Originally Posted by
samepdx
Hi all,
Brand new to the site and would love some insight on my current situation. I recently moved into a 110 year-old home (3,200 sqft, but 1,200 is unfinished basement) in the Pacific Northwest that has a 2005 Carrier 4-ton single stage heat pump and air handler. We have a ton of windows, some of which were replaced, and I'm sure very little insulation in the walls.
Once the weather got colder, we noticed the temperature coming through the vents was fluctuating quite a bit. A tech came out and told us the compressor was broken and needs to be replaced. He recommended replacing the whole system on a 15 year old pump. We are currently using the back up electric furnace to heat the house.
We have now received quotes from five different companies, and asked for options of replacing only the heat pump, the heat pump and air handler, or switching over to a gas furnace and A/C.
Three companies only install Daikin, and two install Carrier. The two that use Carrier were the only ones who quoted us and even recommended just replacing the heat pump because our current air handler was a high-end model in 2005 and functioning properly. From reading many posts on this site, I know it is not recommended and risky to only replace part of the system. However, this was admittedly a large expense we were not anticipating.
Whether it be for Daikin or Carrier equipment, we have received vastly different recommendations on the type of heat pump (single, double stage, variable) and some of the techs recommended switching over to gas because it would be easier to heat the house.
The last company who came out did a pressure test with the air handler and said our system was under too much pressure. Essentially, the ducting was installed before the heat pump, and is too small for the current pump. Because of this, he only recommended a few, less powerful heat pumps.
I know that for whichever system we go with, the install will be the most important part of it functioning well, but I am curious to know if I can get away with only replacing the heat pump? If not, are there specific questions I should be asking to determine the right size and power of heat pump or A/C / gas furnace?
Thank you in advance for your help and I'm happy to provide any additional information needed.