Northern NJ

What size AC condenser and furnace are you replacing?

As to bids, here are my observations.

#1 cheap condenser 2 ton with oversized furnace

#2 cheap condenser 1 1/2 ton with more appropriate size furnace

#3 low end 2 1/2 ton condenser with oversized furnace.
A Bryant condenser, a Carrier coil, and a Payne furnace. Oh boy!...

You can do better than this.

IMO

Thank you for your response tigerdunes.

The contractor who gave me bid #3 is a very experienced HVAC/plumbing contractor who has a good local reputation.....he told me that he used the specs from the existing HVAC unit to come up with the size of the new equipment.
I expressed my concern with contractor #3 about the fact that the HVAC units he is proposing are lower grade models.....his answer was that they are good reliable units that do not give him any problems. Since I told him originally that I did not know how long I would be keeping the condo I guess he wanted to give me something that would be more affordable.
I asked him what he thought would be the next step up from the Payne furnace model and he said that although he felt there is nothing wrong with the Payne in the proposal he could upgrade me to a Bryant furnace for another $300-$500.....he will get back to me with more details as far as model# etc.

Tigerdunes, you mention that I can do better than than Bryant, Carrier and Payne......can you make any recommendations based on my situation?
Thanks again.

B4 I make a recommendation...

What size AC condenser and furnace are you replacing?

Trane
XT80 furnace 40 K 80% 32 K output
XB14,XR15,XL15i two ton AC condenser
HW Mdl 8321 thermostat
Best matching Trane coil

If configured with correct coil, this would qualify for Fed Tax Credit.

IMO

This post was edited by tigerdunes on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 11:25

I am replacing furnace that is 75,000 BTU's and condenser that is 2.5 tons

The load calculation that has been done for the condo indicates that the heating should be between 43,618 - 49,850 BTU's......the ac should be 1.82.

I have little confidence in the heating load calculation. Too high.

IMO

"The load calculation that has been done for the condo indicates that the heating should be between 43,618 - 49,850 BTU's......the ac should be 1.82."

Why is there a 15% spread in the heating load calculation? What does this mean? I think both heating and cooling are high considering you only have two exterior walls, four windows, and a condo unit above you.

Get a copy of the calculation and see if it makes sense to you.

Thanks Tigerdunes and Mike for your responses......I will question the contractor who did the load calculation about why there is a 15% spread with the heating.

Don't misunderstand.

For me it is not the range. I think the 44 K low is way too high.

IMO

I pointed out the range because it raises my suspicion as to whether the contractor did a load calculation on this condo unit. He could be saying he is done calculation on other condos and this is the range he got. This is not acceptable.

I think the heating load is half of what he reported. The cooling load is probably about 1 ton.

Mike

You are probably correct about the heating load.

I was thinking about 1 1/2 ton full rated BTUs on cooling.

I noticed on the XT80 furnace with the XB14 2 ton, AHRI says only about 21.5 KBTUs which is a bit light for a 2 ton AC.

IMO

We sell thru the wall heating/air conditioning condo units. Price can’t be beat. Give us a call, 215-785-2558. Ask for Joe

we do not install.

I CHOOSE THIS:

https://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/

Bid #2

Install price is $6,295

Warranty: 20yr for furnace heat exchanger...10 yr for all other components

10 yr on all components of condenser and coil

5yr on thermostat and all other components

Heating:

1 Lennox ML180UH045P24A (80% efficient) 45,000 BTU

input single stage furnace

Cooling 18,000 BTU 1.5 ton 13 SEER 410A refrigerant:

1 Lennox 13ACX - 018 condenser placed level on high impact base