5,000 or so might even be doable.

You might have to do some legwork to find a reliable fair-priced HVAC service. Are you kind of all alone out in NC? No family friends to give you recommendations?

 

[Doug B]

Also, walnutz, have a look at the chart and ma on this site to make sure a 3.5 T unit is what you need.

 

[walnutz]

Also, walnutz, have a look at the chart and ma on this site to make sure a 3.5 T unit is what you need.

Thanks - so the sales person came and did a load test. We have a 3 floor house with 2 external units. 1 for the 1st floor and 1 for the 2nd and 3rd floor. The 2nd and 3rd floor unit is the one with the issue. It is currently a 3 ton unit and have been told by multiple people that it is undersized for those 2 floors. The home inspector made mention of this in his report when we had the home inspected. They have to replace the in take and out take runs as they are too small for the 3.5 ton unit, put a new pad in for the outside unit etc. This company came recommended from some folks in our neighborhood. It is a 16 SEER rating Lennox. No new duct work. The ducts were fine. The current unit does not keep the 3rd floor cool really during the summer.

We have a home warranty program but they only replace if the AC is not working at all. Came from the seller of the house at closing and they have been a pain to deal with. The unit still technically works as it does cool.

 

[VA703]

Also, walnutz, have a look at the chart and ma on this site to make sure a 3.5 T unit is what you need.

Thanks - so the sales person came and did a load test. We have a 3 floor house with 2 external units. 1 for the 1st floor and 1 for the 2nd and 3rd floor. The 2nd and 3rd floor unit is the one with the issue. It is currently a 3 ton unit and have been told by multiple people that it is undersized for those 2 floors. The home inspector made mention of this in his report when we had the home inspected. They have to replace the in take and out take runs as they are too small for the 3.5 ton unit, put a new pad in for the outside unit etc. This company came recommended from some folks in our neighborhood. It is a 16 SEER rating Lennox. No new duct work. The ducts were fine. The current unit does not keep the 3rd floor cool really during the summer.

We have a home warranty program but they only replace if the AC is not working at all. Came from the seller of the house at closing and they have been a pain to deal with. The unit still technically works as it does cool.

burn the unit out run it nonstop and have home warranty replace entire unit

 

[walnutz]

Also, walnutz, have a look at the chart and ma on this site to make sure a 3.5 T unit is what you need.

Thanks - so the sales person came and did a load test. We have a 3 floor house with 2 external units. 1 for the 1st floor and 1 for the 2nd and 3rd floor. The 2nd and 3rd floor unit is the one with the issue. It is currently a 3 ton unit and have been told by multiple people that it is undersized for those 2 floors. The home inspector made mention of this in his report when we had the home inspected. They have to replace the in take and out take runs as they are too small for the 3.5 ton unit, put a new pad in for the outside unit etc. This company came recommended from some folks in our neighborhood. It is a 16 SEER rating Lennox. No new duct work. The ducts were fine. The current unit does not keep the 3rd floor cool really during the summer.

We have a home warranty program but they only replace if the AC is not working at all. Came from the seller of the house at closing and they have been a pain to deal with. The unit still technically works as it does cool.

burn the unit out run it nonstop and have home warranty replace entire unit

Problem with that is that the home warranty will only replace like for like. Which means i would get another 3 ton unit and still be undersized. Also the quality of life right now sucks as the noise is unbearable. Kids are having a hard time going to sleep at night because it is so loud and it is getting hot in their rooms. Would be stuck in same situation only a new unit.

 

[Doug B]

OK. So your dealing with a large house, with a third story, and a top-end HVAC brand (A 16 SEER rating is good enough). Plus some sheet rock/fitting work for new intake/outtake.

$9.7 K is not crazy talk. You could shop around, choose a mid-range but decent brand (e.g. Goodman, American Standard, Luxaire), + see if you can do better on the labor. In your situation, getting it all done for $8 K would be a big win, IMHO.

Don't know your finances ... but from what you've revealed in this thread, the $800 repair looks to be the clear choice. 13 years old shouldn't be an old AC unit unless something was wrong with it. And then with a new motor, you should get extra time out of the condenser.

 

[skol asylum]

I dropped 14k into 2 new Bryant units a couple years ago, a 4 ton and a 3 ton with gas heat. They were the middle of the line products at the time.

 

[ChiefD]

What part of NC do you live in? I've sold residential HVAC and now do marketing for HVAC. I may have a client in your area.

 

[ChiefD]

Quick question for the FFA -- I live in NC. My current AC system is 13 years old (bought the house in December and knew we would have to do something about this). The unit us making an ungodly screeching noise - sounds like metal on metal grinding. Sound is horrid. I am told that it is a fan motor and would be ~800 to repair. I am thinking dumping 800 into an old unit is useless in some ways. So, we got a quote for a 3.5 ton unit. I am wondering if 9.7K is a fair price for a 3.5 ton unit?

Any feedback?

My guess is they are replacing both your furnace and your AC unit - at least they better be for that price. If the sales guy did a load calc, that's a good start. The big key is if you have enough air return for an extra 1/2 ton of cooling. Sounds like they are taking care of that.

$9700 seems high to me, but there are a lot of variables. Post the model numbers here of both the furnace and the AC unit and I can let you know if you're in the ballpark.

Edit to add: 13 years is about the average any more for an air conditioner.

 

[walnutz]

Quick question for the FFA -- I live in NC. My current AC system is 13 years old (bought the house in December and knew we would have to do something about this). The unit us making an ungodly screeching noise - sounds like metal on metal grinding. Sound is horrid. I am told that it is a fan motor and would be ~800 to repair. I am thinking dumping 800 into an old unit is useless in some ways. So, we got a quote for a 3.5 ton unit. I am wondering if 9.7K is a fair price for a 3.5 ton unit?

Any feedback?

My guess is they are replacing both your furnace and your AC unit - at least they better be for that price. If the sales guy did a load calc, that's a good start. The big key is if you have enough air return for an extra 1/2 ton of cooling. Sounds like they are taking care of that.

$9700 seems high to me, but there are a lot of variables. Post the model numbers here of both the furnace and the AC unit and I can let you know if you're in the ballpark.

Edit to add: 13 years is about the average any more for an air conditioner.

Hey Chief D - I live north of Raleigh in Wake Forest. I can PM details if you would like. Will get specific part #'s for you in a bit. The air return is the line running out of the house to the exterior unit? If so they are replacing those as the current ones are too small for the 3.5 ton unit. Appreciate the help.

 

[ChiefD]

Quick question for the FFA -- I live in NC. My current AC system is 13 years old (bought the house in December and knew we would have to do something about this). The unit us making an ungodly screeching noise - sounds like metal on metal grinding. Sound is horrid. I am told that it is a fan motor and would be ~800 to repair. I am thinking dumping 800 into an old unit is useless in some ways. So, we got a quote for a 3.5 ton unit. I am wondering if 9.7K is a fair price for a 3.5 ton unit?

Any feedback?

My guess is they are replacing both your furnace and your AC unit - at least they better be for that price. If the sales guy did a load calc, that's a good start. The big key is if you have enough air return for an extra 1/2 ton of cooling. Sounds like they are taking care of that.

$9700 seems high to me, but there are a lot of variables. Post the model numbers here of both the furnace and the AC unit and I can let you know if you're in the ballpark.

Edit to add: 13 years is about the average any more for an air conditioner.

Hey Chief D - I live north of Raleigh in Wake Forest. I can PM details if you would like. Will get specific part #'s for you in a bit. The air return is the line running out of the house to the exterior unit? If so they are replacing those as the current ones are too small for the 3.5 ton unit. Appreciate the help.

No, the line running from the interior unit to your outdoor unit is your refrigerant line.

Your return air is really, really important, especially if they are upsizing your outdoor unit. Basically your system works like this:

Your current 3 ton air conditioner would normally be hooked up to your furnace or air handler in your house. That indoor unit would have a 3 ton blower on it normally, which is enough to blow 3 tons of cool air through your ductwork. This also means that generally your ductwork was built to handle three tons of air.

When you increase the size of your air conditioner to a 3.5 ton, you are adding a 1/2 ton of cooling. But indoor units are made in full sizes, so your new indoor furnace or air handler would have a 4 ton blower. Now, typically you can slow that blower speed down to match what a 3.5 ton air conditioner needs, but you want to be sure of that. MOST reputable hvac contractors know this. But when you add another 1/2 ton of cooling, you also need to make sure your ductwork can push that extra cooling. Otherwise your air flow gets bottlenecked at the indoor unit, which can lead to all sorts of problems.

Just make sure you ask the guy if your ductwork can handle the additional air flow. And I'll check and see if I know of someone in your area.

 

[walnutz]

Quick question for the FFA -- I live in NC. My current AC system is 13 years old (bought the house in December and knew we would have to do something about this). The unit us making an ungodly screeching noise - sounds like metal on metal grinding. Sound is horrid. I am told that it is a fan motor and would be ~800 to repair. I am thinking dumping 800 into an old unit is useless in some ways. So, we got a quote for a 3.5 ton unit. I am wondering if 9.7K is a fair price for a 3.5 ton unit?

Any feedback?

My guess is they are replacing both your furnace and your AC unit - at least they better be for that price. If the sales guy did a load calc, that's a good start. The big key is if you have enough air return for an extra 1/2 ton of cooling. Sounds like they are taking care of that.

$9700 seems high to me, but there are a lot of variables. Post the model numbers here of both the furnace and the AC unit and I can let you know if you're in the ballpark.

Edit to add: 13 years is about the average any more for an air conditioner.

Hey Chief D - I live north of Raleigh in Wake Forest. I can PM details if you would like. Will get specific part #'s for you in a bit. The air return is the line running out of the house to the exterior unit? If so they are replacing those as the current ones are too small for the 3.5 ton unit. Appreciate the help.

No, the line running from the interior unit to your outdoor unit is your refrigerant line.

Your return air is really, really important, especially if they are upsizing your outdoor unit. Basically your system works like this:

Your current 3 ton air conditioner would normally be hooked up to your furnace or air handler in your house. That indoor unit would have a 3 ton blower on it normally, which is enough to blow 3 tons of cool air through your ductwork. This also means that generally your ductwork was built to handle three tons of air.

When you increase the size of your air conditioner to a 3.5 ton, you are adding a 1/2 ton of cooling. But indoor units are made in full sizes, so your new indoor furnace or air handler would have a 4 ton blower. Now, typically you can slow that blower speed down to match what a 3.5 ton air conditioner needs, but you want to be sure of that. MOST reputable hvac contractors know this. But when you add another 1/2 ton of cooling, you also need to make sure your ductwork can push that extra cooling. Otherwise your air flow gets bottlenecked at the indoor unit, which can lead to all sorts of problems.

Just make sure you ask the guy if your ductwork can handle the additional air flow. And I'll check and see if I know of someone in your area.

Okay thanks - talked to the guy and asked him about the ductwork. He says we were good there for the additional airflow. I do remember him checking the ducts multiple times when we were up there in the attic. So, I feel like he is not bs'ing me there.

Also - I get a 1K credit from company and 700.00 from mfr as well as 350 from PSNC. So, total actual cost out of pocket would be closer to 8500.00

 

[DCThunder]

The new system will also be much more energy efficient, I'd assume, so you will save money on your electric and/or gas bills. I put in a new high efficiency system (gas furnace and electric AC) 2 years ago and have really save money on both gas and electric.