"ishtarbgl" wrote in message
m...
My wife and I moved into a 30 year-old house a year ago. Everything
worked ok over the past year but I have never been please with the
A/C. Well, as winter slowly approaches here in Louisiana I go to turn
on my Gas heater and smell a small hint of gas. Again, my pregnant
wife smells it too. So I shut everything down including the pilot
light and call someone to come and inspect it. I am clueless when it
comes to this equipment and service so I just picked someone out of
the yellow pages that appeared professional. A man shows up and
immediately panics and says I have a cracked chamber. He says the
evidence of this is to look at the flame where it is yellow? Isn't
most fire yellow to some degree? I go down to my gas stove and see
the same type of flame.
30 year old gas furnace?? its long past its normal service life of 18 - 20
years.
Of course I do plan to get a second opinion.
Always a good idea.
Anyway, he has his boss come out and take a look to see what it would
cost to basically replace everything and do some needed duct work.
Here is what he proposed:
Rheem 12 SEER (electric a/c and inside gas furnace part)
redo and add some duct work throughout the house
redo some of the piping that goes from the outside unit to the inside
unit
raise the slab where my outside unit will be so it is to code
Cost: $5600 (includes tax and everything)
got model numbers??
Ultimately, it does sound like quite a bit of work and everything he
proposed makes sense. However, if you haven't already been able to
tell from my description (i.e. outside unit vs. inside unit) I am
completely naive about this whole process. So if anyone out there can
help me I sure would appreciate it.
The outside and inside units work in tandom.... one will not work without
the other
My concerns are this:
How should I choose someone to do this type of work? I want it done
right but I can't really tell from the yellow pages who is
professional and who isn't.
Your tech appears to be a Rheem dealer... Rheem (when correctly installed)
is top quality equipment.
Call your local building inspector and the Rheem wholesale supply house and
ask the following question.
"Would you trust XYZ company to do a top quality installation of a new
heating and cooling system in *your* family's home?"
Is Rheem the manufacturer I should go with? I have always heard that
Trane and American Standard was best.
Rheem/RUUD was rated just as high as Trane/American Standard by Consumer
Reports 2 years ago
This guy that gave me this
quote even said that American Standard is probably a little better
than Rheem but given my installation he said Rheem would be best.
Again, I just don't know.
I can't *see* it from here... I would be inclined to go with the tech's
recomendations
Is electric A/C and Gas heat really the way to go? Should I be
considering other options?
natural gas...yes, propane...no. If you do not have nat gas, I would be
looking at a high efficiency heat pump system.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Simply put I am lost but have to
get this done since Winter will be here before I know it and I don't
want to risk any development issues with our new baby.
Check this site for information on Rheem equipment
http://www.rheemac.com/
--
Steve @ Noon-Air Heating and A/C
When a work lifts your spirits and inspires bold and noble thoughts in you,
do not look for any other standard to judge by:
the work is good, the product of a master craftsman.
- -- La Bruyere