What a nightmare! I went with the Trane XL15i heat pump. The installers were here Monday. I watched the entire install. They use 3 pieces of lines set for an approximately 50' run. The last piece was about 4' long and 1/8" smaller in diameter. I noticed the installer flare out the larger piece with a pair of needle nose. Also they didn't clean the ends before assembling. And they didn't run nitrogen while soldering/brazing. And I'm still not sure which method they used to connect those lines. Anyhow they hookup the thermostat and it doesn't power up. They go change some wires and the thermostat checks out. As they are packing up I notice the heat pump shut off but the furnace fan keep running. They say "just a timer thing". The house is right at 70 the next day but I notice the "aux heat" on the thermostat. I walk outside and sure enough the LPG furnace is running (outside temp. is 45). I also notice the the heat pump comes on for 3 seconds, shuts off for 20 seconds then comes back on for 3 and so on. Then it sometimes shuts down or runs for about 5 minutes. Then I start doing warranty paperwork and notice the outside unit is an XR15 not an XL15i. I call the sales guy and tell him they installed the wrong unit and the install seems bad. He says he'll call back. 5 hours later he calls and says they installed the wrong unit and they will have the service manager come out on Friday to install the new unit. I then tell him about the lineset and he can't believe it. He'll talk to the manager and call me back. In the mean time I hear what sounds like a gunshot go off at the heat pump outside. I run outside and it is hissing away. Then it tries to come back on and it sounds like the motor can't get up to speed. The LPG furnace had been running constant all day up to that point. Now it is off. I call him and let him know and ask him if I should pull the outside power disconnect. "No" I'll call you back. It is 4:11pm and I'm still waiting. I'm going to give them 1 shot and making this right. Which will be replacing everything with new equipment while the service manager & I supervise. What I got: 4txcc043bc3hca COIL 4TWR5042E1000AA HEAT PUMP What I ordered: 4TWX5042A------ If this thing craps out during warranty they still charge labor to fix it right? Well after this I'm going to ask for the extended warranty to be thrown in.

I don't think there is any sure way of telling how old a system gets before it needs replacing. There is for when you "should" though. It's time when the system is just to expensive to operate or maintain and no longer is trustworthy. I've seen old noisey, rusty, ugly systems that I thought would die anytime, run another 5 years or so- amazing! But then I've seen systems I thought would last many more years go out sooner than normal. Older systems can last last 30 years, the later systems seem to average 12-18 years. Competition for price and efficiency has driven makers to use thinner copper and materials, though compressors are much better now than years past with the scroll technology. A good proffessional installation is utmost important if the life of the system is a concern along with yearly service. The time to replace a system is BEFORE it goes out completely and is in the age range of 12-18 years.Some sooner. If you don't trust your HVAC company to deal honestly with you, then you need to shop around, but remember- picking the company that tells you what you want to hear, may not be the right choice either.

My compressor also went 1 1/2 weeks ago. I was not too upset at first because I was leaving to go to the Cape. However, I cannot stand the heat since coming back and I finally broke down and had a HVAC guy come out. It is the compressor as we thought. The freeon is full. The label on the outside says it was made in 1989 so I guess at 22 years old it lasted well. We bought this house 2 years ago and it seems everything has recently started to need to be replaced. We will be having our roof done soon. Anyways, my question is also whether I should just replace the compressor or update to a new energy efficient a.c.. The a.c. we have now is a HEIL. My furnace (oil) is a thermo pride and I believe it was replaced in 2007. The house was built in 1984. It is a raised ranch with a up and down in-law that does not run off this furnace (it has its own gas furnace). There is also a lower level apt. that is also seperate with it's own furnace (oil). However, my apt. space and the lower level tenant share the same oil tank. We only have central air. The in-law and lower apt. do not. I think my a.c. unit is a 1 ton. The service man quoted me $800 inclusive to put in a new compressor. He also said he had an old ? 6 years model a.c. (not just the compressor)that he recently took out of someones place when they updated theirs for a more energy efficient one. He said he'd give me a 1 year warranty and it would cost $5oo.oo for this used one. I did not ask for a quote on a new one because we need the money for the new roof He is suppose to be calling me back to let me know for sure the age of the old unit. Any advise would be appreciated. Sue

I was able to get info on the existing furnace from the data plate. It's a Carrier Model 58ss140-BC, Series 110, 167,000 BTU. The data plate said the blower is "157", whatever that means. The motor spec was 1/2 hp. Mfg date 1982. That's all I found on the furnace. I found next to nothing on the a/c. The data plates outside are gone. I could see where it was but there was just rivets. A single, long rectangular unit outside. Like I said, vintage 1974, from the builder. According to my mother, the quoting contractors guessed that the system was 4 or 5 tons. I don't know anything about who said what. Turns out the Lennox/Costco guy was the only one to quote an upgraded unit. He also quoted: Option #3B. $9,185. Platinum Package. A/C XC17-048 and 2 stage gas furnace SL280UH135 with variable speed and I-Comfort Communicating Controller. I'm having a hard time getting her to look at the Am Std quote because they didn't quote her an upgraded unit option and their basic units were only about $1,000 cheaper than the upgraded Lennox units. ($9,145 vs $7,945). About the house, I tried to describe it above. Built 1974. 3200 sq ft. and two stories. Attached garage. Full sun exposure--the property is not shaded. Brick exterior with not a whole heck of a lot of insulation. (I remember my parents being mad that the builder gipped them on the insulation.) High quality house though, expensive neighborhood. Stick framed over a full basement. Attic with pitched shingle roof. Colonial. Original single pane wood windows with storms windows, maybe a tad drafty. After being widowed with 4 kids in 1978, she never had the money to remodel anything and everything is pretty much 1974. Anything else you want to know about the house, please ask. This is all I could think of.