"kck" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all, I posted here a few days ago to try to figure out fair pricing
on some A/C work. (Main problem is a leaky evap coil, but due to
10-year age am considering a compressor also). I have been getting some
quotes since then, and while I am getting a better handle on how the
dollars start to fall, I am still not sure whom to follow as advice
conflicts between the four estimates I got.
Some advice/info from them, for example:
1. I don't need more than 2 tons (which is what I have now), but others
are saying I need 2.5 and even 3 tons.
(the latest guy said that one should roughly estimate as a quick and
dirty that one 8" duct equals aprx .5 tons of supply capacity. We
counted and there are 6 of these plus one 4 incher. He is returning
tomorrow to take more specific measurements.) Note that some years
after the home was built a basement was finished out with one 8"
supply.
2. 13 SEER is ok and in many cases the way to go. Current is 10 SEER,
about 10 yrs old. (I understand 13 is now the minimum).
3. Freon (R22) is still preferable to Puron (410?) due to the latter's
unproven nature and as yet not assured supply.
4. Rheem/Ruud (I understand these are the same) are lower priced than,
for example Trane, but not significantly lower in quality. The last guy
stocks the first but can get any brand the customer wants.
5. Replacement of copper lines (aprx 40 foot run). This is the part
with the greatest variance. The Trane guy said upgrade to 2.5 requires
no upgrade of my current lines (which are 3/4 and 3/8). The first Ruud
guy said the 2.5 unit *will* require upgrade. The second Ruud guy said
no, but I could if I wanted to (aprx $250). He said a nitrogen flush
and vacuum should be sufficient, no charge by him).

So, although I am trying to compare apples to apples, it turns out some
of those are McIntosh, some are Granny Smith, and some may be just
spoiled.

Any help sorting the truth from salesmanship is much appreciated!


I live in Memphis. Dang hot in the summer. When we bought this house it
had an old (probably original) 2.5 ton unit which bit the dust the second
summer we were here. My heating and air guy said that he usually figures 1
ton for every 400 to 500 square feet of living space, I'm sure this varies
depending on where you live. My house is about 1800 sq/ft so I went with a
4 ton unit (R22). The brand is Goodman (I don't know anything good or bad
about them). My electric bill actually went DOWN because the old unit was
not working right and ran all the time so I don't actually know how much
more electricity I am using. Although it seems that a bigger unit is going
to cool faster and therefore run less... At any rate, I can swing meat in
this house now even on the hottest of days which is fine with me. I am from
up north and can't stand the heat.
TWO big down sides to the upgrade
1. The old line set for the 2.5 ton unit was not enough for the 4 ton unit
and had to be replaced. I believe he told me that the biggest unit the old
line set would support was a 3 ton.
2. The old A/C was on a 30amp circuit with 10 gauge wire, again not enough,
so I had to run 8 gauge via a 40 amp breaker.

Also, you need to make sure that your furnace blower can move enough air to
support the upgrade. Otherwise you will end up packing ice on your coil...
Not Good.
The Upside: because we had to run electrical and plumbing, I was able to
move the compressor from one end of the house to the other, and tuck it back
in a corner out of sight and far away from the master bedroom so I don't
have to listen to it run at night. I am no expert but it seems that I hear
a lot of people say that Freon is going to be around for a while yet. There
was a definite cost difference in the Puron vs. Freon comparison and the guy
who did mine said he did not think that Puron was worth the extra money.
Give it another 10 years and the price will come down as it becomes the
norm.

For the new A/C, new coil, and new line set the cost was $2014. I did the
electrical...
Hope this helps