Need a new heat pump but confused about brands

[chas05]

Originally posted by king38fan
I only bought this house 5 weeks ago so I do not know anything about how well the house was heated and cooled. I have spent significant time caulking the numerous air leaks and plan on adding r-19 attic insulation in the next month. I am fond of no particular brand.

Again I suggest a load calc (manual J), then check your duct work to make sure it is designed for the correct amount of airflow (rm. by rm.), then check for leakage ( no point in having a $$$$SEER unit delivering conditioned air to your crawl or attic space). Posted efficiencies from the manuf. are based on specific coil combinations that have an ARI rating. A new "15 SEER" unit on your old coil and AH or Furnace is not "15 seer". BEWARE.
And quality of the install is paramount. Brand identification betrays more consumers than anything else.
DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH ANYONE WHO WON'T PROVIDE A MANUAL J BASED LOAD CALC. START FROM THERE...............

[Edited by chas05 on 06-21-2005 at 11:01 PM]

[hvact]

Goodman and Amana are the same company or atleast used to be.

[wyounger]

Getting a Manual J load calculation done is imperative if you don't know how well the old system worked. It could be vastly oversized or undersized. If the new system isn't the right size, you will have just plunked down a big chunk of change on something that will never work right. You could end up not being able to maintain your desired temperature, not achieving the energy efficiency that you paid for, and having humidity control problems (cold and clammy is pleasant for mold, not for people- they like cool and dry).

Get a pro to do the calculation, or do it yourself using the HVAC-Calc Homeowner software available from this site (I've done it myself and it was worth the time and money). Have the ductwork checked over to make sure that it can handle the amount of airflow that you need to push through it, and that it's not going to leak out any of the conditioned air, or suck in any air from outside unintentionally.

Brand isn't critical, so long as you avoid the "builder-grade" units of any line. As distinct from efficiency ratings, there are builder grade, mid-range, and high end units available from almost every brand. The builder grade units are cheaply made, noisy, and omit a lot of the safety switches and controls that make good equipment durable. Your contractor can help you select the right equipment in whatever brand they are most comfortable and familiar with.

[dash]

Originally posted by king38fan
I only bought this house 5 weeks ago so I do not know anything about how well the house was heated and cooled. I have spent significant time caulking the numerous air leaks and plan on adding r-19 attic insulation in the next month. I am fond of no particular brand.

Definately get a load calulation.

Going from R11 to R30 "in a Florida attic" would save at least a 1/2 ton,varies of course by location.

If you plan other improvments to the building envelope,these should be looked at so your new system will stay the 'right size".