AC System Replacement

[CaboWabo]

My unit is old and looks like I'll need to replace soon. My home is approx 2400 square feet. How much is this going to set me back? What brands are the best? What ton/seer should I go with? Any advice/recommendations are appreciated.

 

[wolfman]

I replaced my heating and cooling last spring. The answer to all of your questions is it depends. Actually I got a lot of good advice from this board at the time.

Some people say 1 ton/500 square feet, so 5 ton A/C may be the best base size for you home. If the unit that you have gives a good volume of cooling you may want to stick with that size.

I recommend calling several places to get quotes on replacement. When I had mine replaced I found that there can be lots of variation in prices. I went with a Trane 13 SEER. I would not go with a SEER rating below 12. The prices will increase as you go to higher SEER ratings.

Also, this time of year is the most busy for A/C guys. Because they are in demand now they often are not as competitive in pricing as they would beduring the winter or spring. If your unit looks like it can make it through the summer, you may want to wait for the offseason to replace it to get a more competitive price.

 

[tropheus]

look into city rebates, especially if you live in Austin. Also, go ahead and get the full audit and energy conservation thing done if your house is older -- new insulation, check for air leaks, screens for the windows. We did this in a condo we owned several years ago and saved a crap load on energy bills.

 

[El_Guapo]

Get as high a SEER as you can afford.

Size matters. Whatever they recommend for tonnage, get at least a half ton more. Maybe a full ton. Others will disagree, but I'm right about this. Those load factors are calculated by engineers in Syracuse, not Texas. Besides, more tonnage doesn't increase the incremental cost nearly as fast as higher SEER.

Are you in Austin? Does your house have zoned AC or just one unit?

I'd figure on at least $5000 for a full replacement.

 

[tropheus]

We spent 7K on our 1500 sq ft condo but that included insulation, the audit and the screens. If you have two zones, I'd say 10K minimum.

 

[CaboWabo]

Thanks for the replies. I just talked to one AC place and they quoted me $5800 for a 5 ton, 14 seer Ruud system. This would be a system without a heat pump. My house currently has one unit system with a heat pump, but the AC guy said that we generally don't need those in deep South Texas (McAllen). The guy tried to explain this me but I didn't understand. If anyone can explain the heat pump/no heat pump difference and whether I need one I'd appreciate it.

 

[EEE]

Heat pump works in the opposite direction of a/c; Heat is drawn from the outside and "pumped" into the house. If you have no natural gas connected to your house, you may want a heat pump as they are more efficient than electric coils.

 

[CaboWabo]

Thanks...the only thing I did understand about the heat pump is that it would be more expensive.

 

[El_Guapo]

McAllen? Man, I'd sure think about bumping that up a ton. They'll tell you crap about humidity but my experience has been that it'll run all day and never really get cold if you follow their guidelines.

I once had a 3.5 ton in a 1400 sq. ft. house that was almost strong enough.

Freon or Purex?

 

[tropheus]

this reminds me of the documentary, Hands on a Hardbody, where the guy talks about his 20 ton A/C unit he got for a good price from Wal-Mart. He was braging about how it would cool his house to "12 bu-low zee-row" -- of course, all with out front teeth.