Need Advice before they come back to fix it tomorow. SEER and Continuous Flow.. etc.

[Megma101]

Our A/C died this week. It was 22 years old, may it rest in peace.

But we are planning to sell in a few years, so we didn't go super high efficiency or high end.

We bought a 5 ton, 14 SEER Bryant to go outside. They also had to replace the inside part (sorry, i know very little about A/C). The unit was supposed to be a heat pump and they sold us on this continuous flow fan thing. Meaning it would constantly circulate the air and never shut off.

About 4 hours after they left, the Mr. and I went to check it out. They never once opened the attic door and did any work up there.. they were supposed to adjust and reseal ducting, etc.

We opened the cabinet inside and saw that our Bryant interior unit was actually a Carrier. After googling I know that Carrier and Bryant are the same thing... but still.

And we also realized that the fan was coming and going.. not continuously 'on' as it was told to be.

After all this we went outside to see our LEVEL 5 ton Bryant 14 SEER unit. Not only was it not LEVEL at all, it made a strange sound.. kinda like the sound a ceiling fan makes when it is off balance. We also noticed that it (after looking up the numbers on Bryants site) is a 13 SEER.

We are pretty unhappy.. so we call the Rep. He apologizes profusely. Says they forgot to put the 'Bryant sticker' on the inside unit. :confused: Can you get more unprofessional?

Also, the fan not continuously turning was an 'adjustment' issue and they would adjust it on Saturday.

And last, the outside unit being a 13 SEER? 'Well, the unit is not supposed to be a 14 SEER.. just the outside unit and the inside unit, yada yada.. calculations and conditions create a 14.5 SEER. It has nothing to do with the ACTUAL SEER rating of the outside until.. its a mix of the two'

I feel like I am being shammed. Any input?? I need help. They come back tomorrow to 'fix' the issues. And I paid for a 14 SEER unit as well as all the other things that were left undone.

Please, if anyone can help me be a more informed consumer so that tomorrow I can make sure I get what I paid for, I would be indebted to you forever!

[Megma101]

Also.. they said they had to install or adjust dip switches to get the continuous flow??

Any info on this would be helpful too.

[Daltex]

Don't get hung up on the Bryant/Carrier switch out. Both Good equipment depending on the install.

Continuous flow fan? Fan should only run when the outside unit is running. The inside unit (evaporator coil) gets wet with humidity and when the fan shuts off it allows the coil to drain. If the fan runs continuously it will blow the humidity back into your home. May have been sold a variable speed blower which is a good thing. It adjusts the fan speed to help keep the humidity down. Ask the company to clarify this for you.

Lack of duct work correction is a big concern. It needs to be done for the best efficiency. Ask the company when they are doing this. May have been an oversight. Get them to give you the numbers for the static pressure when complete. Ask them to make sure there is mastic sealant on all connections. Big issue= Ducting

Seer is a guestimate. Ask the company to give you the AHRI certification of your system. This will be the actual seer/eer rating in a perfect setup in perfect conditions type thing. The sticker on the box or the website ad is alway a best situation rating. I think all manufactures use a 2 ton system for the rating. Yours will alway be lower at 5 tons. Don't fret it. I'm sure the seer is fine but would want to make sure it is a matched system.

Need to level the system if it's way off. You can shim it yourself. Takes about a minute. Should have been done. Noise can occur if the outdoor unit isn't stable on all 4 corners. Shims and a level and a minute of easy work and should be good to go.

[Megma101]

Static Pressure numbers. Any idea what range it should be in?

I guess my main concern on the SEER rating is that I was quoted prices on a 13, 14 and 15. They were significantly different in price.. so I want to be sure I am not getting charged for a 14, but only receiving a 13. Get my drift? So far, with the quality of work, I wouldn't put this past them.

And it was 104 the day they did the install. I can imagine a trip into the attic was something they didn't want to deal with.. and didn't. I'd like to think it was an oversight too. But I am not feeling it.

AHRI certification? Can you tell me what the acronym means?

Thank you for your help!!

[Daltex]

Total static around .5 WC would be great. Over 1.0 I wouldn't accept.

Google AHRI. I don't think the price on 13,14,15 SEER sould be big based on SEER alone. Sometimes when you get into the 15+ units, bells and whistles are included. The variable speed air handler is a fairly big price jump.

Just because it says 13 or 21 SEER on the unit doen't mean that is what you get. Use it for comparison only.

[Cool_Air]

Our A/C died this week. It was 22 years old, may it rest in peace.

But we are planning to sell in a few years, so we didn't go super high efficiency or high end.

We bought a 5 ton, 14 SEER Bryant to go outside. They also had to replace the inside part (sorry, i know very little about A/C). The unit was supposed to be a heat pump and they sold us on this continuous flow fan thing. Meaning it would constantly circulate the air and never shut off.

About 4 hours after they left, the Mr. and I went to check it out. They never once opened the attic door and did any work up there.. they were supposed to adjust and reseal ducting, etc.

We opened the cabinet inside and saw that our Bryant interior unit was actually a Carrier. After googling I know that Carrier and Bryant are the same thing... but still.

And we also realized that the fan was coming and going.. not continuously 'on' as it was told to be.

After all this we went outside to see our LEVEL 5 ton Bryant 14 SEER unit. Not only was it not LEVEL at all, it made a strange sound.. kinda like the sound a ceiling fan makes when it is off balance. We also noticed that it (after looking up the numbers on Bryants site) is a 13 SEER.

We are pretty unhappy.. so we call the Rep. He apologizes profusely. Says they forgot to put the 'Bryant sticker' on the inside unit. :confused: Can you get more unprofessional?

Also, the fan not continuously turning was an 'adjustment' issue and they would adjust it on Saturday.

And last, the outside unit being a 13 SEER? 'Well, the unit is not supposed to be a 14 SEER.. just the outside unit and the inside unit, yada yada.. calculations and conditions create a 14.5 SEER. It has nothing to do with the ACTUAL SEER rating of the outside until.. its a mix of the two'

I feel like I am being shammed. Any input?? I need help. They come back tomorrow to 'fix' the issues. And I paid for a 14 SEER unit as well as all the other things that were left undone.

Please, if anyone can help me be a more informed consumer so that tomorrow I can make sure I get what I paid for, I would be indebted to you forever!Today the new units do use a combination of outside 13 seer and higher seer indoor air handlers with hi eff. blowers to get 14-14.5 seer .:)

[Cool_Air]

Static Pressure numbers. Any idea what range it should be in?

I guess my main concern on the SEER rating is that I was quoted prices on a 13, 14 and 15. They were significantly different in price.. so I want to be sure I am not getting charged for a 14, but only receiving a 13. Get my drift? So far, with the quality of work, I wouldn't put this past them.

And it was 104 the day they did the install. I can imagine a trip into the attic was something they didn't want to deal with.. and didn't. I'd like to think it was an oversight too. But I am not feeling it.

AHRI certification? Can you tell me what the acronym means?

Thank you for your help!!AHRI=airconditing' heating ;refrigeration instute;)

[Megma101]

So how is a consumer supposed to know what they are getting? It seems shady to me. When I look up the unit sitting outside, it specificially says it is a 13 SEER. No more no less. While the next unit up says it is a "up to" 16 SEER.

How can I know for sure that I am not being underhanded?

[bhepper]

You can find out for yourself by entering the entire model numbers of both units into the AHRI website where it will give you a seer rating for the units together.

[Megma101]

Thank you. I am looking.. trying to find the calculator.

Another question... If we asked for a unit with a Variable Speed Motor.. would that be included. When we spoke to the rep later, he said that the installer hadn't adjusted it right, and they would fix it later by adjusting dip switches.

Can anyone explain this?

Thanks again!

[sktn77a]

We bought a 5 ton, 14 SEER Bryant to go outside. They also had to replace the inside part (sorry, i know very little about A/C).

'Well, the unit is not supposed to be a 14 SEER.. just the outside unit and the inside unit, yada yada.. calculations and conditions create a 14.5 SEER. It has nothing to do with the ACTUAL SEER rating of the outside until.. its a mix of the two'

I paid for a 14 SEER unit as well as all the other things that were left undone.



You paid for a 14 SEER condenser - make them put one in (or refund the difference). If they were going to "sell you a 13 SEER condenser which will give you 14.5 SEER when we replace the coil and air handler" it should have said a 13 SEER condenser....... and cost less than a 14 SEER condenser.

Also, get the number of the air handler and check on the Bryant/Carrier site to make sure it is a VS model.

Sounds like you got a crappy installation company - tell them you have already called the Better Business Bureau but they told you to try to resolve the problems with the installer before you file the complaint.

[beenthere]

You paid for a 14 SEER condenser - make them put one in (or refund the difference). If they were going to "sell you a 13 SEER condenser which will give you 14.5 SEER when we replace the coil and air handler" it should have said a 13 SEER condenser....... and cost less than a 14 SEER condenser.

Sounds like you got a crappy installation company - say you have already called the better business bureau but they told you to try to resolve the problems with the installer before you file the complaint.

When you read their contract.

Did it say 14 SEER condenser.

Or, 14 SEER system.

[beenthere]

You don't want the fan to run 24/7 unless you live n an area that has little to no humidity.

[RyanHughes]

When you read their contract.

Did it say 14 SEER condenser.

Or, 14 SEER system.

Yes.

My guess is you purchased a "14 SEER heat pump system." In that case, the variable speed indoor would (almost always) raise the SEER of a 13 SEER to a 14 SEER. The "sticker" thing doesn't sound unprofessional to me. The units for Carrier/Bryant are the same thing, and oftentimes the sticker is just changed (or included in the box). Model numbers remain the same. As for the variable speed blower being continuously on, they probably just didn't leave it on (?). Should be configured to run in a low speed for continuous fan mode, and you would turn it on at the thermostat.