Replacing an A/C unit

The air conditioned part of my house is less than

1800 sq ft. The repairman thinks the accumulator has a leak which he says cannot be repaired.

What is the expected price range for replacing the whole outside unit?

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams
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Like how much is a car, is it a 2 or 3 ton, a 13 or 18 seer, a goodman, in NYC or the south side, gee , get bids.

Reply to
ransley

Because it has a accumulator, is it a heat-pump? If so it will cost you more than a standard A/C.

Reply to
Moe Jones

My house has oil heat so it better not be a heat pump. This unit takes freon and is 21 years old. I live in west suburban Baltimore.

If this unit is replaced, the new unit would take R-410(?). I just need a price range before I talk to someone about it.

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

Reply to
Rick-Meister

You should consider a heatpump. It won't cost that much more, and the price of oil could well be insane in the future.

Reply to
Chris Hill

Maryland may be south of the Mason-Dixon line, but it is in the "Land of the damnyankee Snow". Everyone I know who has one curses it in the dead of winter.

The price of oil and all other petroleum products is already insane. The price of gasoline in Kuwait is less than 50 cents a gallon.

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

That's why you keep the oil and use the heatpump only when it benefits you, aka when it is above about 20 degrees. New ones aren't near as bad as old ones either.

Reply to
Chris Hill

Does brand name infer a high effeciency vs. a 2nd tier brand?

My house is a two story ranch built into the side of a hill. The lower level/full basement opens unto the back yard and is not air conditioned. Due to ventilation, the temperature in the finished part of the basement never gets above 74F in the dead of summer. My wife and I plan to sell in the near future (1-5 years).

I previously wrote the A/C part of the house is less than

1800 sq ft. After doing the math, I figure the A/C part at 1650 sg ft and the full basement which needs neither A/C nor heat (due to the heat from the oil furnace itself) at 1850 sq ft.

Where can I verify that a 2 ton condenser R-410 with a 2.5 ton high efficiency coil is the approriate size I need?

This is the best newsgroup on the Internet

Dick

-- Richard D. Adams Modertor: Misc.Taxes.Moderated The cleanest newsgroup on the Internet

Reply to
Dick Adams

Dick Adams wrote: ...

No. Altho some manufacturers/brands may not have units as efficient in their line as the top in another, the brand alone is not enough.

...

...

2T is 2T of cooling -- the efficiency only enters into how much it costs to provide that cooling (in first order approximation).

To verify the cooling you need for a given application one needs a competent analysis of the structure and heat load according to the ASHRAE guidelines. A qualified contractor will be able to do this and show you the results. A typical contractor who tells you what you need simply by square footage may or may not get it right depending on what's going on behind the scenes...

--

Reply to
dpb

Also, the experience with the existing unit can be useful. If you know it was X tons and cooled the house about right, that's one data point.

Somewhere in one of the original posts it was mentioned that just changing the outside unit was under consideration. I think that would be a big mistake. The rest of the unit is 21 years old too and new units need the evaporator changed to get the true efficiency. Also, mixing and matching raises all kinds of problems, including warranty issues. I like the idea of going with a heat pump, as it gives you dual fuel flexibility and it sounds like a good option in MD.

Reply to
trader4

Chris Hill wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

In the future??!!

Reply to
Red Green

Between $1500 and 2500.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

The old R-22 equipment is not compatible with the new 410a equipment. Most parts houses have some older equipment still in stock, so please be sure to get a condensing unit that uses the same refrigerant. Of course, your AC service tech will already know that.

The newer equipment is much more efficient.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I live in Phx and have found heat pumps to be barely adequate even for our mild winters. I replaced my heat pumps with straight AC units and put electric heat strips in the air handlers. Hasn't seemed to made much difference in my electric bills but it sure warms the house up faster.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

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