Central Air Conditionerss??

[pevodog]

My central a/c is struggling. I'm calling the a/c man out to check the freon. My unit is the original that was put in when the house was built, 15 years ago. I don't have a clue what the seer rating is... My house is a 1 1/2 story with 2150 sq.feet, and in the general Houston area. Can anybody give me some advice on brands, seer ratings, $$ so I want be a taken in by some a/c company, if I need a new central a/c.

 

[MrPhlegm]

We've had real good luck with a Trane system, had two installed in Pflugerville and one in Orlando to replace old worn out systems and we have been real pleased with them. I can't give you any reccomendations as to what company to get to install them.

 

[pevodog]

I talked to one guy who said to get a unit with ahigher seer I would need to change all the crap in my attic $$$$$$$$.

 

[Agamemnon]

If you want a higher SEER rating you can certainly change out units but it will defeat the purpose unless you make all the sections compatible. What good is a 14 SEER compressor if the air handler/evaporator is a 10 SEER, right? This also works with the out put - you want your compressor to be the same tonnage as the handler/evaporator. Your place is bigger than my rentals and I went with a 2-ton unit. You're going to want something bigger. All of this is assuming there's something wrong. If you just need a tune-up with some freon, etc. just get that.

I just went through some similar crap except it happened at some rental property I own. Anyway, I went here (The Link ) and checked out some prices and such. I used this as a buyers guide if you will and talked to some folks here in Houston. They have package deals, too and the prices seem reasonable compared to Sears coming out and selling you the same thing. Free shipping and best of all, they are in Illinois so there's no tax. That part was awesome considering I got a handler from them. Talk to some independants, too. They can be a little more reasonable, especially if you find a "scratch 'n' dent" which is a new unit with a scratch or dent in it. Can save you around $100 or so which is still $100. The guys I dealt with are at a company called Custom Services - Kyle or Charles at 713.462.2687. PM me and I'll tell you some more details if you want.

I'm rambling on, sharing what I just went through. Feel free to ask anything cuz I may have left lots out.

 

[MrPhlegm]

My wife just compared the bills from last year and this year and we are already seeing a $100-$175 drop in the electric bill just from the new ac. As we are in Florida, we run ac year round except for maybe 4 or 5 days when we turn on the heater during a cold snap when it gets down to 45 degrees. At this rate the AC will pay for itself in 3-5 years (and that is even with an electronic air cleaner which wasn't cheap but it sure pulls the dust out of the air).

And they switched out all of the AC inside and outside.

 

[horn4life]

You may need to have the evaporator cleaned in the attic protion of the unit if your freon is OK, compressor is pumping and it's still not cooling. That helped my older unit out immensely. the crap that had built up in the air exchange/evaporator was nastly.

I would call several companies to come out and give you bids on replacing everything if that looks to bve the route you have to go. I got my outside compressor replaced a couple years ago via my homeowners warranty from the purchase. I really need to bite the bullet and replace the interior unit, and probably will do so in the near future. Luckily mine is NOT in the attic but in a closet.

Good luck, let us knwo what you find out!

P.S. one of the cheapest and best additions you can make to your AC unit is the installation of a UV light in the air intake. The UV light will kill virtually all bacteria and mold particulates, so your air is cleaner and you vents tubes remain clean.

 

[bub]

Your seer is probably around 6. If you get a 12 or higher you can blast that thing all day and your bills will still be cheaper. Do it.