[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by joe weed

Never had a home warranty before. What do you think would happen if I purchased a plan and called them a few days later to file a claim?

They will claim pre-existing fault and will not cover it. Seen it happen a couple of times. After a few months it will fly.

Heard of a case where they sent in a technician to ascertain that everything worked. Do not think that is common however.

[RationalExpectations]

Consider adding one of these electronic air cleaners. i have them and they work great.

https://www.honeywellhome.com/us/en/...r-f300e1019-u/

[joe weed]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

They will claim pre-existing fault and will not cover it. Seen it happen a couple of times. After a few months it will fly.

Heard of a case where they sent in a technician to ascertain that everything worked. Do not think that is common however.

I figured as much. I'm sure people try to pull that on them fairly often. Thanks.

[DAXhound]

Originally Posted by airics

600sf per ton, so 1800sf-1900sf for each unit... 1 3 ton and one 3.5 ton..... but prices there seem out of wack.. here in Florida, I replaced single unit with a 4 ton, 14 seer, fully installed for $3900...new thermostat and a pump to drain the moisture out...

In Phoenix, they used 1 ton per 400 sf. In Bangkok they use 800 BTU per square meter. In both cases, that will cover you in a heat wave. Inverter technology, which seems to be missing from the US AC industry vocabulary, eliminates oversizing. My 17000 BTU can operate at between 3000 and 21000 BTU. And don't forget the big differences ceiling height, exposure, and attic ventilation make. If you can simply get your attic to be the same temp as the current outdoor temp, even if it is 120f, you are doing well, and then focus on great insulation on a sealed ceiling deck. Otherwise, as the building science engineer says "you don't want a house that sucks."

[GeorgeJ.]

Originally Posted by usnftcret

I have Lennox 2-ton and 2.5 ton ac units which are 13 years old. I had to replace the outdoor run/start capacitor and the indoor fan blower capacitor at the 8 year and 10 year mark. Thankfully I have experience fixing electronics in my former life so it was fairly easy to troubleshoot and repair.

I don't know if it's the humidity in Florida but the outdoor capacitors don't seem to last more than 4-5 years out here...

[GeorgeJ.]

Originally Posted by joe weed

I figured as much. I'm sure people try to pull that on them fairly often. Thanks.

Even if it was months before you called, you'd likely get screwed by the home warranty company if they are like Old Republic...My realtor bought me an Old Republic warranty on a rental house I bought. The house needed quite a few things in the first year; they kept trying to repair the AC a number of times but they only succeeded in getting it to limp along. I paid for a second year since I knew the AC was going to fail for good any day. When it finally did die they only wanted to pay about $1650 for the new system that was going to cost me about $4500. It was better than nothing so I took their $1650 and replaced the system. But I certainly didn't renew the warranty.

I believe the washer failed when I had the warranty. They sent in some third rate company that worked on it about 3 times before giving up. They replaced the washer with a new one. I believe they also replaced the water heater. But the problem was that it typically took 3 or 4 days for someone to show up to attempt a repair. That's ridiculous. If I were paying a provider direct they'd show up that day...I think the tenant was without the washing machine for at least a month until the new one was delivered.

If you are cheap & don't care how long it takes to get an appliance fixed, then a home warranty company might be OK for you. But if you don't want to be without a washer for a month or without Air Conditioning for a week in the summer, it might be best to skip a home warranty company. Especially "Old Republic"...

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by DAXhound

In Phoenix, they used 1 ton per 400 sf. ...

Sounds about right. We're at 2600 sq ft which would call for 6.5 tons. A year ago we had two systems installed; one at 2.5 tons and one at 5 tons. They worked perfectly last summer and should be flawless again this and several more years.

[vegas taco]

had a 5 ton 16 seer rooftop package unit installed a year ago (goodman) for under 6k

[DAXhound]

Originally Posted by GeorgeJ.

I don't know if it's the humidity in Florida but the outdoor capacitors don't seem to last more than 4-5 years out here...

Salt air is brutal, too. I would be extremely careful with the coil foams.

[airics]

Originally Posted by DAXhound

Incorrect. Quite a bit gets lost in the ducts.

My point was showing low bill cost with the newer higher seer unit. TIJ lives in a mobile or manufactured home. Shouldn’t have expensive bills to begin with.