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I have a 6 year old house we bought new. Came with a 13 seer Goodman Heat Pump 2.5ton and a ARUF model single speed air handler. House is 1680 sq. feet. Have had horrible heating and cooling. Replaced leaky evap coil in 2009. Coil is leaking again. Want to replace the entire system. I have had several companies do estimates. Most reputable ones measured rooms with lasers, did manual J and wrightsoft computer calculations. Several companies said we need a 3 ton. Others a 2.5 ton. The difference is that the one said we need the 2.5 figured the average summer temp at 90 degrees which in Durham-Oxford, NC is too low. The others figured 95 degrees. This past summer we had several 100 degree days. We have 9 foot ceilings and vaulted in den and bedroom. Two returns. One 20x25 and one 14x20. The air handler is under the house. I am leaning toward the 3 ton. I do not have a trunk line. It is all flex duct. I am having air flow issues. One end of house is cool and other hot. Cheap dampers are installed. Do I need a trunk line? Have been heavily considering the Trane XR15 3ton with the variable speed TAM7 air handler called a HYPERION. American Standard and Trane are the exact same unit. Have gotten estimates on both. I also looked at the Heil 17 seer quiet comfort two state DXT with top of the line variable speed air handler. I have spent $2000 in six years keeping the goodman serviced, repaired and going. I quit. Air handler is not under warranty. All alum. coil and labor is another $. No way. So lots of contractors are bad mouthing Trane right now saying they are troublesome. yet my dad has Trane and no issues. I had Trane in 2000-2004 before moving and no issues. Why are so many people bad mouthing Trane? Cost is not an issue. I want this right. Estimate for a round trunk line and Trane XR15 2.5 ton 16 seer and TAM7 were $. installed by a Trane Comfort Specialist. I hope I can get some feedback. I am tired of being taken by people in the industry who keep steering me the wrong way. Got estimates on Trane, Am. Standard, Heil, Ruud Rheem and Carrier. All are not that different. Most are $. I just want the most reliable equipment by a good contractor that I can get. Any help appreciated.
Last edited by beenthere; 08-30-2012 at 06:44 PM. Reason: prices
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Get the Trane .also i would get the 10 year part and labor warranty on any brand you purchase
A properly designed duct system is key to you getting better results.
The brand doesn't matter that much. It's the installation and properly sized ductwork that make units trouble free and last 20+ years. A trunk line makes the airflow more consistent throughout a house. Spider web systems are a sign of an improper duct job so I would definitely go for a new duct system. Make sure it is sealed with mastic at every joint and if the duct is in an unconditioned attic it should have r8 insulation
Everything is troublesome these days
Our retiring dispatcher asked what she should do if her 18 year old troublefree American Standard heat pump died. I said go right back to American Standard though I am a little nervous about the complexity of the new air handlers.
Find a dealer you feel the most comfortable with and one that address all needs of the house to get it right, such as ductwork. Then go with what equipment he prefers.
I'd guess most of your problems are duct system based. I had a family member with a 1650 sq ft home here in Indy which is a pinch warmer than your area. 2 ton cooled it which surprised me. The duct capacity was marginal for said 2 ton. Couldn't keep it 70 on a 95 day but the industry usually doesn't size to 70 inside.
Good advice. Found a contractor I like a lot who has been up front with the issues with the new Trane TAM7 model "Hyperion" multi speed air handlers. They have lots of electronic sensors and electronic control valves. These are what are giving problems they say. He said, "Trane is basically 'field testing' new stuff in your home and we have to fix it when it fails. I feel like he is being honest. Have looked at the Heil which is ICP product and Ruud-Rheem. Looks like Ruud-Rheem are the only ones which are Energy Star certified. Not sure if that means beans, but we bought all Energy Star appliances. We have a 13 seer now and want to move up to a 15 seer. I hear the savings after 15 is not really noticed because of the high prices of the initial investment. The Ruud guy indicated coming off the plenum with a round short trunk and then reducing the size of the feed to the box that feeds the ducts and said that should solve the air flow issues. Everyone is pretty close to each other on installation specs.
Agreed, ductwork is your issue, 2.5 tons is plenty of size. It's 102 right now in Oklahoma City, 6 degrees above the design temperature of 96. We've had temps in the 110's this summer. House is 100sq ft smaller than yours. Indoor temperature is 76. Size of unit is 2 tons. House built in 1999, twice the age of yours. My motto is fix the house/ductwork instead of covering up the problem with an oversized A/C unit. http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partner...itions_508.pdf