New HVAC unit or not ????

[deer66]

Well here is the story :

I have a 11 year old 3.5 ton Bryant package heat pump with 15 kw heat strips (12 seer) . I contracted my house being built and it is very well insulated . The unit is not given me any trouble but it is a "LOUD" unit and has been from day1 .

I would really like to upgrade to a American Standard 4wcz6048 4 ton 16 seer package unit with 15 kw strips , but they are expsenvie .

Pros :

Very Quiet Unit
Variable speed motors (better comfort )
$1500 dollar tax credit which will help me re-coup some of my investment .

Cons :

Unit is working fine why spend the extra money

How much money can I save per month going from a 12 seer to 16 seer dual stage compressor with variable speed ?

What is the average life span of a heat pump ? I keep reading 12-15 years .

Any comments are welcome , please give me some feedback .

Thanks

Don

[beenthere]

Whats loud.
The unit its self, or the air from the registers?

[deer66]

The whole unit itself .

[deer66]

How much would be the Avg monthly savings going from a 12 seer to a 16 seer ?


Thank you

[dash]

The whole unit itself .

Inside or outside?

Very short return duct to grill ,will be noisey regardless of equipment.

For cost savings ,go here;


www.hvacopcost.com

[deer66]

it is loud outside .Also inside short return air

[deer66]

can anyone give me the AHRI rating on a 4wcz6048

I could not find it .

Thanks

[teaysvalley]

Here you go:

AHRI Certified Reference Number: 1505072
Model Number: 4WCZ6048A1
Manufacturer: AMERICAN STANDARD, INC.
Trade/Brand name: HERITAGE 1
Cooling Capacity (Btuh): 47500
EER Rating (Cooling): 12.00
SEER Rating (Cooling): 16.00
Heating Capacity(Btuh) @ 47 F: 44500
Region IV HSPF Rating (Heating): 9.00
Heating Capacity(Btuh) @ 17 F: 27000

It meets the tax credit for package units
Package systems:
HSPF >= 8
EER >= 12
SEER >= 14

[dash]

Why add a half a ton?

Can you describe the short return(size grille and duct),post pics??

[SarahW]

Well, it's your money. But I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[deer66]

The grill opening takes a 25x25 filter . The duct is 14 inch round coming up from the floor . It is about 7.5 feet from the unit . I use 3m allergy filters with 1000 merv . Change the about every 2-3 months .

Also I was not wanting to go up another 1/2 ton , but the new units only go from 3 to 4 ton . The 3.5 ton unit does a good job but I am afraid of going down to 3 tons . Also you have to understand I live in Arkansas 100 miles away from anyone that does a Manual J cal . The house is super insulated .

Walls 2x6 in 16 inch centers with r19 batts , with 1 inch tongue and groove dow board on the outside and house wrap also . Base plate was caulked when building and all holes were foamed . r38 blown in the ceiling , garage is also insulated in the walls and ceiling . Double pane vinyl windows not low e.

My house only gets direct sun from about noon to three . I do have lots of windows (19) . I also have a 20 foot catherdal ceiling in the living room . Do you think I can drop down to the 3 ton ?

Becuase of that high ceiling my heating bills are usually the highest .

Part of the reason for wanting to do this is to get my $1500 back from Obama,because it looks like he is going to be coming after more real soon.

It is suppose to get back to over 100 degrees this week with high humidity, I know that the return on investment does not justify the expense but I am looking for a little better comfort level(more even temps) ,QUIET , and $1500 back from Obama. Can I get that with this unit ?


Thanks

[deer66]

Another positive is that I have some friends parents that want my unit . The hvac company will not give me anything for the unit . They offered me $500 dollars .

Also does the t-stat have to be hooked up different or take a special t-stat to run the dual stage compressor ?


Thanks

[Jon30044]

You sound like you are in the same boat I was a few months ago, with a still working unit, but a desire to become more energy efficient and to take advantage of the tax credit. You might want to consider doing your own manual J as a starting point to see if you need 3 ton or 4 ton. I used the HVAC-Calc software (see link on the top menu of each page on this board) and determined I could go down a half ton from what I had before.

it's mostly measuring room and window sizes, and knowing what type of insulation you have; something that you look like you have a good handle on already. I was able to give the results to the contractor, who then used them in sizing the unit.

[deer66]

Jon what system did you go with ?

[Jon30044]

I have a split system - Lennox G71mpp-60 with a 2.5 ton XP14-30 heat pump.

[dash]

Another positive is that I have some friends parents that want my unit . The hvac company will not give me anything for the unit . They offered me $500 dollars .

Also does the t-stat have to be hooked up different or take a special t-stat to run the dual stage compressor ?


Thanks

Carrier has a two stage 3.5 ton package unit,check it out.