New AC & Furnance in Northern VA

[nova43]

Hello everyone,

I own an approximately 1600 sq ft townhouse that is 17 years old. The HVAC system is original to the home (Comfort Maker). I have gotten bids from 3 independent companies. With all the options, I could really use some input regading which system is best.

Company A: 3 different proposed setups. Each one include replacing the condenser lines.

Carrier
58STA090-1-14
24ABB336
CNPVP3617

Carrier
58PHA070
24ABB336
CNPVP3717

Carrier
58CVA090-1-16
24ACC636
CNPVP3717

Company B: They proposed flushing the condenser lines.

Amana
AMH8180
ASX13036
CAPF03617

Bryant
315AAV048090
126BNA036
CNPVP03617

Company C: They quoted me the AC and furnace separately. I have a call into them regarding the condenser lines.

Bryant
113ANW03600
matching Bryant coil

Bryant
126ANW03600
matching Bryant coil

Bryant
310AAV036070

Bryant
315AAV036070

Thank you for your input!

[George2]

What we call a townhouse is a series of attached 2 story homes with a basement.

With out knowing what your home looks like I can't comment on the sizing of the equipment.

I, at this point, can only recommend going with a variable-speed blower, the E-Z flex filter (standard with the Bryant equipment) and the tin plated coil.

I would be curious if any of the contractors mentioned the last two items?

[nova43]

What we call a townhouse is a series of attached 2 story homes with a basement.

With out knowing what your home looks like I can't comment on the sizing of the equipment.

I, at this point, can only recommend going with a variable-speed blower, the E-Z flex filter (standard with the Bryant equipment) and the tin plated coil.

I would be curious if any of the contractors mentioned the last two items?

My townhouse pretty much fits that description, except it's a 3 story home. The basement is at ground level and it's finished.

None of the contractors mentioned the filter or the tin plated coil.

[George2]

My townhouse pretty much fits that description, except it's a 3 story home. The basement is at ground level and it's finished.

None of the contractors mentioned the filter or the tin plated coil.

I would have bet $1,000 that no one mentions those items I listed. It's really a shame.

I totally agree, now that I know ur sq. ft., with everyone here, that the equipment is TOO big. If ur windows face N/S, I would recommend a 2 ton A/C.

This doesn't shock me too much when the contractors don't even mention basic good installation practices. It's all about a low price to get the job. It's just poor salesmanship IMHO.

Note: I'm assuming that you have roughly 535 sq. ft. per floor? As I stated, 2 floors plus a basement, which ur calling a 3 story townhouse. I normally don't consider the basement a "floor" in the normal sense but, if I recall correctly, realtors refer to townhomes in that way (for some reason).

[tedkidd]

1600 sf, no load to the left or right? I'll comment on size:

TOO BIG!!!

Does anybody perform energy audits in your area?

If you get one they'll perform a blower door air leakage test. This will help you understand how many invisible windows are open 24/7. It will also help you understand how many of them can easily be closed, which will allow for smaller equipment. Equipment that, besides being less expensive to purchase, will provide quieter, more even comfort and MUCH lower bills. The audit will provide a load calculation of the house.

Load calc's without blower door tests are like getting a custom suit made, but only measuring from the waist down and guessing on the coat. Infiltration is where humidity comes from, and commonly represents 10-70% of load. Want to guess if it's 10% or 70% for your home? If it's 10%, you really want to pay for 50% more AC because they're "playing it safe" on your dime? If it's 70%, don't you want to do something about it? (If not, don't later blame the equipment because it doesn't keep you comfortable.)

[jtrammel]

Brand of equipment doesn't matter too much. Correct sizing per ACCA manual j and proper installation is what matters, so it's the contractor you want to trust not so much the brand of equipment they use

[jtrammel]

I Agree with tedkidd on the blower door test, it will do you no good to install a high efficiency system on a leaky/undersized duct system/house.