Home HVAC advice?

What model you currently have? If it is a SEER 12 (since it is 14 years old) and you replace it with a SEER 13, you won't save any money. Higher SEER may also not save you money if it is too expensive to install and you don't use AC every single day.
 
Carrier is overpriced, just worked on a brand new infinity system today with leaky king valves.
They all give 10 year parts and compressor now days, I tell people to go with a small company with a good reputation, you'll most likely get the best deal.
I like ICP products but not the high end brands like carrier or Bryant, you can get tempstar , comfortmaker etc for much cheaper, they basically have the same components.
American standard is another brand I would consider, and you are right for not wanting a system with bells and whistles, you can get 15 seer out of a basic system.
I'm neutral to Rheem/ruud and I dislike Goodman.
What kind of system fo you have ? Split, gas furnace, package unit ?
Are you looking to finance? If not than definitely go with a small company. Good luck.
 
You mention that you are in the "thinking" stage.
Maybe just wait a couple more years? As anything you buy today will be more efficient in a couple years.

Brands for me are now a thing of the past, so many companies use other companies parts and almost no one uses their own compressors. Add to that so many companies are now owned by each other that you have no idea what you are getting anymore, its really just plain old branding.
Im perfectly happy with our two now going on 14 year old builder supplied Heil units and honestly would not hesitate to replace with the same since they have been so reliable in our HOT SC summers that last roughly 6 months or more, we never open our windows, its either heat or AC, just to give an idea how much they are used.

I remember years ago before that in another home up north having WAY more trouble with a Trane which was used much less.

(great post above mine, I'm not in the AC (though I have worked on many types of refrigeration) field but agree with him 100%)
 
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Yes it's good. If it's been in service for a long time you might want to spray the condenser coils with an expanding cleaner foam. That made a huge difference in the efficiency of my unit. Which was outside in an area that was growing some moss on the back of it.
 
They always add another 1.5 to 2.5 Tons of AC so there are no callbacks. Smaller is better. Dehumidifies much better. How many sq ft and what kind of house?
 
Variable speed air handler/multistage furnace and the 4-5" thick filter. The variable speed allows for a dehumidification mode which works well and ensures the system is always providing the required airflow. The thicker filters simultaneously remove more stuff from the air and are less restrictive than the 1" types.

jeff
 
Stick with top tier systems like Carrier, Trane, Lennox. The seer rating is like MPG for a car the higher the number the better efficiency. We ripped out many Goodman systems over the years. 10-15 years is a good rule of thumb for replacement in the South. I have a two stage 17 seer system, Trane, in my home. It has the Hyperion cabinet which is made like a refrigerator box. I was going to opt for the 20 seer which has more than 300 speeds. I also put in the Aprilaire filter which is one year 11-13 micron filter.
 
Ask questions regarding VFD … lightning storms have taken out several here …
 
That's truу, I have a friend, he is an HVAC. Some years ago he got his certificate, license in a specializing sale on https://www.hvacschools411.com/licensing-requiremen. So, he also says that the brands don't matter, Indeed, there are many companies who use other companies' parts, and almost no one uses their own compressors. More than that the main thing is to find a good specialist, who can expertly advise you and perform the work with high quality. Because absolutely one thing in theory and completely different in practice. I would never try to do this by myself.
Are you involved with HVAC Schools?
 
That's truу, I have a friend, he is an HVAC. Some years ago he got his certificate, license in a specializing sale on https://www.hvacschools411.com/licensing-requiremen. So, he also says that the brands don't matter, Indeed, there are many companies who use other companies' parts, and almost no one uses their own compressors. More than that the main thing is to find a good specialist, who can expertly advise you and perform the work with high quality. Because absolutely one thing in theory and completely different in practice. I would never try to do this by myself.

I did a great deal of research and got several bids, but it was actually difficult to get a contractor to even call me back.

The bids I got to install a mini split system were obscene, there were so over the top it was an insult.

I bought everything, the system and all the tools, then researched how to do it correctly.

It was much easier to do correctly than I expected.

My bids were from $15,000 for the lower priced model, to $20,000 for the better one.

My cost all-in, HVAC equipment, tools and all, was $4,000 for a 36,000 btu 3 zone system that could produce heat down to -22F

I went slow to make sure it was right, so it took the better part of 2 days. Two experienced technicians could have done it in a lazy day.

It was so easy I bought another system for my shop. It took about half a day to install a 1 zone system, and that includes running power from 60' away.

I understand paying for someone's expertise, and I tried to, but not at those prices.
 
Here's how we determine energy consumed (watts): Divide Btu's produced by the stated SEER rating - Note, 1 "ton" is 12,000 BTU.
Example: 36,000 Btu's (3 tons) divided by 15 SEER = 2400 (watts)
That's running watts.


In my case, I have a 16 seer 5 ton unit. 60,000/16 = 3750 watts.

I bring this up to show the diminishing returns with higher seer units. To cut energy use in half, my SEER would have to go from 16 to 32! Unfortunately, the highest SEER 5 ton central air I can find is 19.
 
I have two 2.5 ton 14 seer units both 5 years old, the only thing I have done is replace the oem cheap caps with amrad caps. I like them and seems to be efficient and very quiet outside. If it matters, the house is two story, 4k sq ft and in the florida summer my power bill in 2020 was never over 150 dollars.
 
I did a great deal of research and got several bids, but it was actually difficult to get a contractor to even call me back.

The bids I got to install a mini split system were obscene, there were so over the top it was an insult.

I bought everything, the system and all the tools, then researched how to do it correctly.

It was much easier to do correctly than I expected.

My bids were from $15,000 for the lower priced model, to $20,000 for the better one.

My cost all-in, HVAC equipment, tools and all, was $4,000 for a 36,000 btu 3 zone system that could produce heat down to -22F

I went slow to make sure it was right, so it took the better part of 2 days. Two experienced technicians could have done it in a lazy day.

It was so easy I bought another system for my shop. It took about half a day to install a 1 zone system, and that includes running power from 60' away.

I understand paying for someone's expertise, and I tried to, but not at those prices.
HVAC tech is expensive, electrician is not. There is no reason to hire an HVAC tech to do mini split. You can get a reasonable competent person, handy man, etc to hang the system and connect the line of a pre charged system, then have electricians hook up the power and add a breaker.

For a HVAC tech's labor you can throw away 4-5 mini splits and still come out ahead. You don't need to redo all the installation when swapping mini split.
 
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