HVAC experts - my 5 ton system needs replacing
- Thread starter noleit
- Start date
good luck to you, sir. you're going to hear anything and everything (not just here, all over the real world, too).
carrier is the best!
trane is the best!
trane is just going on their name at this point, they suck!
brand y you've never heard of is worth checking out!
get a nest thermostat!
get an insteon thermostat!
don't bother with a wifi thermostat!
carrier is the best!
trane is the best!
trane is just going on their name at this point, they suck!
brand y you've never heard of is worth checking out!
get a nest thermostat!
get an insteon thermostat!
don't bother with a wifi thermostat!
Too funny.
And whatever heating/plumbing/electrical system you had "is designed/set up/installed completely wrong and we're going to have to ____________ which will cost $_______ more. Not sure why the last guy did it that way, we never do that."
62Nole
Seminole Insider
I bought a Maytag as a replacement a year and a half ago. Big mistake. Wouldn't know what to suggest at this point.
I was told this by a few hvac installers. Several of the systems are made by the same manufacturer and are rebranded.
Whatever you get, get the 10 year parts and labor warranty. Most of them offer it.
Whatever you get, get the 10 year parts and labor warranty. Most of them offer it.
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I put a 2 ton in a small rental unit and paid about 200 for a 10 year parts and labor. Well worth it. On the other hand, I have since found an independent guy that is 2/3 the cost of the big names, so I now buy cheaper units and don't get the warranty.
I have a Trane that is made for beach houses to help fight effects of salt air. Its about 10 years old and doing fine, Im about 1000 feet from Gulf
I ended up with a Lennox this year. 5 ton, 2 speed heat pump with a fully variable air handler. I opted for a UV air purifier that is working really well.
I don't think the brand will make much, if any, difference. I oversized my unit (had a 3.5 ton before) which everyone says is a big no no... I did the 2 speed to compensate for that and guess what... our freakin' house is actually cool for the first time since we built it, it isn't humid, and our power bill is down 30-50 percent. Do your own research. Figure out what YOU want. Listen to the suggestions and take them as suggestions then get what you think is right. You know your house better than the HVAC guy does and also know how you use it.
Before getting my unit I got an IR temp sensor and went around to every vent in the house, every room, every return, many many times to get readings on what was what. My house had balance issues and I was going with 2 systems or one big one. I'd probably be a bit happier with 2 but the price wasn't worth it. Anytime you get to the 5 ton mark you at least have to look at a split setup. I had quotes for 2 regular systems as well as one big system for most of the house and a mini split for our master bed/bath.
I don't think the brand will make much, if any, difference. I oversized my unit (had a 3.5 ton before) which everyone says is a big no no... I did the 2 speed to compensate for that and guess what... our freakin' house is actually cool for the first time since we built it, it isn't humid, and our power bill is down 30-50 percent. Do your own research. Figure out what YOU want. Listen to the suggestions and take them as suggestions then get what you think is right. You know your house better than the HVAC guy does and also know how you use it.
Before getting my unit I got an IR temp sensor and went around to every vent in the house, every room, every return, many many times to get readings on what was what. My house had balance issues and I was going with 2 systems or one big one. I'd probably be a bit happier with 2 but the price wasn't worth it. Anytime you get to the 5 ton mark you at least have to look at a split setup. I had quotes for 2 regular systems as well as one big system for most of the house and a mini split for our master bed/bath.
Per Consumer Reports in May of 2014.
Big energy savings over older central air conditioning systems is one more reason to install a new one or replace an old one that broke. But you may want to give York, Goodman, and Amana central air systems the cold shoulder. These brands logged a greater percentage of repairs among owners than the three brands at the top of our Ratings: American Standard, Bryant, and Trane. Those are some of the findings from our latest reliability survey of almost 34,000 readers who bought a central-air-conditioning system or heat pump (See Chart Below).
Big energy savings over older central air conditioning systems is one more reason to install a new one or replace an old one that broke. But you may want to give York, Goodman, and Amana central air systems the cold shoulder. These brands logged a greater percentage of repairs among owners than the three brands at the top of our Ratings: American Standard, Bryant, and Trane. Those are some of the findings from our latest reliability survey of almost 34,000 readers who bought a central-air-conditioning system or heat pump (See Chart Below).
The problem with that report is there are different tiers in every brand. Our Trane that we replaced was the lower end unit and was a total pile of crap. We repaired it a half dozen times in the last few years and it was 8 years old. The Lennox we replaced it with is an upper middle end unit (one or two rungs from the highest end depending how you slice it). The reason why Trane is high on the list though is their general market is not the budget/low end. They typically sell the high end stuff. As does American Standard. They push efficiency and a premium product. In our case, our builder's goal was to look high end so they put the cheapest Trane they could and were proud to show off the label even though we would have been better off with a middle end model of any other brand.Per Consumer Reports in May of 2014.
Big energy savings over older central air conditioning systems is one more reason to install a new one or replace an old one that broke. But you may want to give York, Goodman, and Amana central air systems the cold shoulder. These brands logged a greater percentage of repairs among owners than the three brands at the top of our Ratings: American Standard, Bryant, and Trane. Those are some of the findings from our latest reliability survey of almost 34,000 readers who bought a central-air-conditioning system or heat pump (See Chart Below).
Goodman has the most because they build a low end product. They currently offer 2 14 SEER heat pumps where Trane only has one at 14. They have 8 models above 16 SEER where goodman literally only has one unit above 16 SEER.
I highly suggest NOT getting a low end budget unit regardless of brand. I did a ton of research and found that the higher end units of most the major brands are all pretty much the same from a quality perspective. Ditto on the low end units... And it's a better value to get a Lennox/Carrier upper middle unit over a Trane because you'll either spend less or spend the same and get more. The Trane with the same specs as the Lennox I got was a couple grand more.
Another thing to note is there are HVAC forums and they expose a lot of what gets pushed and why. On some units they cost a lot more because they are packaged better and are a lot easier to install. Well, if your HVAC guy is pushing brand X model Y, check it out. You may find that they are trying to get an easy installation on your dime. If the installation is the same cost on that brand Vs. one that is a PITA to install then you are paying for them to have an easy time. If they want to give you a discount on installation with Brand X model Y then that is one thing.... but most don't.
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