Carrier, Trane, Rheem, RUUD, Lennox: no one sells the same units: advice appreciated

[jtrammel]

http://www.comfortinstitute.org/whol...e-checkup.html this is what the energy audit should include possibly a little more or maybe less.

[Starwarsith88HVAC]

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[beenthere]

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[ofrancois]

jtrammel- that was helpul. Thank you. -O.

[precision hvac]

You didn't state the size of the existing system but I'd assume it's a 2 ton. Correct me if it's larger.
2 ton is the smallest unit you can buy so a load calc will tell very little in this situation (matching BTU to the old unit). Remember, he's dealing with 800 sq ft. However- duct sizing will tell all. Since a/c works & blower works- if I was selling this job- I'd find out the TESP on the existing system before I removed anything. That will tell you if the duct system is sufficient or needs mods. So will a visual on ducts but I'm betting ducts are not very accessible if you have a flat roof. At 800 sq ft- I'm betting the smallest 2 ton unit will be oversized. Why aren't you addressing the lower floor? Perfect time to do so IMO.

[ofrancois]

percision havc: I have another system that services the basement and the first floor. We have only been surviving the cold because of this system.

[jtrammel]

OldSchoolMech: We have an energy audit on Mon am; that should provide some of these answers right? -O.

How did the energy audit go? Did you learn anything about your house?

[catmanacman]

i would think the heat exchanger is under warranty .have they proposed just replacing the heat exchanger. I would get either the trane xl14 or the Ruud

[duckman06]

i would think the heat exchanger is under warranty .have they proposed just replacing the heat exchanger. I would get either the trane xl14 or the Ruud

Good question? I would suggest the Trane XL 14 package system for the simple reason my company is a Trane dealer and I have installed several of this over the years with no problems. Knock on wood!!! The XL 14 has a variable speed motor, great looking unit and in my opion a good cost effective mid range system.

In my area we don't have that many package units for residential homes. Most of the residential homes in my area have split systems. I am curious also how did the energy audit go? What did they say about your home? While as presion hvac made a good point that no matter what the energy audit showed. The smallest unit made in package system is (2) ton at lease in Trane.

[ofrancois]

So even-though I purchased the home in 2002 and was told that there were new machines on the property, both systems are 1999 systems and out of warranty. I can only guess this is why no one suggested a HX change.

We have yet to receive a final report from the energy audit. Unfortunately the audit did not include the air flow in the home systems. He opened the front of the ground floor split system and did a visual inspection. Remarked how clean it was inside and that the system seemed to be in good working order. He did not evaluate the airflow in the system. He did put the fan on the front door and check for problem areas throughout the house.

He would not go onto the roof. -O.

[ofrancois]

O! Lessons: I need to caulk more of my baseboards and the top of the window trim. -O.

[jtrammel]

So even-though I purchased the home in 2002 and was told that there were new machines on the property, both systems are 1999 systems and out of warranty. I can only guess this is why no one suggested a HX change.

We have yet to receive a final report from the energy audit. Unfortunately the audit did not include the air flow in the home systems. He opened the front of the ground floor split system and did a visual inspection. Remarked how clean it was inside and that the system seemed to be in good working order. He did not evaluate the airflow in the system. He did put the fan on the front door and check for problem areas throughout the house.

He would not go onto the roof. -O.

Well at least when you get the report you will have as close to actual as possible ach (air change per hour) the contractor can input into the manual j to make the computation more accurate. Too bad the audit wasn't more in depth. That's why it's best to pay for the energy audit.

[dan sw fl]

http://www.trane.com/residential/pro...in-one-cooling

http://www.climate-zone.com/climate/...and/baltimore/

~ Mid MD
HDD 4700 ... Heating Degree Days
CDD 1130

Alternate - no furnace.

Heat pump would be sufficient > 20'F.
Add one or two 3 kw heat strips.

[ofrancois]

dan sw fl: No one else has recommended abandoning my gas. What are the benefits of going that route? -Olga

[jtrammel]

dan sw fl: No one else has recommended abandoning my gas. What are the benefits of going that route? -Olga

The benefit would be not having a gas bill assuming you don't have a gas water heater, range, ect. The heat pumps air is not quite as warm as ng furnace and additional wiring would need to be run to accommodate a heat pump, so it would cost more to install most likely. With the trend of ng prices going down I would stick with ng IMO.

[ofrancois]

Thanks all- I have an all gas house. -O.

[catmanacman]

with having natual gas i would not down grade from a gas heater to a heatpump , if you had propane it would be differnt.

[ofrancois]

OP again - after all your guidance and other research, we settled on a contractor who was offering to install a Trane XL14C. There would be a two-week wait time for installation. We gave him the go ahead. Today, he called and is offering us an upgrade to a Lennox 15GSCX-24 because his Trane vendor said delivery would be longer than two weeks and could not give a new ETA.
Is a delayed delivery time a common occurrence?
Is this a bait and switch and if so, to what end?

AGain, thanks for your guidance.

[tigerdunes]

You gave the dealer a deposit?

Is dealer an authorized Trane dealer?

3 choices

Wait for Trane
Take a substitute like the Lennox, I would ask for a discount off the Trane price.
Walk away

Don't understand why the delay and why the dealer can't provide an accurate install date.

This is a pretty middle of the road basic package unit.

Sorry for your trouble.

IMO

[ofrancois]

Thank you for the follow up! As you can see- it's giving me some angst and I should not have that. Unfortunately, we have given a deposit. -O.