What you need to know when buying a new A/C (air conditioner) (Bryan: credit, how much)

[behtypa]

What you need to know when buying a new A/C (air conditioner)

I have spent about 2 weeks learning the residential HVAC practices and comparing brands/models. Now you can benefit from this.

This message is for you, if you want to make sure your HVAC (Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning) contractor/installer does his job right, does not rip you off and does not cut any corners (cheap materials, parts, poor quality of workmanship), if you want to know how to select A/C units, know which one is better and learn whether higher SEER/EER is going to save you any money.

How does A/C work?
How Air Conditioning Work - YouTube

What are the main parts of the A/C?
Condenser unit is the “fan box” that you see outside your house.
Evaporator unit/air handler is the huge elongated “box” you can find in your attic.
Furnace is another unit in the attic, that heats your house during winter.
Liquid (freon) lines, gas line, power cables, drainage is what connects them
Air ducts (silver sleeves, 16-18” in diameter) is what supplies air to your rooms individually.




Where is it installed?
A condenser unit is normally outside and Evaporator coil is in the attic.

How do I select my A/C ?
A/C Size: normally between 2 and 5 ton.
Generally 2 ton A/C would be enough for around 1000 sq ft of space. 3-4ton for 2000 sq ft and so on. But there are many other variables.
Carrier A/C cooling capacity comparison! - YouTube
A/C SEER rating. It is an efficiency rating, an equivalent of MPG on cars.
What is a SEER Rating? - YouTube
As of 2012, the minimum state required is SEER 13. SEER 14 would be around 20% more efficient on electricity than SEER13, but more expensive too. The highest SEER right now is SEER21.
Generally speaking, with current energy price of 10 cents a kW higher SEER A/Cs will not save you any money. The difference in price (equipment and installation) will be paid back (ROI, return on investment) in 5-7-10 years and more, depending on SEER and overall price.
The ROI may go down to less than 5 years only if the 1 kW will cost over 20 cents. So don’t fall into marketers promises of “great savings on energy”. Not yet.
Noise level – a level of noise your A/C Condenser unit (an outside fan box) makes, that keeps you awake at night. 
The basic A/C Condenser unit makes around 80dB (decibels) of noise, which is a level of a gas lawn mower.
Good A/C Condenser unit makes around 70 dB.
Currently best on the market have around 60dB of noise level.
How a new Trane 16i sounds compared to an older 10 SEER RUUD.. - YouTube
Manufacturer:
AC brands give your opinion - HVAC-Talk: Heating, Air & Refrigeration Discussion
Which brand is your favorite for ease of repair? - HVAC-Talk: Heating, Air & Refrigeration Discussion
Tech spec:
One stage compressor/cooling is cheaper than 2-stage, but 2-stage is more efficient.
Variable speed drive/blower/fan is better than 1-speed (fixed speed) fan.
These higher-end features normally come with more expensive A/Cs.

Warranty:
Unconditionally, go with a 10 year warranty. If you can buy additional warranty, buy it! The A/C needs regular maintenance and they normally start having problems after 10 years.

Model ratings and reviews:
Air Conditioning Contractors of America | Making life more comfortable for contractors and their customers.
Search and Compare Air Conditioners, Boilers, Furnaces and Heat Pumps
National Geographic's Green Guide
HVAC Guide

(!) When asking for a price quote, ask a quote of a specific model.
Condenser - brand, model no.
Evaporator Coil - brand, model no.
Furnace - brand, model no.
Compare contractors bids "apples to apples". Contractor A, model XX against Contractor B model XX. And not YY.

Installation Price:
The price consists of the:
equipment price (condenser, evaporating coil, furnace, drain tray, pipes, wires, R-22 or R410a coolant, R11 flush, etc.)
and
labor (disconnect and remove old unit, flush lines, drain line, test it, fill Freon (R22, older, no longer used) or R410a (Puron, newer environment friendly).

Larger HVAC companies (if you read, see or hear their ad, they are large enough) charge mor. They have to pay for a big office, a secretary and ad campaign.
Smaller, mom-and-pop single-owner businesses tend to have better prices overall. They charge less per hour.

What is a difference between a good A/C contractor / installer and a bad one?
A good one has installed particular brand of A/C before, knows how to set it right.
A good one knows and uses industry practices (electrical code, fire safety, HVAC quality requirements, environmental safety).

How do I find a good HVAC contractor / installer?
BBB - United States and Canada BBB Consumer and Business Reviews, Reports, Ratings, Complaints and Accredited Business Listings
Professional HVAC forum: AOP HTalk Contractor Map - HVAC-Talk: Heating, Air & Refrigeration Discussion
List of official dealers for each brand. For example: Choose a Lennox Dealer | Furnace and A/C Dealers including HVAC Service | Lennox Residential

What do I ask of installer?
That he is Licensed, Bonded, and Insured. His references. His experience with a particular A/C brand.

What do I check to verify a quality of A/C installation?
Transitions, air leaks, air flow, drain cleaned and sloped, drain vents and breathers, static pressure, combustion air, amp draws, sizing breakers, voltage, voltage out, tstat calibrated, air balance, temp splits, heat rise and water column, heat strip sizing, kill switch box, neat and straight power, fluid and duct lines, proper drains, vents, valves, etc., 2-3 filter dryers and proper installation, proper heat gain calcs., HVAC/ducts sizing and after-tests, etc.
There really is a difference and the quality techs know what the difference is and they record it.
Anyone can do a change out. Odds are in a haxors favor that you'll never call them back out.



Ask questions.

Key words: how to select / choose air conditioner, how to find the hvac installer, best a/c hvac brands ,

[cheryjohns]

So what did you buy?

[behtypa]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

So what did you buy?

I personally went with a Lennox XC14 and matching Lennox coil and furnace.
I chose XC14 (SEER14) because it is quiet and reliable enough for the money. If it was worth it I would probably go with XC17 or XC21, because of their quietness, but in a real world extra SEER rating will not save you any money.

IMO, any other major brand is just as good as Lennox. Trane, RUUD, Bryant, you name it. I am now more concerned about the quality of installation.

[predatorprey]

Also has to be the 402a freon crap too.

[behtypa]

Originally Posted by carryyourbooks

you need a hobby....just sayin'.

LOL, I have. Learning more of HVAC practices (some I knew before) helped me to save a few 1,000s of dollars on equipment and installation. And to know how it should be done right. I think it is well worth it.

[CuriousMTA]

Good job, seems like a lot of work was put into this. I'll book mark this and one day if I'm bored enough I will go through it. This might come in handy one day when someone I know or me, needs to know a little bit of something.

In my experience with hiring someone to fix my last house A/C unit, there are too many people out there who try's to cheat people with there lack of knowledge. I've hired 3 different times for a repair man to come out and each time they be telling me some bull cr** that is inconsistent.

[double_d]

Originally Posted by behtypa

I personally went with a Lennox XC14 and matching Lennox coil and furnace.
I chose XC14 (SEER14) because it is quiet and reliable enough for the money. If it was worth it I would probably go with XC17 or XC21, because of their quietness, but in a real world extra SEER rating will not save you any money.

IMO, any other major brand is just as good as Lennox. Trane, RUUD, Bryant, you name it. I am now more concerned about the quality of installation.

Were you happy with the installer? Who was it and what did they charge you? I am going thru this now.

[testmo]

so how much did it cost? i always wonder if the job i had done was a good deal for quality equipment. did you have duct work replaced as well?

[Noviceaz]

Thank you very, very much for this valuable information, you gathered within a 2-weeks time!!! It is very helpful! :-) Chris

[davidWV]

Our 1900 square foot home just had our R-22 Trane go out. HVAC tech quoted $4100 to replace the unit, which we don't have. So, we chose to recharge the freon and now a week later we have no AC. We are forced to replace the unit.

Question - with all of the duct work and vent system in place what do we need to do? $4100 seems super high. Can we just replace the condensor and recharge? HELP!