new home owner AC question

[toaster]

I paid $7500 for a 5 ton Trane 16 SEER Inside and out installed.

[Dirtymike]

do it all

[chancito1]

13k is ridiculous. I would do entire system at once at 20 years old your old system is R22 which means at old your indoor coil is likely not in the best shape. R410 runs at higher pressures if you don’t do inside now you’ll end up doing it in near future

[Chadhender]

I got a 5 ton unit with new vents and duct work for 10k back in April. It’s a middle of the road trane with gas furnace.

[Snakelover]

I recently got written quotes to replace four units at our office. The largest is 4 ton 14 SEER with 90K BTU gas furnace. The price is $7,105.96. The smallest is 3 ton 14 SEER with 70K BTU gas furnace. The price is $6,756.55. 10 year manufacturer warranty and a 1 year "system assurance" guarantee that covers every component of the installation. These furnaces are above a drop-in ceiling, so I'm guessing a residential installation might be a bit more. In Mesquite, Texas. Since we have four units, just one going out is not really an emergency. So I'm thinking I'll just replace them one at a time as something goes wrong with them. Replace instead of repair at this point.

[day0082]

Don't over tonage it.. got way to much humidity in the whole house, creating humidity and mold problems , what a mess.. company that sold me a whole new unit, also talked me into it and now they are having their insurance company to pay for all new insulation, ducts, and sheet rock replacement..
The real problem was thermostat.. After a week did the same thing.. what a 5 year mess,condisation shorting out lights.

[Efren]

Just get both units and be done with it. Plus, most ac companies have financing. We did ours last year and are happy with it. Get it done now while it's cool. If your ac goes out during the summer, you're looking at paying more and it takes longer to be the job done

[LWolken]

Get some additional quotes. 13K is high and 25K is stupid high. This is coming from a licensed HVAC contractor...

[double bogey]

While it is possible to change just the outdoor section if the indoor coil is compatible with R410a refrigerant. Todays code calls for ARI matches. No 20 yr old coil is going to be rated for a unit made today. That being said, I gets done every day.
Get a couple of estimates, and go with the one that feels right. Most mfg's give at least 10 yrs part warranty. Go with high performance air filtration. Consider the cost of upgrading to a higher SEER system, the min available seer is 14. For $13k, it better be a nice, efficient system.

And you can always repair what you have, and budget for a new system later.

[dpod1]

That's correct changing both units. The new refrigerant runs at a higher pressure so you either replace both components or blow up your inside unit they cannot handle the higher pressure.

[brokeno]

First get several estimates from established dealers not by some fly by night guy Make sure they are bidding apples to apples. The new units today are so much effiecent than the old units and will pay for themselves. We put in a 4 ton unit inside and out for $8,400 a few months ago. Let bowhnymatt look at it.

[Atfulldraw]

I paid $7500 for a 5 ton Trane 16 SEER Inside and out installed.

Yep. I just paid the same price for the same unit in Florida.

and paid about $7000 for a 4 ton heat pump at our other house.

15K sounds like a screwing, but that's without seeing the bid.


Regardless - a properly installed, good quality, new system will save you a ton in energy costs over what you have now.

[double bogey]

If he is going with 20 seer+, with duct and filtration upgrades, $15k isn't that high. All depends on the seer. Heat pumps are higher per ton also.

[Daniel32]

Lots of factors to consider

SEER rating
UV lighting
duct work
thermostat type
modifications needed for install
warranty

Main thing that needs to be consider aside from price is the person/company installing the unit as that is where a majority of the problems come from. Make sure whomever you go with does a good job and things are done the right way.

[az2tx]

Contact Airehead on here
Ron is a great guy and does great work