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Heating & Air Conditioning

Any Opinions on Adding AC in Los Angeles?

13 years ago

We have everything in place for AC - just need to add the actual condenser. (Couldn't afford to do it until now.) It's a typical Los Angeles house - 1600 sq. ft, built in 1925 (but with updating.)

The company that installed the furnace 8 yrs ago is Econo Air - one of those fairly big companies that sends out a salesman who gives you an estimate, then the workers come and do the work. We've had no issues or problems with the furnace they installed, which is a Lennox.

Got an estimate yesterday to add AC. The sales guy suggested a Lennox XC13-42, 3.5 ton, 13 SEER. I looked it up and it's their mid-tier "elite" series. Total quote was $4,000 - BUT we have to do it by June 15th, because "that's when the super busy season starts, but I can fit you in this week..."

I know he was giving me a big sales pitch, and I didn't like it. However, I know they're a reputable company, do good work, etc. We have them come every year to clean the filter and have never had an issue with them.

I also called a local company, and got a quote for a 4 ton Trane T4TTB404BE1000A, 14 SEER. I looked this one up and it's the basic bottom tier product. He said we needed a TXV valve (which the other guy didn't mention). Total quote was $4,500.

Both guys said it's a very straightforward install.

I'm getting one more estimate today from another independent HVAV company.

How on earth do you make a decision when all the variables are so different? I know both brands are good. I don't know much about the local company, other than they got a few good reviews on Yelp. Econo Air is big, but efficient.

I don't really like Econo Air rushing me to decide by next week, but it does seem like a decent price for a decent product. It it likely he's really giving me a "deal," or is it just a sales rap?

Any suggestions? Things I should consider? I'll have one more quote later today to add to my confusion!

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Comments (3)

zippyhvac
13 years ago
Did either salesman do a load calculation? Unless your house is really, really loose - I'm talking running the air with the windows open "loose". Just for reference, I'm running a 4-ton unit for 1600 sq ft in Phoenix. Our heat load is a bit more than yours, unless by "Los Angeles" you mean Death Valley?

As for the TXV, you want one - no matter which system you pick, even the cheap system, they can greatly help efficiency, only take a few extra minutes to install in a new system, and cost less than $100 wholesale.
tarzy
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the response, zippyhvac.

Nobody has done a load calculation - just based it on the 4 ton furnace. Not death valley (thankfully), but we do get direct sun from the west afternoon/evening.

I will definitely ask for the TXV.

I liked the third installer. He's the owner of a small company, very down to earth, been doing it for over 10 years, came highly recommended by a friend. He suggested a York or Tempstar, but I'm not sure how I feel about those brands. He said he'll put in whatever brand we want, but in his opinion the name companies (Lennox, Trane) spend a lot of money on advertising, and you get other brands that are just as good.

He actually looked at the entire system, the furnace, etc., so I'm feeling he might be a good choice for installer. Now I'm just not sure about brand! Maybe I'll do another post asking about brands (probably opening a can of worms there!)
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veesubotee
13 years ago
Furnaces are NOT rated by tons; they are rated by BTUs. It may have a blower which is rated to move UP TO X tons of air, but that doesn't mean you need X tons. For example, my furnace has a 5 ton blower, but my house only needs 3.5 tons.

Oversizing is NOT good.

Demand a heat calc. If he says no, keep looking.

V

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