Six months after moving into my house I got my HVAC unit inspected, and it was pronounced DOA -- the condenser coil is leaking a refrigerant that no one makes anymore, only the emergency heat is working, and everyone who's come to look at it says it might actually cost more than half of what a new system would cost to repair it and to keep it in refrigerant. I've asked for prices from the local Carrier, American Standard, Ruud, Rheem and Goodman dealers. Carrier is way out of my price range, Ruud and Rheem don't have such a great reputation online, so I'm looking at a choice between American Standard and Goodman. The problem is that I'm getting some contradictory information from each dealer concerning the type of unit I need.
The current HVAC system is a 15 year old, 3.5 or 3 ton Goodman -- there's no agreement on what the tonnage is among the dealers, the Goodman dealer says it's 3.5 tons, the American Standard dealer says it's a 3 ton. It's never worked very well -- when I moved in, it was August, and it was hot even when I had it on, so it's likely that it was broken when I moved in. All the dealers who've come agree that whatever the size it needs to be a 2.5 ton machine -- almost 1200 sq ft, one story. The Goodman dealer says that I only need a 2.5 ton machine, but the American Standard dealer recommends a 3 ton machine to account for any insulation issues that the ductwork in the crawlspace might have. I was actually told this was the problem by the home inspector when it came to how hot it was with the AC on when I bought the house, that I was losing a lot of heat and cool air from the uninsulated ductwork in the attic and crawlspace. I don't necessarily believe this anymore, considering that the house does get warm when I have the emergency heat on, but it's what I was told at the time of move-in.
The American Standard model they're recommending is the Silver series Single Phase 3 ton 4a6h4036, the lowest SEER rating because the dealer doesn't think it'll be cost-effective if I get a higher SEER machine. The Goodman dealer is recommending their 2.5 ton GSZ14 model, but with a higher SEER rating. They're essentially the same price. I'm really at a loss when it comes to how to decide. Does anyone have any recommendations? Is there any information that I'm lacking that would help me make a decision? Admittedly, I don't know anything about HVAC units except how to change the filters.
The current HVAC system is a 15 year old, 3.5 or 3 ton Goodman -- there's no agreement on what the tonnage is among the dealers, the Goodman dealer says it's 3.5 tons, the American Standard dealer says it's a 3 ton. It's never worked very well -- when I moved in, it was August, and it was hot even when I had it on, so it's likely that it was broken when I moved in. All the dealers who've come agree that whatever the size it needs to be a 2.5 ton machine -- almost 1200 sq ft, one story. The Goodman dealer says that I only need a 2.5 ton machine, but the American Standard dealer recommends a 3 ton machine to account for any insulation issues that the ductwork in the crawlspace might have. I was actually told this was the problem by the home inspector when it came to how hot it was with the AC on when I bought the house, that I was losing a lot of heat and cool air from the uninsulated ductwork in the attic and crawlspace. I don't necessarily believe this anymore, considering that the house does get warm when I have the emergency heat on, but it's what I was told at the time of move-in.
The American Standard model they're recommending is the Silver series Single Phase 3 ton 4a6h4036, the lowest SEER rating because the dealer doesn't think it'll be cost-effective if I get a higher SEER machine. The Goodman dealer is recommending their 2.5 ton GSZ14 model, but with a higher SEER rating. They're essentially the same price. I'm really at a loss when it comes to how to decide. Does anyone have any recommendations? Is there any information that I'm lacking that would help me make a decision? Admittedly, I don't know anything about HVAC units except how to change the filters.
source https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?2226801-Help-Contradictory-Information&goto=newpost
No comments:
Post a Comment