air conditioners

[ARRESTmeRed04]

windows open & a couple of fans works for me:rock: :rock: :rock:

have ya checked out the geothermal style systems????:dontknow: :dontknow:

yeah but see when you were little they didn't have A/C so you got used to it
never heard of geothermal A/C, only power plants

 

[viperhauler]

welll.....let's just say it involves a huge ass hole in the yard

 

[ZCx]

yeah but see when you were little they didn't have A/C so you got used to it
never heard of geothermal A/C, only power plants

can't argue with ya there, lol. hell i don't even use the a/c in the truck

 

[SilvrSRT10]

You need a unit sized for the house. A too small unit will never turn off and a too large of a unit will constantly kick on and off. The too large unit will cool the house so quickly that it may not have time to take out all the humidity since it's cycling on and off so much. It also shortens it's life. So the smart thing to do is get a high efficiency unit sized properly for your house.

 

[Voodoo]

guess you guys dont get the real heat like we do here in the imperial valley. 115 to 118 last week, cant wait till it hits 125 to 128

 

[JRSVIPR]

guess you guys dont get the real heat like we do here in the imperial valley. 115 to 118 last week, cant wait till it hits 125 to 128

Doesn't matter if you don't go outside. :marchmellow:

 

[SilvrSRT10]

guess you guys dont get the real heat like we do here in the imperial valley. 115 to 118 last week, cant wait till it hits 125 to 128

Yeah, but it's a dry heat. Going to be 100 here tomorrow but the air is so wet you could just about swim in it.

 

[includemeout]

Live in the Mojave Desert R-38 in the ceiling (single story) and R-19 in the walls, 2400sq ft.
two 3 ton units zone controlled to keep it cool in the summer (or 400sq ft per ton) and these units are near new.

 

[jrangel]

My house is 1690 sq ft. I have a Trane 17 seer unit. I like the Carrier Infinity. But it what it comes down to is how efficient your house is. You would be surprised how easy it is to seal a home. The cans of expandable foam behind the ac sockets, light sockets and cracks going to the attic is a cheap fix. Can lights just let the conditioned air go right into the attic. You can seal them pretty cheap. Door frames can be sealed really east and is a DIY. My AC is 2.5 ton. Seal your home with all the little things and your home will get more efficient Most HVAC salesmen are going to sell you the 5 ton due to commission on the Sales. It is you get what you pay for. Home Depot sells Trane and offers free est. Sears sells the infinity again free est. Also at minimum get a 18 inch return. Here bigger is better.

 

[Voodoo]

I dont do houses, i do big systems.............

We have many hvac people here and I think between us we can get you set up.



GEA Group
FES Systems

 

[ARRESTmeRed04]

ok thanks yall, i'm gonna start at sears and lowes cause of the free install, but their prices are prob higher to make up for it

 

[scottstoy]

A/C

a 4.5 to 5 ton unit is all you need..plus upgrade your coilpack inside the house..the freon is different now than it used to be so do the upgrade now..plus if your heat works i wouldnt do anything with it should cost around 2500 to get all your air stuff updated...look around and get several estimates and haggle alittle...

 

[Scrambler1]

If you plan to stay in your house for a few years it is definitely worth it to buy a high SEER system. If you go that route you will have to replace both indoor and outdoor units. Based on what you said about your current system not keeping the house cool I would move up 1/2 ton in size. Have a contractor look at your ductwork and run a load estimate before moving up a whole ton. Your ductwork may be too small for that large of a system which will increase the static pressure in the duct and the unit will lose efficiency. Also as has been mentioned before, oversizing is worse than undersizing. An oversized unit will short cycle (turn on and off). This kills the life of the outdoor unit and will not remove any humidity from the space. If you go all the way and buy a variable speed indoor unit and 2 stage outdoor this is far less of a concern.

My recommendation for top of the line is the Carrier Infinity system. With a two stage system you will save money on your power bill by leaving your thermostat alone instead of turning it up and down when you leave and come home. If that's too pricey at least get a variable speed indoor.

Based on the age of the home and that you will be changing refrigerant types I'd recommend that they change the line set (copper refrigerant piping) at the same time. The oil in R22 (old) and R410a (new) refrigerants do not mix. If it's going to be a real pain for them to do that just make sure that they take the time to flush the lines.

 

[HaroldD]

Joe's got great advice - I recently purchased a new 5 ton 19 SEER Lennox with 2 speed compressor, variable speed air handler, and 410a. Expensive, but I plan to stay here a while and in AZ, we need it. I"ve lowered the temp in our house a couple degrees and power bills have gone down from the old single speed 4.5 ton 13 SEER goodman crapola. Can't wait (well, yes, I can - don't like the tab for it) to replace the other 3 ton goodman.

The house is much more even between rooms since the variable speed air handler can be set to "on" all the time, but it's on at a very low speed, but it still helps circulate.

Carrier, Trane, and Lennox are all good brands in my opinion. Goodman is bottom of the barrel.

 

[Scrambler1]

Also if you replace the whole system with a 15 SEER or higher you can write off up to $1,500 as a tax incentive.

 

[ARRESTmeRed04]

ok, i don't think i want to go top of the line, i plan to stay here for maybe 5 more years. i talked to a guy at work who's dad is an A/C guy and he's gonna come over wed. to see what i need and he said he could get me the units pretty close to his cost on them

 

[BigRed460]

I just finished putting in my own a/c 21 s.e.e.r. amana unit that comes with a LIFETIME compressor warranty. Bigger is not better at all, a 15% over sized will drop your efficiency in half. If you think your unit is is the wrong size you need a heat load calculation (manual J) done on your home. Don't use a lows or home depot contractor, find a reputable privately owned local company that has the ability to manufacture there own sheet metal duct(transitions and plenums).

A/c's are like no other appliance you have, each piece of a hvac system(furnace, coil, and condenser) must be match to you home perfectly to obtain the efficiency they claim. An a/c system should be custom build from the ground up, no two attics are the same. 50% of your life time cost of you unit comes from the manner in which it was installed.