A/C quote / equipment

15 years ago

Appreciate any help with the following:

Today our A/C service rep indicated that our compressor was on its last legs. Basically it is severely overheating and shutting down, then restarting etc -- and being very inefficient ( electric bills in the $450 to $500 range during the summer months ). We are cooling about 2500 square ft currently with a 9 year old 14 seer Trane heat pump and 9 year old non variable speed air handler. The reason I say we are cooling approx 2500 sq ft is that we have a separate A/C unit that cools approx. 400 sq ft of sun room -- but that unit is sometimes turned up and in effect we are cooling the entire house at times with the Trane unit.....

We live on the Florida Gulf coast (waterfront with salt air ) and have high heat and humidity.

Our service reps advice is to replace the entire system ( not the unit on the sun room flat roof ) versus investing about 2 thousand into a new compressor with our older condenser.

Recommendation is for a Carrier 5 ton unit model # 25HNA660 and matched variable air handler model # FE4ANB006, replace all line sets, some minor duct work repairs ( believe about 10 feet ) etc. Also includes infinity control thermostat ( Infinity T-Stat)

10 year warranty on compressor, 10 year on parts, and 10 years on the condenser coil.

Quote is for $9800.

Originally the rep had verbally quoted the following:

Trane 13 Seer, 9,400

Trane 15 Seer, 10,500

Trane 19 Seer, 12,200

Carrier 14 Seer 8,600

Carrier 16 Seer 9,000

Carrier 19 Seer 9,800

He indicated the Carrier line was cheaper as his company does a majority of their volume with Carrier and therefore have lower costs of purchase.

When I got the written quote it appears that the model quoted is 16 Seer and the air handler states that it produces up to 2 points of Seer. Also on the quote it states that Seer rating is in a range of 17 to 19.

Would love to have any comments you have on the above.

Is the quote reasonable?

Did I get somewhat bait and switched by saying the 16 Seer Carrier was 19 Seer?

Do I need to replace everything or go with a new compressor? Service rep noted that the Trane 1400 is usually only good for about 10 years.

Should I opt for Carrier model #24ANA7 which has 17 Seer and runs at low speed 80% of the time?

Anything else to consider?

Thanks so much in advance!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

ryanhughes
15 years ago
Did you have a 5-ton unit before? Ask the dealer to do a load calculation to determine sizing before you sign the quote. That's a lot of money to be spending and you wouldn't want to be getting an oversized system. Also have the dealer check the ductwork for sizing and ample supply and return. No system will work well and deliver its full capacity with a bad, undersized ductwork system.

You are being quoted for a HEAT PUMP, which I would recommend. It can heat and cool. The 24ANA7 and 24ANA1 are air conditioners. The main difference between the 16/17 SEER and 19/21 SEER models are the compressors. I suggest the lower-SEER models for the better staging between the two stages. The 16/17 SEER models have a bigger difference in capacity between stages allowing for a longer run time and better dehumidification. Also, I say XX SEER "models"--a lot of it is marketing. Not all matchups will get those SEER ratings. The Carrier Infinity system is a very nice system, and in Florida I think you'll see many advantages from it from a comfort and efficiency standpoint. Whether or not you want to replace just the compressor to buy you a few more years is up to you. They usually don't carry long warranties.

The matchup you were quoted gets 15.3 SEER. See above regarding SEER ratings. Don't believe the 19 or 21 SEER claims--they aren't true for all matchups. A 5-ton unit can't achieve the higher SEER ratings as easily. The 19 SEER unit would buy you a lousy .2 SEER, so 15.5 SEER. The Air Conditioning and Refrigerant Institute rated this matchup. Reference number - 1250425.
tigerdunes
15 years ago
chuck

pricing varies from market to market.

I have seen better pricing on Carrier Infinity 16 HPs but yes, I would say that the price is reasonable. If you wait until the fall, Carrier usually has a nice rebate on a high end system like this.

Here are the AHRI performance and eff numbers.

1250425 Active Systems INFINITY 16 PURON HP CARRIER AIR CONDITIONING 25HNA660A30 FE4ANB006+UI 60000 11.10 15.30 57500 9.00 34200 1

If heating is rarely used, you could elect the Infinity 17 AC system and just use heat strip heating when needed. This could save you some bucks.

1249830 Active Systems INFINITY 17 PURON AC CARRIER AIR CONDITIONING 24ANA760A30 FE4ANB006+UI 60000 11.00 15.00 1

The Infinity 16 HP and Infinity AC 17 use a recip compressor with a 50/100 split between low and high stage.

If there is any negative, it is that Trane/AmStd condensers hold up better/longer in coastal salt water environments. Some people would argue this point. I would not.

IMO
Good Luck!
Related Discussions
c'mon people-exercise equipment?
Q
Comments (3)
My experience with home exercise equipment was not that great. We bought a fairly expensive treadmill several years ago and after about three years it developed all sorts of problems. I called the company and was told it would cost $130 for someone to come look at it and that because that model was no longer made, it was unlikely they'd even have the right parts to fix it. Since then, I was talking to an equipment repairman at the gym I've since joined and he said this is pretty typical of what happens with home equipment. Gym memberships have become very reasonably priced in the last few years. There you have a variety of equipment to use, classes you can choose, and personal trainers available if needed. Most gyms in my area are $30 per month. When I first considered joining, I was afraid it would be filled with young, fit people and I'd be intimidated. That didn't turn out to be the case at all. There are all ages at my gym, including lots of elderly people who only recently began to exercise. I've made new friends there and can constantly change my routine to avoid boredom and focus on specific results I want. To me, the gym is a much better value than buying equipment and dealing with repairs. My treadmill, due to its short lifespan, cost me $500 per year compared to $360 per year for the gym and I have many more exercise options than just walking. It's also nice to not have to deal with bulky equipment taking up space in my home. I realize there may be some areas where there is no gym available within a reasonable drive, but if you have one I would recommend looking into that rather than buying your own machine.
...See More
What to expect in an A/C quote
Q
Comments (2)
On all of my bids and proposals I include; 1. The equipment model numbers 2. The seer rating of the system 3. The heating efficiency rating 4. The sensible capacity of the A/C 5. The sensible requirement from the heat load calculation. 6. The warranty in detail. 7. The work to be performed and any extras- slab, thermostat, new copper run, fix leaky duct, trim the hedges- ect. 7B. The type of filter system to install. 8. The estimated time to complete the job. 9. The date to start the job. The duct R value that is existing or proposed to be replaced or repaired. My signature and date. The customers signature and date- under the "right to remove and recover the equipment........should I not get paid as agreed". The address and phone number of the state licenseing dept. The cost. Of course the company name address and License #.
...See More
Price Quote - Replacing My Old Central A/C
Q
Comments (5)
We got our HVAC system replaced last year. I'm not an expert, so here's my story. We called 4 or 5 contractors and had them out to give us estimates. It was interesting to see what each person did to do the estimates. Three did Manual J's, one eyeballed it and one just walked around. Each estimate was pretty detailed about the equipment they were installing and what they would do during installation (e.g., install new ducts, remove old equipment, dealing with the old refrigerant, etc.) We had to go back to one contractor because he recommended a configuration very different from the others and ask for 1) an explanation and 2) an estimate on a different configuration that was more in line with the others. THEN, we sat down and just figured out what was what and chose a contractor. From that, we could say what was a high price, low price, outrageous price, etc. I remember the range being about $3000-$4000, so it's best to get more estimates than fewer. So far, I'm happy with our system. We didn't ask for a programmable thermostat (they all wanted about $100-$200!). We are replacing the digital thermostat ourselves (they cost $50).
...See More
Pool Quote, equipment is this good?
Q
Comments (6)
4 is nothing, especially when they are not around the build but rather service or something else. i say this as they are in business since the 70's...you don't do that easily. plus kudzu has review after review that looks great. as for pool pricing...of 5 on-site quotes and probably another 10 phone 'ballpark quotes' based on my wants, all quotes have been in the mid 30's to mid 40's. So my thoughts there are it must just be the southeast and the economy which rules good for me. Given the current economy Any thoughts on the equipment?
...See More

A/C quote / equipment

Comments (2)

ryanhughes

tigerdunes

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US