ReplyEither option is okay. Which contractor do you feel better about.
Regular Guest
Our house is around 14 years old and 2 of the Rheem gas packs have severe rust in the heat exchangers and need replacement. One is a 4 ton unit and the other 2 tons and we are located in TN. My current system has an ineffective humidifier system and Honeywell 8000 series thermostat. I purchased the Redlink gateway but was unable to use it because all the wires to the thermostat are being used and there are no equipment interface modules.
I have two estimates and both recommend against a 2 stage 15-16 SEER unit based on the increased cost and according to them more repair problems.
Installer 1 recommends Rheem RGEA14408AJT101A/RGEA14024AJD061A plus AprilAir800 steam humidifier with 1 yr labor warranty 10 year parts. Technician really knew his stufff and told me, if I understand correctly, that he would install the interface module and change wiring so that everything was controlled in the crawlspace which would free up the wire needed to the thermostat to make the wireless work.
Installer 2 recommends Coleman. Quote:
We will install (1) new Coleman 14seer 4-ton 410A gas package unit with 125,000 BTU heat.
We will install (1) new Coleman 14seer 2-ton 410A gas package unit with 75,000 BTU heat.
We will install a new AprilAire Steam Humidifier on the 4-ton system and complete the wiring associated with install
My wife spoke with technician that came to house to check and diagnose problem with current units. She did not mention thermostat issue and when I spoke to owner he had not seen the setup and was unsure if he could modify wiring as described by technician from company number 1.
Coleman options offered is the choice between 10 years parts and labor or 10 year parts and lifetime heat exchanger. I would go with 10 year labor since heat exchanger changeout is so labor intensive it doesn't make sense to put that much money in a 12+ year old unit.
Coleman price is <10% more than Rheem quote and the warranty is quite appealing. What do you guys think about these two systems and the recommendations of these contractors?
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
Either option is okay. Which contractor do you feel better about.
Professional Member*
200K heat & 6-Tons of cooling, how big and what use of this commercial space?
R I P Icemeister
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Regular Guest
I was impressed by the technician from installer 1 but owner of company 2 appears to be a nice guy.
It is a 5000 sq ft house and these units take care of the main level, not commercial.
Global Moderator
The problem with gas packs is the heat exchanger is normally in the cold air supply which rots them out rather quickly. Coleman makes their HXs out of stainless steel to protect against that problem. That's a big plus. Rheem offers it as an option but it appears the dealer is not quoting them that way so likely in 7-10 years you may be replacing it.
Regular Guest
That is quite helpful. The tech told me Rheem switched to SS exchangers but that appears to be true for the 16 seer units and they want thousands more for that model.Originally Posted by BaldLoonie
Professional Member*
~ 2500 SQ FEET FIRST FLOOR
in TN 2004 Built Residence
may only need 3.0 or 3.5 Tons. __
__ __ __ __ __ Depends on how tight [ minimal infiltration? ]
___ ___ ___ ___ __ & amount / orientation /type of glass
Heat Loss might be ~ 46,000 BTU/HR [ seems like > 4 X was proposed ]
__ ZIP _ _ _ _ _ ?
Designer Dan __ It's Not Rocket Science, But It is SCIENCE with Some Art. _ _ KEEP IT SIMPLE & SINCERE ___ __ www.mysimplifiedhvac.com ___ __ Define the Building Envelope & Perform a Detailed Load Calc: It's ALL About Windows & Make-up Air Requirements. Know Your Equipment Capabilities
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