I'm looking for pros and cons of:

1. A package A/C heating system; compressor, coil and heat strips located
in a single package outside the home.

vs

2. Split system where only the compressor is outside and the coil and heat
strips are located in a furnace inside the home.

The application is in a manufactured home. Location is central Florida near
Orlando.

With the split system you eliminate that large air duct from the outside
unit to the homes duct work and only have the cooling lines running into the
house. The outside unit is also quite a bit smaller physically.

My present home has the "package" system. In a new home I'm considering the
split system.

I'm looking for opinions on both. My current inkling is to go with the
split system.

Comments?

"Bishoop" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for pros and cons of:

1. A package A/C heating system; compressor, coil and heat strips located
in a single package outside the home.

vs

2. Split system where only the compressor is outside and the coil and heat
strips are located in a furnace inside the home.

The application is in a manufactured home. Location is central Florida near
Orlando.

With the split system you eliminate that large air duct from the outside
unit to the homes duct work and only have the cooling lines running into the
house. The outside unit is also quite a bit smaller physically.

My present home has the "package" system. In a new home I'm considering the
split system.

I'm looking for opinions on both. My current inkling is to go with the
split system.

Comments?


This is Turtle.

I install these systems for a living and for a pretty good while. In my house I
have the split system just because it was that away when I bought it. If I was
going to build a new home. I would want the package unit outside but the only
hold back would be the added cost of the sheet metal work. It will be a higher
cost to install because of the sheet metal cost. Now here is why i would want
everything outside.

1) Everything is outside and there will be NO noise for return air vents to
listen to at nite.
2) All workers that service the unit will be do outside and no muddy boots on
my carpet.
3) You can acid wash , wash both coil with a garden hose and can do it with no
trouble.
4) Any small or major work to be done all outside and not done inside the
house.
5) If you wanted to change the whole system out in the future. I can change
out a package unit system out in about 4 hour Max. . To change out a split
system would be a all day job atleast. Time to change it out is Money. I figure
in cost to change it out in labor and package units would be the lowest cost of
labor compared to a split system. I would say labor cost would be close to 40%
less in labor on the bid.
6) The Package system is a sealed system and all freon lines were welded in a
factory and not in the field and done by the field installer. Also the vacuum of
the system was pulled on the system in a very controlled area and no rain, wet
area, or possibly getting trash in the system by a error of a installer. The
freon sealed system is put together in a very controlled area and cuts down on a
bunch of errors that could happen.
7) If the system caused a fire , furnace started giving off CO , or burnt up.
All the fire and CO would be outside and not in your house. It would be hard to
start a fire with it inside your house when it is outside.
8) All commercial building want the package units because of it is real easy
to change everything out and all work would be do outside. Also all the noise of
the units would be outside.
9) The cost of all the sheet metal duct work is the hold back on residentiual
customer from going package units.

Now the Pro's of the split system :

1) I make more money installing them that away and does have more labor
involved.
2) It's hard to change the split system to a package unit and so does get more
labor involved. Just stay with what you got is most of the time cheaper to do
so.
3) Sometime it is very hard to put Package unit in a application and split
would have to be done.
4) It is hard to get the 13 to 16 seer package unit and you have to use splits
to get above the 13 seer rating.

TURTLE