RUUD equipment advice

[HeatNewb]

I guess the real question is this: Should I buy RUUD equipment over Lennox or Trane? I've had estimates for all 3 and the RUUD system is less expensive than the other 2 and the contractor was reccomended. Two of the 3 contractors say we need a 5 ton system, the other bid with a 4 ton system.

As my name suggests, I really know very little about HVaC. I can read a bunch of reviews and stuff but generally going to the folks who deal with things daily tends to get a more realistic view. I guess I am just looking for some advice on brands. This is a long term item and I really want to get quality equipment.

[wahoo]

Buy any brand, but only from an experienced, and top quality dealer. The dealer will make more difference than the brand.:.02:

[BaldLoonie]

Model #s?

[Gross]

I agree.. brand makes little difference. Buy the warranty and the capability, not the brand

[HeatNewb]

The model numbers on the RUUD set are

Heat Pump UPQL-O60JAZ
Air Handler RHKL-HM602JA

The house is pretty large. Two of the contractors said that it would require a 5 ton system and the 3rd gave three different options all using 4 ton systems. I asked the guys that bid 5 ton and they said that the 4 ton was too undersized, one of them even said that he felt the 5 ton was close. For what it's worth, I am picking the system above vs:

Lennox
Heat Pump XP16-60
Air Handler CBX32MV

[second opinion]

The model numbers on the RUUD set are

Heat Pump UPQL-O60JAZ
Air Handler RHKL-HM602JA

The house is pretty large. Two of the contractors said that it would require a 5 ton system and the 3rd gave three different options all using 4 ton systems. I asked the guys that bid 5 ton and they said that the 4 ton was too undersized, one of them even said that he felt the 5 ton was close. For what it's worth, I am picking the system above vs:

Lennox
Heat Pump XP16-60
Air Handler CBX32MV

Run a manual J load on the house and eliminate the guessing. An energy audit would show you what deficiencies your home has and what you can do to save energy and use a smaller system. Your comfort for the next 20 years is what you are gambling on not price or brand.

[Mr Bill]

Run a manual J load on the house and eliminate the guessing. An energy audit would show you what deficiencies your home has and what you can do to save energy and use a smaller system. Your comfort for the next 20 years is what you are gambling on not price or brand.

Great! advise, but be sure to get the energy audit done first, if you run a manual J now, and correct the issues later the energy audit might discover, well you still may be over sized. Don't put the cart before the horse and get the energy audit done "first".

[second opinion]

Great! advise, but be sure to get the energy audit done first, if you run a manual J now, and correct the issues later the energy audit might discover, well you still may be over sized. Don't put the cart before the horse and get the energy audit done "first".
Did I not mention that my typing was in a dyslexic form. audit first, repairs, then manual J, then equipment equals comfortable and happy customer.

[BaldLoonie]

The Ruud gives 60,500 BTU for both heat & cool. SEER 14.50, EER 12.50 HSPF 9.50. No tax credit due to the SEER but the other 2 numbers are decent. Good capacity. If you are in a cold climate, the demand defrost Ruud uses will eliminate 100s of unnecessary defrosts a winter.

The Lennox gives 57,000 BTU for cooling and 51,500 BTU for heating. That heating figure is pathetic. SEER is 15.50, EER 11.50, HSPF 8.00. The HSPF figure is also pathetic. If you are in a climate where you don't need much heating, it would be OK. But for a high end heat pump to have such a low HSPF and a low heating output, that's sad.

[tigerdunes]

Absolutely agree with Baldie. The Rudd is a better choice in all kind of ways especially on the heating side and electronic demand defrost which I think is a big deal.

IMO

[HeatNewb]

Thanks to all of you that posted. Reading through the replies that I received here had me back up at the house looking. I am in a moderate climate (SW Washington State) so we're in the mid to high 30's when we'd consider it cold. The house is a foreclosure that was gutted, they didn't beat it up, just took the kitchen, heating system, central vac unit, hall bath vanity, and most of the light fixtures. From what I can tell looking at the county GIS it was an owner/contractor build and a great deal was done very well. The exterior walls are 12" thick and on 16" centers so the R factor should be awesome. It's also a daylight basement model and has finished and heated concrete floors in the basement. The vent work appears to be in excellent shape according to the guys who have looked at it.

Interesting though, the guy I am going with was the only one that said the unit being 5 ton would require that it was off of the ground with a base intake and a side intake because just the side intake would not provide enough air flow. The other two contractors were just going to use the existing parts on both the 4 and 5 ton builds. He was recommended by the guy that did the home inspection along with the cabinet guy we went with. Both were able to provide letters of recomendation from previous jobs and came in with the best overall bid structure. I was feeling pretty good about my choices but again wanted to thank you folks here that added some info. I think I might be able to go with the 4 ton, but the term "too undersized" freaked me out and the overall cost was substantially more with that dealer.

Thank you again, I feel pretty good about the choice now.

[BaldLoonie]

Someone needs to do an accurate Manual J heat gain/loss study to see just what this joint needs. In a mild climate, it better be a BIG house to need 5 tons.

[tigerdunes]

I agree with Baldie about getting sized correctly.

What size are you replacing?

On the Rudd mdl UPQL, I suggest the JEZ suffix over the JAZ.

IMO