You are making too much of an issue about the noise of air handlers. Anything you get will be quieter than what you have and you certainly should go with either var speed model or a high eff ECM model, both extremely quiet. For your location and the fact that cooling is probably more important than heating, I would want a minimum 16 SEER AHRi matching system. What is the size you are looking for? Is humidity an issue for your location? I would be looking at Carrier or Trane/AmStd. What are your average temps for your location in the winter? Post back.

IMO

In my last house in So Cal (San Fernando Valley), 2300sf single story, we installed a new Bryant 5 ton AC and gas furnace. Old unit loud, we could not have a conversation or watch tv without turning up volume and forget about running at night. HVAC guy said new unit would be quieter, it was louder. Hence my issue. So thank you for clarifying for me, I just wanted a straight answer from someone. Also, contractor over-sized AC. We went from a 4.5 ton to a 5 ton. House was cold but humid. Now I have the opportunity to research.... which can have its pros and cons :)

I am looking for a 2 and 3 ton. Humidity can sometimes be a problem during monsoon season in the summer but not to the degree it is in the southeast. Ave temps in winter at night are around 40-50, can dip into 30's at times but I don't run the heat at night. I turn it on for an hour or 2 in the morning to break the chill. Our current system is an AH with strips and our elec bill in the winter is quite low but everyone insists that we get a HP.

I had the AmStd in mind. I was thinking about the Silver 15 HP and the matching TAM4 AH with heat strips. Any thoughts on what I should expect in a quote?

getting back to the issue of sound, most problems are not due to equipment but poor ductwork sizing/design and/or inadequate return. Wonder why the TAM4 air handler, do you have space issues? Preferred would be TAM7, GAM5, and TEM6 model air handlers.

IMO

Thanks for your input, it helps tremendously. The old house had only one return in the hallway, this house has one in each room plus the underground in the slab.

The AH was paired with the HP automatically online when I looked. I don't have space issues so I will see what the hvac guys say when they come out. At least I will have more information now to make a better decision.

Please post back. I am in AZ as well and it seems we met with the same installers :-)

I am starting my research here as well. Tigerdunes share ALOT of great info that I am taking notes on.

I am curious what you will install and why.

Thanks

slk230red, thank you for your input. I also want to stay with the single speed. If all goes well with this install I will replace the unit on the other side of the house once it stops putting out cold air.

galen68, I will post an update once I have chosen the AH and HP.

galen68, had my new system installed. Decided on the Trane TEM4 AH w/heat strips and the XR14 straight AC.

The AH is very quiet and I am happy. I like the all metal construction of the TEM4 as well. The AC blowing nice cold air though a tad noisy when outside but I can't really hear it in the house. Going with a quieter model would mean a vs compressor which in turn would need a vs AH. Like slk230red, I just did not want variable speed. We have SRP and our elec bills in winter are quite low. We don't use heat that much, esp living in Phoenix, main reason for getting AC instead of HP. (My original posting mentioned that my current system was a HP, that was a typo, should have been AC)

All in all this system was a good compromise for us. Middle of the road affordable and much better than our 30+yr old system. I would suggest checking out friends and neighbors AC when you visit their house to see how loud the outside units are.

What size did you get? I think you made a mistake not getting a HP condenser. Heating exclusively on heat strips alone can be an expensive proposition. What size heat strip? Staged or non staged. Also don't care for AH selection. The deed's done though.

IMO

Had the 2 Ton XR14 AC and 2 Ton TEM4 AH installed with a 5k heat strip. This is exactly what we had with the old unit. Heating is not an issue in Phoenix. Mild winters, heat hardly used. Even on coldest mornings it is on for an hour at most and I turn off completely at night. I read turning off at night would be a big issue with a HP as they say to leave it on and forget it. Why leave the heat on if I am not comfortable? My avg elec bill in winter for 2500sf home w/pool filter on 8hrs every day averages around $120. Not worth the extra $10-30 I could save with a HP, being comfortable is worth the extra $. I am extremely happy with whisper quiet TEM4. Maybe from an hvac point of view it may not make sense but I am happy with my decision.

if you are happy, I am happy...

good luck!

TD

CONGRATS on the new system :-)

I am actually looking into the Trane XR17 with the TAM7. I like the idea of VS. Our home gets VERY chilly in the winter (Low 60's) so we want the heat and use it so our decision will be a heat pump.

Thanks MUCH for updating the thread

I just want to correct something. Recovery from set-backs is not a problem with modern heat pumps with modern controls. That is an archaic issue. I suspect that in low altitude Arizona, resistance heat strips might not be desirable at all so it would never have been a problem.

small setbacks are OK on today's HPs as long as heat strips are locked out depending on outside temperature setting...

'I read turning off at night would be a big issue with a HP as they say to leave it on and forget it. Why leave the heat on if I am not comfortable?'

The biggest issue with turning a HP off at night is if the outside temperature drops below freezing, it's harder for the HP to stay 'caught up' with the heating loads of the house. Because the HP outdoor coil freezes at lower outdoor temperatures and must go into defrost at which point your indoor strip heat will come on to prevent you from feeling this 'chill'.

In climates that are rarely below freezing outside, this is not an issue. Typically not even if the temp drops to 30 degrees over night, because that temperature rarely lasts that long in warmer climates.

By morning once the sun comes up the temperature in most cases would be above 30 degrees in the south except for an occasional overnight frost / freeze.

If the controls have the sense to discern a setback and recovery is in operation, setbacks are not problematic. Early in the days of heat pumps, that was not the case. I suspect that in Arizona, defrost is not a big problem because the outdoor coils do not get below the dew point.

"slk230red, thank you for your input. I
also want to stay with the single speed. If all goes well with this
install I will replace the unit on the other side of the house once it
stops putting out cold air.

galen68, I will post an update once I have chosen the AH and HP."

"Had the 2 Ton XR14 AC and 2 Ton TEM4 AH installed with a 5k heat strip.
This is exactly what we had with the old unit. Heating is not an issue
in Phoenix. Mild winters, heat hardly used. Even on coldest mornings it
is on for an hour at most and I turn off completely at night. I read
turning off at night would be a big issue with a HP as they say to leave
it on and forget it. Why leave the heat on if I am not comfortable? My
avg elec bill in winter for 2500sf home w/pool filter on 8hrs every day
averages around $120. Not worth the extra $10-30 I could save with a HP,
being comfortable is worth the extra $. I am extremely happy with whisper quiet TEM4. Maybe from an hvac point of view it may not make sense but I am happy with my decision."

Hi roxan, glad things worked out and that you're enjoying your new XR14/TEM4 system. Be sure to check that your new units are registered on the Trane warranty website to receive the 10 yr. parts warranty. My dealer likes to wait a week or two to make sure everything is working properly, I just checked and everything is registered. He offered to remove and replace anything if I wasn't fully satisfied. Also, there was no money down and he didn't even want full payment until I was completely satisfied.

On another note, here is some information I received from someone I know in another state who advised me to get the TEM4 AH:

"I recommend the TEM4- non variable or TEM6/7 variable AH. The TAM7 is a plastic cabinet with
all new components. To make a long story short, get the TEM4 or TEM6, it's tried and true. The TAM7 is a basket case plagued with problems. Has
three different color led lights flashing fault codes known around here
as the Christmas tree effect. Unreliable sensors etc. not all 7's go boom
but enough that some Trane dealers won't install them anymore. Including me."