Sanity Check!

[davme]

I have an older (1992) 5 ton Carrier and the compressor has imploded.

My tech recommends that I replace the outside unit with a Trane 4TTR4060C and the inside with an Aspen TXV evaporator coil (because it will fit better and pair up easily with the 1 year old gas furnace).

Are these units likely to work well together and be efficient as a pair?

The old unit is R-22 and the lines were run in a big arc in the attic (low at both ends and high in the middle) so he also recommends replacing them with better run lines. Due to the 4 foot tall arc, they may be difficult to flush (burnt oil) to make them ready for 410.

My air return is a 23x24 (annoying size) near the floor (that sings) and he recommended adding a second return in the hall ceiling because of the volume of air flow.

Trivia:
The home is a 1 story 1979 of 2,300 sq ft. It has 4 bedrooms, a high ceiling in the living room and old single pane windows. The insulation is medium at best. I am in Houston, Tx.

I really appreciate any feedback or questions you may have for me to ask!

Thanks!
Dave

[timby]

I have an older (1992) 5 ton Carrier and the compressor has imploded.

My tech recommends that I replace the outside unit with a Trane 4TTR4060C and the inside with an Aspen TXV evaporator coil (because it will fit better and pair up easily with the 1 year old gas furnace).

Are these units likely to work well together and be efficient as a pair?

The old unit is R-22 and the lines were run in a big arc in the attic (low at both ends and high in the middle) so he also recommends replacing them with better run lines. Due to the 4 foot tall arc, they may be difficult to flush (burnt oil) to make them ready for 410.

My air return is a 23x24 (annoying size) near the floor (that sings) and he recommended adding a second return in the hall ceiling because of the volume of air flow.

Trivia:
The home is a 1 story 1979 of 2,300 sq ft. It has 4 bedrooms, a high ceiling in the living room and old single pane windows. The insulation is medium at best. I am in Houston, Tx.

I really appreciate any feedback or questions you may have for me to ask!

Thanks!
Dave

Dave

I have a few questions.

• Is this the only tech in the game?
• Have you had others quote you a new system?
• Is this the guy you're going to use to install the new system?
• Would an entire new system (outside unit, furnace, coil) be more expensive than your option?

I went through a similar situation a few months ago. I had several folks come by and give me an estimate. From that list I narrowed the prospects down. I then had my final selection recommend what system to purchase. I asked a ton of questions and was satisfied with the answers. I then proceeded to have him install the recommended system.

My house is nearly the same size as yours and I live in North Central Texas. The system is a matched 4 ton 16 SEER/13 EER 410 with a high efficiency Gas Furnace. The difference in price from a 80% single stage to a dual stage 95% VS was minimal. Also, I feel that NG will rise with the cost of electricity.

I'm not sure that I would want a new system that wasn't matched. The components are rated to work together and your option may or may not give you the SEER/EER that you expect. Also, there are some concerns over the cost of R22 in the future,

Just my 2 cents ...

[davme]

So far he is the only one in the game. (I've been going through a small "recommended" list provided by friends and family. If their BBB complaint list is clean then I call them and get told that they don't do Northwest Houston. He is my only successful option so far.)

I want to get at least one more reasonable comparison and can't find anyone I have any trust factor for. (I have had sooooo many bad A/C experiences that my scepticism level is through the roof now.)

I have had other blind ballpark quotes on Trane sets, but once they figured out that we were on the opposite ends of town the actual visit didn't happen. I don't think his pricing is unreasonable.

Yes, he would be the installer if I go with his company.

His choices may have been influenced by my "low financial capacity" at the time of our discussion. I have since obtained financing from my credit union.

His other recommendation for the lowest cost fix was to replace the outside unit only with a Ducane compressor. Honestly, my primary reason for not just going with a compressor only was because I have concerns about mismatched equipment and efficiency. :-)

I will be discussing cost differences and recommendations with him on matched equipment today and continue my search for an alternate quote.

Does having an arc in the lines, burnt oil from an imploded compressor and a change to 410 make the changing of the lines a smart choice?

Anyone have a recommended company that services NorthWest Houston (290 and Huffmeister at the edge of Cypress, Tx)?

[timby]

Dave

There are several folks on-line here that might be able to direct you to some dependable folks in your area.

In my case the folks that installed the last HVAC did such a poor job that I wasn't getting 2 tons of cooling out of my 4 ton unit. In my defense it was over 12 years ago and there wasn't a site like this to go to. I used the folks that had been servicing my AC. Come to find out they weren't doing what they were suppose to do in that area either.

This time I used the info I had gotten from this site and got someone that really had my needs in mind. I got a good system at a reasonable price.

If it was my system I would want new lines. However, your case is different. My new unit required a different size line anyway, so the point was moot. I had a very serious discussion with the installer about pros and cons of R22 vs 410, duct system problems, comfort levels, and efficiencies. We used that info to get the best bang for my buck. Like you I didn't have a lot of extra cash to just blow.

I'm sure that other will provide you more assistance than I can give.

Best of Luck ....

[gary_g]

I have an older (1992) 5 ton Carrier and the compressor has imploded.

My tech recommends that I replace the outside unit with a Trane 4TTR4060C and the inside with an Aspen TXV evaporator coil (because it will fit better and pair up easily with the 1 year old gas furnace).

Are these units likely to work well together and be efficient as a pair?

Need the model number of the Aspen coil to tell you if the combination is an ARI certified match.

[gary_g]

Does having an arc in the lines, burnt oil from an imploded compressor and a change to 410 make the changing of the lines a smart choice?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smittyii]

aspen coils are rated by ari. you need model# of condenser and the aspen coil. if its a burnout and you are converting to 410a it might be a good idea to change lines, but we flush lines with arcs in them with no problems. the flush we use is under pressure and works pretty good.