Let's talk about your A/C system... (conditioner, paint, blinds)
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We have ducting for a Spacepack system, but could not afford the unit itself. I want to try to hunt down a used or reconditioned unit or find a discounted price somewhere. I need to know what size unit to get. They told me, but I do not remember. I think it was 3 tons.
The airconditioned space in our house is just over 3300 s.f. We have a lot of windows, execellent insulation in the roof (ICYNENE) and poor insulation in the walls (for now). We have 8 exterior doors which get a lot of use. The house is two stories with additional living space inthe basement, but the basement does not get AC. I would rather buy a slightly oversized unit than undersize and have it wear out from working all the time. We live in S.E. Michigan. It rarely gets over 95, but there is a lot of humidity. We have limited return air ducting, but the HVAC contractor said that we should be ok. We are out of money so we will have to instal and connect the unit ourselves, but the hard work (ducting) is all done so it should not be a problem. Thanks
I asked my hubby( he is in the HVAC business) about this. Not sure if I got the info you want or not...and I will try to relay correctly what he said.
The cost of a geothermal system will be more, but over the long haul more efficient.
The home will stay at a more constant temperature.
A closed loop is fine if no reliable external water source is available.
For open loop , a filter can be installed at the pump where water comes in. This would be to protect the system from harmful impurities/minerals in the lake or well water,etc.
There would also be a gauge there to indicate when water flow is dropping, an indication that the filter needs changed.
He has installed geothermal and if we ever have to replace our system that is what he will use if at all possible.
Hopes that helps.
Hi -- can you help answer a few more questions? Geothermal still requires a duct-system, right? (Are there any good systems that are truly ductless for a 4 season environment where both cooling and heating are needed?) What makes geothermal heat/cool so much more evenly? The follow-up to the above two questions is, if you have a regular system in an older house, with not ideally layed out ducts, is there any sense in changing to geothermal or is it truly a choice that makes the most sense when you're building from scratch?
Also -- you noted closed loop is "fine" but if open loop is an option is it better to go in that direction?
I have a 1950's rancher, will probably soon be buying a similarly aged and styled house in a different town, but am aching to build a modest and efficient bungalow/ranch down the road.
Hello
I would like to know what the average cost to clean an evaporator coil
would be.[Rheem split unit central AC]
I know what I paid 4 years ago ($285) ; they removed it, took it outside , cleaned it, put it back in,checked to make sure it was working.
Since then the contractor I used has left the state.
I looked online and made some calls ; most won't quote a price without coming out to do an estimate. I don't want to pay $75-$100 for someone to come out and tell me the coil needs to be cleaned, and then when they tell me what they charge, if it's outrageous, I still have to pay them for their visit.
I did find a price on one website ;Their charge was more than it would cost to replace the evaporator coil if ordered through Rheem: and that company says they use a foam cleaner and leave the evaporator coil in the house. (allot less work)
I find it hard to believe that the cost to do this job by a licensed contractor has gone up 400% in 4 years.
So if you could give me an idea of what it costs to clean the evaporator coil, by taking it outside,cleaning with a non acidic chemical, spray water through it, & then bring back in & re-attach, I'd appreciate it.
Or any referrals.
Let's start with why do you think you need your evaporator cleaned? and your location.
We have ducting for a Spacepack system, but could not afford the unit itself. I want to try to hunt down a used or reconditioned unit or find a discounted price somewhere. I need to know what size unit to get. They told me, but I do not remember. I think it was 3 tons.
The airconditioned space in our house is just over 3300 s.f. We have a lot of windows, execellent insulation in the roof (ICYNENE) and poor insulation in the walls (for now). We have 8 exterior doors which get a lot of use. The house is two stories with additional living space inthe basement, but the basement does not get AC. I would rather buy a slightly oversized unit than undersize and have it wear out from working all the time. We live in S.E. Michigan. It rarely gets over 95, but there is a lot of humidity. We have limited return air ducting, but the HVAC contractor said that we should be ok. We are out of money so we will have to instal and connect the unit ourselves, but the hard work (ducting) is all done so it should not be a problem. Thanks
It would be rare to find an old unit and if you buy a used one you may end up (and most likely would) paying more than just having a new one in stalled (even if it's thousands unless you can do the work yourself)
The most stress put on your HVAC system is when it starts up. Running all the time isn't what kills HVAC systems. What kills them are dirty coils/filters/bad fan motors....etc....
If you think about the refrigerant circuit it's actually considered to be "clean and free of any material which will harm the internals of the system".....But that all depends on the instillation and procedures followed.
Geothermal still requires a duct-system, right? (Are there any good systems that are truly ductless for a 4 season environment where both cooling and heating are needed?)
Yes it requires ducts. Yes they have systems that are called mini splits. There are many manufacturers of systems as always.
The good thing about these units is 1. They require no ducts. 2. When designed correctly can provide multiple zones with many interior wall mounted units and only 1 outside unit (depending on your heating and cooling load) 3. They will provide heat and a/c. 4. They have some very efficient models out also.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crandolph
What makes geothermal heat/cool so much more evenly?
It does not it's the duct system and how it's distributed. Geothermal use the same principals other types of systems which is heat travels from where it is to where it isn't. The greater the temp. difference between the two objects the faster the heat travels. Geothermal just happens to use ground heat which is constant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crandolph
The follow-up to the above two questions is, if you have a regular system in an older house, with not ideally layed out ducts, is there any sense in changing to geothermal or is it truly a choice that makes the most sense when you're building from scratch?
Yes from scratch unless you got big $ I have seen $50,000 for a price tag for geothermal before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crandolph
Also -- you noted closed loop is "fine" but if open loop is an option is it better to go in that direction?
They take up interior space in each room that some may find valuable where as ducted systems are "hidden".
Some of the real complex systems are fairly expensive and finding contractors that are knowledgeable of them may become a task depending on your location.
They look like you entered star trek
They are worth looking into if you have to have your duct system replaced when thinking about total cost involved.
We're attempting to prioritize a long list of upgrades, improvements, repairs, etc. for a house that we bought last winter in AL (so think mostly humid, muggy, hot.) A few years ago, we had a house built for which I spec'd AmerStnd's 2-stage 18 SEER systems plus AprilAire media filters. Once we got the lousy install job corrected, they worked like a dream and did a good job of maintaining an acceptably low humidity level. Family allergy symptoms declined and we were all more comfortable.
In this house, we've added AccuClean filters & UV lights, but have not upgraded the builder basic 13 SEER single stage systems, although we did replace the cheap thermostats. Instead, I'm running a portable dehumidifier in the basement and recently added one on the main floor. The A/Cs are clearly oversized and run short cycles that can't adequately remove moisture. The house has multiple systems, but some are set to run minimally unless we have overnight guests. There are three systems that I'd like to replace, but need to determine when it makes sense to do so.
Just as an example, if I were to replace one 5 ton and two 4 ton 13 SEER single stage Trane sys. with one 4 ton and two 3 ton 16 - 18 SEER AmerStnd two-stage sys., without making other changes, is there a way to estimate the payback period? Has anyone produced a chart that shows cost to run various systems (diff. SEER & 1 vs. 2 stage) at various elec. rates to make it simple to do a rough guess of whether it's fiscally prudent to upgrade now vs. waiting until the current equipment dies?
One thing you can try if you know they are over sized is to have them set to the lowest fan speed as most systems have multiple speeds. This may allow the systems to "act" smaller. I would obviously recommend an HVAC pro set it up in case other adjustments were needed also.
I'll be honest it's extremely hard for myself to workout payback times. There are many calculators out there that take into account electric/fuel/system cost. In simple terms a 10 SEER system replaced with a 13 SEER system will be 30% more efficient. A 13 SEER system replaced with an 18 SEER system will be approximately 38/39% more efficient.
Really though the higher SEER systems are based more on comfort than on efficiency as you may have noticed with your 2 stage 18 SEER system. The fan runs constantly and can slow down to become a great dehumidifier and on hotter days can kick in for the added capacity.
"Has anyone produced a chart that shows cost to run various systems (diff. SEER & 1 vs. 2 stage) at various elec. rates to make it simple to do a rough guess of whether it's fiscally prudent to upgrade now vs. waiting until the current equipment dies?"
This is where it gets complicated. different systems run different %'s on first and second stage depending on the compressor manufacturer. The various electric rates are "sort of" simple. The higher the rate the faster the pay off for more efficient systems. To be for sure with having 3 systems it's going to get up there in $.
Have you been having any problems with them...service calls?
On a side note when your running the dehumidifiers has it helped?
Running those removes a large portion of the heat load possibly making the short cycles even worse. But I do understand you do what ya gotta do.
Open loops on geothermal should have a water filter to remove minerals,etc. from the source water. Open or closed loop systems use ground water which has constant app. 55 degree temperature. This allow the water source heat pump to provide maximum heating or cooling, no matter the outside temperature. Closed and open are comparable in effectiveness. Geothermal systems use a duct system. With any duct system, the ducts should be properly sized.
Minisplits use ductless indoor units that are similar in looks to a window unit. A single outdoor unit can be matched with several indoor units. Minisplits are relatively efficient, but are still affected by the ambient outdoor temperature.
What state do you live in?
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