Need a new home central air conditioner

[Redneck_Randy]

Our old unit bit the dust a couple days ago. Been having a lot of problem with the unit this summer so I tired of messing with it and will just get a new unit. Our old unit is a R-22, I can get another R-22 unit for now but with the newer R-410A refrigerant should I just go with the newer R-410A or stick with the R-22 ? I have read of people upgrading to the newer R-410A units and their older A-coils start to leak because of the higher pressure 410A uses. The guy we use for our AC and heating problems is suggesting a Goodman unit. After reading Goodman reviews I will stay as far away from them as I can because they are nothing but junk. Trane units have the best review but they cost a bit more. What other brands do you folks suggest and why ?

FYI: we need a 5 ton unit because or home is 2430 square feet. ( 600 square feet per ton is what I was told )

Thanks
Randy

 

[Chuck52]

Randy,

My SIL is in HVAC and installed a Goodman heat pump for us last fall. He actually likes us so I believe him when he says he likes Goodmans. Apparently most units have common components, and he likes how Goodmans are for service and such. We have seen a major improvement in our electric bills both for heating and cooling. Expected the improvement in the heating costs as we are all electric and had just resistance heating before. However, the improvement in the cost and quality of the cooling were more than we expected. Psrt of the improvement, maybe a major part, was due to his work on the ducts. He added returns as well as a couple new supplies.

I think you might hear complaints abhout every brand out there. SIL has worked on most all brands and now works on really big commercial units, too. He's satisfied with the Goodman quality and we got a good price on the unit as well. He also says the quality of the installation is at least as important as the brand. I told him I wanted a good one and was willing to pay the difference. He chose the Goodman.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

 

[nikdfish]

I'd suggest going with a heat pump rather than a dedicated a/c. They don't cost much more & can be a significant cost saver over most all fuel types for a pretty broad temperature band. There are still tax credits available for installing high(er) efficiency units ...

The other thing I'd recommend is getting a really good HVAC guy to do the calculations & work. The quality of the installer is at least as (if not more) important as the quality of the equipment selected in getting a result that will work well for the long run.

We had a 5 ton system replacement (HE heat pump + HE propane furnace w/variable speed fan) put in last year for our 2700 sqft place. It wasn't all that expensive (<$5K before credits & rebates, if memory serves), especially after federal & state tax credits & power company rebates, and has worked really well so far.

Nick

 

[Kays Supply]

I am a little biased. My son is an HVAC man. He put in a York heat pump with LP as a backup for me. It is the new modulating furnace. It is very HE. The best thing about it is the heat. AC is AC but the heat is so even it is amazing. I am a Plumber and install boilers for a living. I wouldn't trade my new unit for a boiler. It is so even heat and AC I am amazed. I know that the others make a unit like this, so like the other poster said look into the heat pump/ AC.

 

[EE_Bota]

Here is a thread I started when I needed one this year. There could be something in it that might help. Lots of brands were batted around.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/208034-may-need-heat-pump-any.html

 

[Bird]

Our old unit bit the dust a couple days ago. Been having a lot of problem with the unit this summer so I tired of messing with it and will just get a new unit. Our old unit is a R-22, I can get another R-22 unit for now but with the newer R-410A refrigerant should I just go with the newer R-410A or stick with the R-22 ? I have read of people upgrading to the newer R-410A units and their older A-coils start to leak because of the higher pressure 410A uses. The guy we use for our AC and heating problems is suggesting a Goodman unit. After reading Goodman reviews I will stay as far away from them as I can because they are nothing but junk. Trane units have the best review but they cost a bit more. What other brands do you folks suggest and why ?

FYI: we need a 5 ton unit because or home is 2430 square feet. ( 600 square feet per ton is what I was told )

Thanks
Randy

Since R-22 has gotten so expensive, and tightly regulated, there's no way I'd want an R-22 unit now.

We had a new Goodman heat pump installed a year ago last May, but we had a complete replacement; i.e., everything but the electric wiring and ductwork.

Interesting that you think Goodman is junk, when your HVAC guy recommended it. I think maybe the installer is more important than the brand of unit. As you see, someone is happy with his York unit, but I have a brother-in-law who has had a miserable time with his new York.

I probably spent a little more money than I needed to, but I paid a little extra for a 10 year parts and labor warranty; not from Goodman, but from the company that installed it. And then I pay them $12 a month for their "club" membership, as they call it. That's for them to come out twice a year to check everything without me calling them or having a problem.

And this thread is interesting timing, since they called last week to make an appointment to come out today.:laughing: So the technician was here this morning, and of course, found no problem.

 

[kenmac]

After reading Goodman reviews I will stay as far away from them as I can because they are nothing but junk. Trane units have the best review but they cost a bit more. What other brands do you folks suggest and why ?

FYI: we need a 5 ton unit because or home is 2430 square feet. ( 600 square feet per ton is what I was told )

Thanks
Randy

Well, Goodman is junk & Trane & the rest are good. You are probably reading reviews from the ones that bought their Goodman on line & had a friend of a friend that knows a little something about A/C install it. 600 sq per ton ??? What about a load calculation ??? That's what tells you how many tons you need. I don't have anymore problems with Goodman vs all the other brands. Buy what you want & let them size it by sq ft. As far as Refrigerant. R 410 will be gone in a few years as well. Some brands are shipping R22 units without refrigerant to get around the law. Carrier & some others are complaining that this isn't fair and calling for a halt to this practice

 

[Redneck_Randy]

I did get the feeling some of the bad reviews I read were due to bad installs.

We may go with the Goodman R-22 and just replace the outside unit with a 3.5 ton which is what size the blown unit is. Money is tight for us right now and this couldn't have happened at a worse time.

Our AC guy said he flushes out the lines with nitrogen I think. It that how they do it ?

 

[firedog]

I'd go with the 410A, simply because the R22 refrigerant will no longer be available after 2018. They stopped manufacture of the R22 units at the end of 2009. If you're looking for atleast a 20yr life of the equipment, it's hard to justify 6 yrs of refrigerant availability.

The refrigerant oils are not compatible between R22 & 410A, one is an ester based and one is a gycerin base. While they make flushing compounds, I'm not sure I'd trust them.

As far as Goodman. Very well made. I installed a 4 ton (R22) at the wife's shop a few years back; replaced the 3.5 ton for our upstairs unit and installed a 3 ton heat pump for my daughter, both of those (410A) this year. The heat pump wasn't much more and really efficient.
When our downstairs unit finally goes out (Heil brand), I'll replace with a Goodman heat pump.

edit: (read your last post) I know the tight money part. There are still some "new" R22 condenser units out there; you might find a decent deal. I limped our upstairs unit along for quite some time, but had to break down after the income tax return, tired of pumping refrigerant into it and the only leak anybody could find seemed to be in my pocket.

 

[Bird]

I did get the feeling some of the bad reviews I read were due to bad installs.

We may go with the Goodman R-22 and just replace the outside unit with a 3.5 ton which is what size the blown unit is. Money is tight for us right now and this couldn't have happened at a worse time.

Our AC guy said he flushes out the lines with nitrogen I think. It that how they do it ?

I'd sure rather not have the R-22, but when money is tight, and you're only replacing the outside unit . . . well, I assume the inside stuff is still good and has R-22 in it now. So I don't see any problem with flushing the lines and installing the new outside unit.