I Think I just Got Rheemed

[kstannard]

To start off with I had a 1994- 1995 Goodman (Janitrol) 3 ton Air Unit that the compressor got struck by lightning. The compressor needless to say tripped the house breaker box, and I was without a/c for about a week, and in Florida it is not a picnic. I went to the first contractor (I'll call him "X"). X told me that I had no choice, I had to replace it with a Goodman 3 ton unit with a 13 seer rating, and they were going to charge the insurance company $ and change for the unit and labor. Of course myself and the insurance company told him to piss up a rope. The next company I called "Y" came out put together a 16 seer quote, and next couple of days I would have the Rheem 14ajm36 outdoor unit (rating on side of unit 14.5 seer) installed with an rhll-hm3821+rcsl-h*3821 Rheem air handler inside. The AHRI certified piece of paper says that it has a seer of 16, but the unit outside clearly states 14.5. Though I am happy with the unit overall, I have this nagging voice in the back of my mind saying, "They took you for a ride." I was on the phone with one of the consultants this morning, and he kept trying to place it on the owner's shoulders by saying, "He should be calling you back and explain it later today." Does anyone know if this would be deemed a 16 seer unit or as it states a 14.5 unit and why or why not?

[Airmechanical]

The AHRI certified piece of paper says that it has a seer of 16, but the unit outside clearly states 14.5.

look up the equipment model numbers and check an AHRI website


.

[beenthere]

The SEER rating on the outdoor unit, is when it is matched to the most commonly sold indoor coil/air handler.

Many condensers have a lower SEER rating tag on them. Then what they can get.

[cjpwalker]

No prices on this site, please. The seer rating depends on what the unit is mated to in the house, and can vary greatly. The yellow government energy tag can only list one rating. The AHRI paper is the important one. That is what your combination if equipment will run. As with any equipment you will only achieve the max efficiency when installed correctly, sized correctly, ducted correctly, set up properly, and running in the exact design conditions (indoor and outdoor temp and humidity).

[sktn77a]

The contractor should have given you the AHRI certificate with the concenser/handler/coil combo and SEER rating on it. Ask him to provide it for your records (tax purposes). But, no, I don't think you got "Rheemed"!

[kstannard]

I went and did the due diligence as suggested, and went to various sources, and found that indeed with the air handler I have, the 14.5 seer on the compressor is a moot point. I just have to make sure I retain the Certificate for the Unit at all times so the insurance company if something were to happen again would replace it with a 16 seer unit.

[BaldLoonie]

The 14AJM is a nice unit for a basic model. The RHLL is a high efficiency fixed speed model that uses less juice than a standard air handler. That's how the SEER gets bumped up 1.5 points.

[heaterman]

Can't really comment one way or the other on the Rheem..ing. The SEER is correct though.