That's some service! (New Central AC...)

[xBa380]

So as some of you may remember, a few weeks ago I posted about about my central AC Rheem unit being 29 years old and recently, broken. Ended up being the contactor went bad after troubleshooting. Well, even though the replacement contactor fixed my issue a few weeks ago, yesterday the AC went out again. This time, the compressor isn't kicking on. Replaced the capacitor I had as a spare for the compressor, but no dice.

After seeing the condenser coils breaking apart and the fact it just went out a second time, I am not fixing it. 29 years as a great run... Time to get something new.

Found a AC guy in the area with hundreds of nearly 5-star reviews. Never seen so many for a contractor for such work, so I figured why not... Submitted an online service request and had a call almost immediately. He wanted to stop over same day for an estimate/inspection, so I left work to meet him about an hour later.

Super nice guy, really knowledgeable. We talked over options, the work he would need to do and the estimate cost of $3600 complete.

I expected quite a bit more $$$, honestly. Includes new 3-ton Daikin unit, new pad, new low/high pressure lines, evap coil and thermostat. 10 year parts/install warranty. There will also be a service/access door for the evaporator coil (unlike now...), so that's great as well to keep it clean. So I was very happy and comfortable with his company doing the work. No up-selling, even when he had the chance. Knew his components/brands/suppliers very well and explained everything in detail.

Daikin is basically Armana/Goodman, same brand or whatever. Really great reviews online for these units, seems to be one of the better options.

It's a SEER 13 or 14 unit, my current one is about 8 (probably less given half the coils are broken and on the ground... haha). For Ohio, that's good enough for me as we only run it a few months a year. I could have stepped up higher, but wasn't really worth it for me. I was told my blower would need replaced for higher SEER unit as well, so that would need replaced if I wanted higher. Decided against it. Current AC unit is 2.5 ton, new unit will be 3-ton. Said for the size of the house, the 2.5 would have been pushing the limits a bit which is why they are installing 3-ton. House is right around 1600 ft^2.

Best of all? When I asked when he thought the install would be (thinking a week or two)... He replied "How does today sound?".

So around 4-5pm today they will install our new unit. Thank goodness, as it's gonna be in the 90's in a few days.

He has a crew of just 4 or 6 people, all who have been with him for many years. Not just random sub-contractors/installers.

We shall see how this goes!

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
Found a AC guy in the area with hundreds of nearly 5-star reviews. Never seen so many for a contractor for such work, so I figured why not... Submitted an online service request and had a call almost immediately. He wanted to stop over same day for an estimate/inspection, so I left work to meet him about an hour later.

How many of those are authentic?

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: maxdustington

How many of those are authentic?


232 verified reviews on Home Advisor. On Home Advisor they have "Best of 2018" winner, screened/approved, elite service and top rated. 4.8 total rating out of 5.

Angie's List, as well.

Established in 1948, his grandfather started the business. Good history.

Great guy... No weird vibes. Talked about drums and hanging out in the future to jam... Not worried one bit.

 

[Stevie]

Great to see that there are still great service stories out there. So few folks take pride in their work any more.

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: Stevie
Great to see that there are still great service stories out there. So few folks take pride in their work any more.


One thing I appreciate is his business perspective when we got talking… He pays his (few) people very well, which is why they have been with him so many years. He knows of other local companies that pay their techs something like $11.50, saying how ridiculous it is if you want GOOD help. It’s basically just him, his wife as the account manager and his team of 4-6 installers/techs. He doesn’t want to grow his business anymore as he doesn’t want the additional stress or size. He is happy where he is at income wise and being able to provide better service than making people wait weeks for installs or repair.

On the side, he also does something with masonry or something like that, teaching classes or something at various schools or something.

I am usually good at smelling B.S. if I was hearing it, but he was so humble and also very knowledgable in his stuff. He wasn’t bluffing.

For example, I mentioned how ever since the furnace was put in, the “Fan ON” mode doesn’t work if we want to just run the blower. He immediately opened the furnace and found the wire in a second, saying the furnace people were idiots for not wiring it properly, haha. Something easy, but still...

Just little things like that built my confidence up for him… Now we will see how the install goes later today. I will let you all know how that goes tomorrow...

 

[jonnied1]

A 3 ton may be a bit oversized. I have a 1640 sq. ft. home built in the late 80's. Average insulation, facing east and west.
The original heat pump and furnace were 2 1/2 ton. I had a new 2 1/2 ton York installed in April.
So far the few days it got into the mid 90's here in WV, it kept the house at the thermostat setting of 73 degrees and still cycled on and off.
A slightly larger unit is ok, but if too large, It will short cycle and not control the humidity as it should.
Good price from the installer though.

 

[EdwardC]

Sounds like a good start! The one thing that stands out to me is that from all the great contractors I've talked to or used, they typically have a backlog of work and can rarely hop on something that quickly. Maybe that guy had a cancellation that happened to work perfectly for you, or maybe the HVAC industry is a little different, but it sounds like it will work out for you!

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Sounds like a good start! The one thing that stands out to me is that from all the great contractors I've talked to or used, they typically have a backlog of work and can rarely hop on something that quickly. Maybe that guy had a cancellation that happened to work perfectly for you, or maybe the HVAC industry is a little different, but it sounds like it will work out for you!


He did mention that I kind of got him on a perfect week as the Spring/early Summer rush just ended and such, he had availability today if I was available. Also, his crew gets paid per-job basis, so they are happy to take on additional installs. So it just happened to work out, I guess! The other company I called a few weeks back told me it was 2-weeks before they could come out and 4-week wait for install... Which would have sucked.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: xBa380

One thing I appreciate is his business perspective when we got talking… He pays his (few) people very well, which is why they have been with him so many years. He knows of other local companies that pay their techs something like $11.50, saying how ridiculous it is if you want GOOD help. It’s basically just him, his wife as the account manager and his team of 4-6 installers/techs. He doesn’t want to grow his business anymore as he doesn’t want the additional stress or size. He is happy where he is at income wise and being able to provide better service than making people wait weeks for installs or repair.


My dad is a residential contractor and that is about as big as you can get and still have personal influence on the jobs. He had a book that I read about a a year ago, and the first chapter discusses that if you have a crew of 3-4, and get 4-6 big jobs per year that's all you need to make a good living at renovating houses. This book was written over thirty years ago and has a lot of obsolete information, but I think that still rings true. Once you go bigger than that, your overhead starts to increase and someone else starts selling and performing the work. Customers love it when the owner of the business is present at the jobs.

My dad was good enough to not have to advertise during the 2000s, all any client wants is an honest man.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: jonnied1
A 3 ton may be a bit oversized. I have a 1640 sq. ft. home built in the late 80's. Average insulation, facing east and west.
The original heat pump and furnace were 2 1/2 ton. I had a new 2 1/2 ton York installed in April.
So far the few days it got into the mid 90's here in WV, it kept the house at the thermostat setting of 73 degrees and still cycled on and off.
A slightly larger unit is ok, but if too large, It will short cycle and not control the humidity as it should.
Good price from the installer though.


I was thinking the same thing. Even in Maryland a 2.5 ton might be enough.

 

[csandste]

I think Goodman is still at the bottom of the reliability heap, but only because anyone can go down to the distributor and become an instant HVAC contractor, they'll sell to anybody. Like you I found a reliable contractor and bought a Goodman 3 ton high efficiency unit two years ago. With day after day of 100 plus THI readings during June and worse coming in July, I'm not regretting my decision.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I see you've made up your mind, but frankly adding a new central air unit to a 29 year old air handler is a mistake. It defeats the purpose of having an efficient system that saves on your electric bill. And Daikin/Goodman is not exactly a Trane or Carrier, unless you like Asian made systems. Sounds like the classic axiom, you get what you pay for.

Good luck. You'll likely need it.

 

[Nick1994]

A/C unit is definitely oversized, not good. I'd be calling and asking for a 2-1/2 ton.

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
I see you've made up your mind, but frankly adding a new central air unit to a 29 year old air handler is a mistake. It defeats the purpose of having an efficient system that saves on your electric bill. And Daikin/Goodman is not exactly a Trane or Carrier, unless you like Asian made systems. Sounds like the classic axiom, you get what you pay for.

Good luck. You'll likely need it.


The air handler is not 29 years old. We just have it replaced last year (furnace/blower/etc...)

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
A/C unit is definitely oversized, not good. I'd be calling and asking for a 2-1/2 ton.


To be honest, we discussed that as the current unit is 2.5 ton. The upstairs doesn't cool quite as well as the downstairs and we have a split level home (basement, 1st floor (ground level), 2nd floor (elevated) and 3rd floor where the bedrooms are). Upstairs is usually a few degrees warmer, even when I try to adjust the dampers well to direct more cool air upstairs. Lots of windows and such up top.

When it was running, the current unit ran almost non-stop. Literally. Which I know is not necessarily a bad thing.

Also mind you, I keep my house quite cool. If it's 80 out, it likely will be set at 72 during the day and 68 at night. I like it cold... If it's 90, it will be at 74-75 inside. Same night temps.

According to any sizing guide I find online, 1600sq-ft homes are right on the 2.5 or 3.0 ton sizing... One or the other. I'm guessing because I told him the upstairs doesn't cool as well, he decided on the 3.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
To be honest, we discussed that as the current unit is 2.5 ton. The upstairs doesn't cool quite as well as the downstairs and we have a split level home (basement, 1st floor (ground level), 2nd floor (elevated) and 3rd floor where the bedrooms are). Upstairs is usually a few degrees warmer, even when I try to adjust the dampers well to direct more cool air upstairs. Lots of windows and such up top.

When it was running, the current unit ran almost non-stop. Literally. Which I know is not necessarily a bad thing.

Also mind you, I keep my house quite cool. If it's 80 out, it likely will be set at 72 during the day and 68 at night. I like it cold... If it's 90, it will be at 74-75 inside. Same night temps.


Having bedrooms on the top floor is great idea other than this issue. My house faces east and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor of the west side of the house. The 2nd floor absorbs heat all day and is ok until the evening and then gets really hot because the thermostat is a floor below. I did the same thing by closing the dampers but it needs more.

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Having bedrooms on the top floor is great idea other than this issue. My house faces east and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor of the west side of the house. The 2nd floor absorbs heat all day and is ok until the evening and then gets really hot because the thermostat is a floor below. I did the same thing by closing the dampers but it needs more.


Tell me about it! Not to mention, the two smaller bedrooms are right above the garage… So in summer, these rooms are probably 5F warmer than the rest of the house… In winter, 5F colder. Windows are getting replaced soon in those rooms, but the mid and lower levels have new doors/windows the past few years. Garage is attached to the 1st floor, so in summer we battle addition heat from that connection as well.

Our home faces south… The master bedroom has 3 windows that face North. All other windows on house are south/north facing only.

Square footage of the house is 1602 sq-ft… Not including the basement, which is also used (my drum/music room) so I heat/cool that room... The finished portion is about 20’x16’ or so. So we may be around 2000 ft^2 finished, give or take.

I'm not too concerned with the 3-ton sizing. I think in our case, we need the slight bump in capacity for our particular home and it's "attributes".

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Having bedrooms on the top floor is great idea other than this issue. My house faces east and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor of the west side of the house. The 2nd floor absorbs heat all day and is ok until the evening and then gets really hot because the thermostat is a floor below. I did the same thing by closing the dampers but it needs more.


Tell me about it! Not to mention, the two smaller bedrooms are right above the garage… So in summer, these rooms are probably 5F warmer than the rest of the house… In winter, 5F colder. Windows are getting replaced soon in those rooms, but the mid and lower levels have new doors/windows the past few years. Garage is attached to the 1st floor, so in summer we battle addition heat from that connection as well.

Our home faces south… The master bedroom has 3 windows that face North. All other windows on house are south/north facing only.

Square footage of the house is 1602 sq-ft… Not including the basement, which is also used (my drum/music room). The finished portion is about 20’x16’ or so. So we may be around 2000 ft^2 finished, give or take.

We have two skylights on the roof, which are just brutal for UV. I made shades for them, cleaned the evaporator (the one inside the furnace) and retaped the furnace itself and the ducting that was visible in the mechanical room. It made a noticeable difference, it seemed to really help the humidity up there. I also taped as many registers I could get away with on all floors other than the top.

 

[EricG]

Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
I see you've made up your mind, but frankly adding a new central air unit to a 29 year old air handler is a mistake. It defeats the purpose of having an efficient system that saves on your electric bill. And Daikin/Goodman is not exactly a Trane or Carrier, unless you like Asian made systems. Sounds like the classic axiom, you get what you pay for.

Good luck. You'll likely need it.


Goodman is made in Texas, not Asia. Also, the installer is more important than the unit, unless your talking about a microchannel unit!

https://www.goodmanmfg.com/about/history

 

[Dave1027]

Yeah, never heard of Daikin. I just had a 3 1/2 ton American Standard system (supposed to be the same as Trane) installed into a 1600 sq ft house single story house. It works really nice. Haven't even got my first electric bill yet. We'll see.

Not wanting to thread jack but can somebody tell me if I should register this new system with the manufacturer? The installer said not to. He said he'd warranty the system for 10 years. I'm thinking I should send in my registration any way in case the guy moves away? He is a certified HVAC business and very well known in town.