Michael White wrote:
I have a one-story 1,900 sq. ft. house in North Texas. I'm thinking of
replacing my 20-year-old, 3-ton, SEER= 9 Lennox air conditioner.

I've been told to replace it with a 4-ton Bryant unit. Any comments or
recommendations?

Thanks.



Get at least three estimates; more - 4 0r 5 - is better. You'd be
surprised at the variation of recommendations in terms of price, size,
and system configuration.

We just got a 30 year old air conditioner/furnace replaced (GE which
apparently went out of the business in the 80s). I called five places -
based on personal recommendations, whether or not I knew they did the
Manual J calculations, and a local consumer guide. One company did not
show up. Of the remaining four, two did thorough Manual J calculations
(they measured, went away and a few days came back with figures to show
us along with a recommendation on size), and other two did quick
calculations of some sort (went to their truck and came back 15 minutes
later).

First, the A/C size recommendations ranged from 2 ton to 3 ton. Looking
at the Manual J figures, we knew we sat just at 2 tons (24,000 lb?).
One company said to go higher at 2 1/2 tons and one recommended to go 2
ton. One quick calculation company recommended 3 ton to give us "space"
(they were immediately eliminated). The second quick calculations guy
came up with 2 1/2 tons - he didn't really justify his recommendations
except by saying he had about 20 years of experience (and to be honest,
he was the only one who was NOT just a salesman - he also did the
installation and service of these units).

Then, there was the price. There was a good $2000 range in the pricing.
It was difficult to compare apples to apples because the warranties
differed as well as the scope of work and maintenance contracts (if any)
as well as any accessories and extras.

Jeanne