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Frank Rizzo

Central Air Replacement Advice?

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The central air setup in my house is garbage, 35 yrs old and no longer functions.  Currently getting quotes on a full replacement including all new ducts.  Brands quoted are Rheem, Payne and Daikin 2.5 Ton 13 Seer units, only negative feedback received so from a competing vendor is that the Daikin is total crap.  Any first hand advice with these brands or even contractors in the Randolph area? 

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I went through this earlier this year.  From what i was told, Rheem and Ruud are the same product, just different branding and neither are top of the line.  The first quote I got was from NRG and the Ruud units (Furnace and AC) had thousands of shitty reviews online.  Ending up with another contractor who verified what i had read.  Seems that TRANE, CARRIER and LENNOX are the units to buy.  I ended up reading much later that there are actually only a couple of companies that make ALL of the AC units and simply brand them differently for the illusion of competition.  Whether thats true or not, who knows?  But it seems plausible....

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American Standard Silver 16 (16 SEER) - https://www.americanstandardair.com/products/heating-and-cooling/air-conditioners/silver-16-air-conditioner.html

SEER is important.  13 is fine if you're leaving soon, but 16 will save you money.


16 does not make economic sense in New Jermany as you likely don't run it enough in our climate. That does make sense in the south but not here.
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I had a Trane V95 furnace and A/C installed 4 years ago.  Excellent units, no problems winter or summer.

I cut 2/3 off my electric bill by replacing the old piece of crap I had before. It was 220V pulling 60 amps!  The Trane is set up for 220 at 30 amps but only pulls about 20.  No problem pulling the temp down on very hot days.

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3 hours ago, Frank Rizzo said:

The central air setup in my house is garbage, 35 yrs old and no longer functions.  Currently getting quotes on a full replacement including all new ducts.  Brands quoted are Rheem, Payne and Daikin 2.5 Ton 13 Seer units, only negative feedback received so from a competing vendor is that the Daikin is total crap.  Any first hand advice with these brands or even contractors in the Randolph area? 

Whom is your utility? Have you looked into them?

Best efficiency ( mo seer) is not gonna matter if you're structure is inefficient.

Me personally, I would go with highest seer and best warranty.

Is this forced hot air also? 

 

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I did HVAC work for over 40 years and was a Lennox dealer for over 30 of them. My preference would be either the Lennox or Trane equipment, I always hated carrier as they were a pita to work on and parts were obscenely priced. Rheem wasn't bad equipment, Daiken , i think is Goodman which was bottom of the barrel as far as quality goes.

whoever does it, just make sure they do proper calculations for equipment and duct sizing.

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41 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Whom is your utility? Have you looked into them?

Best efficiency ( mo seer) is not gonna matter if you're structure is inefficient.

Me personally, I would go with highest seer and best warranty.

Is this forced hot air also? 

 

I have JCP&L,  baseboard heat.  The Daikin comes with 12yr parts n labor warranty.  

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I deal in Carrier, Lennox, or York. I can get Trane too. But the major issues I find with Lennox and Trane/American Standard is proprietary parts only available directly from the manufacturer. Both Trane and Lennox are outside of Morris County into Passaic county. And half the time they have to order what I need a week later. Carrier/ICP or York parts I can get from any local supply house any time.

 

13 seer is all you need in NJ. It's a waste to go any higher for the 3 months of the year we actually use it here.

 

Yeah fiber ductwork should be removed for sure, and replaced with properly sized metal wrapped ductwork, and proper R-rating flex duct to your takeoffs for each register. Air balancing is also important. So be sure along with the manual J calculation the duct guy is doing, you also get them to properly balance everything at the end.

 

Bottom line is your going to get a 10 year warranty on equipment from every manufacturer on a complete install. Life expectancy of today's equipment is 12-15 years so brand really doesn't matter too much, but go with equipment above builders grade. Just about everyone has different levels of the same seer equipment. The better quality stuff with have more features like a crank case heater on the compressor, a high, and low pressure switch, a TXV metering device instead of a piston. And usually a hard start relay. Those are the major differences, and usually you get what you pay for is my best advice.

 

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Turns out that I can get a York system for less, Trane not much more, major difference is the warranty.  Trane is 10 years all parts, no labor, York warranty not so hot. 

Thanks to all for the feedback, DeerSlayer, thanks so much for the all info and advice. 

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I like these threads, helps get me edumacated. I'm considering some kind of central AC too, getting to old lugging window units all over and may help when selling the house. My issue is 110 yr old framing meets modern addition and a very small attic hatch plus  retro ductwork would be a challenge if not even probable to one room. Mo research (and$ lol).

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16 minutes ago, siderman said:

I like these threads, helps get me edumacated. I'm considering some kind of central AC too, getting to old lugging window units all over and may help when selling the house. My issue is 110 yr old framing meets modern addition and a very small attic hatch plus  retro ductwork would be a challenge if not even probable to one room. Mo research (and$ lol).

I would look into ductless mini split if running ductwork would be an issue.  I just installed ductless mini split in my house here in VA and love it.  Super quiet and efficient (21 seer).  The system is also has a heat pump.

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So we have had basically the same full Trane HVAC system installed in two different homes now over the past 8-years and couldn't be happier. Zero problems, well built and save big bucks in utility costs.  

The first home was older, 1950's so we did some duct work as well, new furnace, coil & AC.

Our current home we bought with an old commercial grade Rudd AC & GE furnace that was going on 35+ years, and sure enough we had to replace everything again this past October when it finally gave in.

Current System Specs:

  • Trane XV95 Furnace (97% AFUE / 2-Stage Heat / Variable Speed-Speed Blower / 100K BTU)
  • Trane XR16 AC Condenser (Up to 17 SEER / 3.5 TON )
  • Trane XL824 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat (Control and monitor full HVAC system from the App
  • Aprilaire 1210 Air Cleaner (20" x 25")      

We used the same contractor in both cases and would HIGHLY recommend them for the best equipment at a great price in the central Jersey-ish area. http://www.johnnyice.com/

Side Note: Through the NJ Clean Energy Program / Local Utility Rebates we got almost $2500 back on the first system back in 2009... Our new system in 2016 we got back only $500. Better than nothing I guess -_- 

See program details here, http://www.njcleanenergy.com/cool but check with your utility company as well, they often match the state offers.

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15 hours ago, ted527 said:

I did HVAC work for over 40 years and was a Lennox dealer for over 30 of them. My preference would be either the Lennox or Trane equipment, I always hated carrier as they were a pita to work on and parts were obscenely priced. Rheem wasn't bad equipment, Daiken , i think is Goodman which was bottom of the barrel as far as quality goes.

whoever does it, just make sure they do proper calculations for equipment and duct sizing.

American Standard  is now Trane.   So I should have said Trane all along.

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I like these threads, helps get me edumacated. I'm considering some kind of central AC too, getting to old lugging window units all over and may help when selling the house. My issue is 110 yr old framing meets modern addition and a very small attic hatch plus  retro ductwork would be a challenge if not even probable to one room. Mo research (and$ lol).

Mini splits, Google it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

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Turns out that I can get a York system for less, Trane not much more, major difference is the warranty.  Trane is 10 years all parts, no labor, York warranty not so hot.  Thanks to all for the feedback, DeerSlayer, thanks so much for the all info and advice.   

 

York is 10 years parts, for a full system install. (Personally I prefer their Coleman line). One year labor the contractor is obligated by state law to provide.  Everyone loves their Trane/American Standard units, until they break. And they can't get me a proprietary part for a 7 year old unit for 3 weeks, in the middle of July or in the middle of January. "Nothing can stop a Trane, (except waiting on parts)" is the saying in this business. They have aluminum coils, which cannot be repaired, only replaced. I would recommend anything but Trane.

 

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On 6/2/2017 at 11:23 AM, DeerSlayer said:

York is 10 years parts, for a full system install. (Personally I prefer their Coleman line). One year labor the contractor is obligated by state law to provide.  Everyone loves their Trane/American Standard units, until they break. And they can't get me a proprietary part for a 7 year old unit for 3 weeks, in the middle of July or in the middle of January. "Nothing can stop a Trane, (except waiting on parts)" is the saying in this business. They have aluminum coils, which cannot be repaired, only replaced. I would recommend anything but Trane.

 

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I stand corrected, about the 10 year warranty.  Going with a York LX setup, if it lasts 10 years or until I can escape from NJ we are good.

 

 

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I'm in a similar situation, so rather than starting a new thread I'm building on this one. Im looking at a 4 bedroom colonial without central a/c and baseboard heat. It's approximately 1800 square feet. If I do split units, how do i cool 4 bedrooms, the hallway, hallway bathroom, and downstairs? Basement is unfinished, but I might finish it down the line.  The other questions; is it feasible to run ductwork, and how will the cost compare to split units? 

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