Question for AC Guys

[SIK-06]

Need 2 new units. A 2.5 ton and 3 ton for my house. Seems like every AC guy pushes a certain brand and as a consumer it sucks. One guys trying to sell me American Standard and the other trying to sell me Day & Night. Of course they both say the other brand sucks and etc etc. Both agreed Train is just overpriced.

Any unbiased options here would be great.

If you're in AZ I'm looking for quotes.

 

[RiverDave]

What part of AZ?

RD

 

[KMH]

Well,I have been doing this a long time. I'm a Bryant dealer (exact same unit as Carrier) and I can't say one unit is really better then the other. The most important part is the quality of the install. I would be more concerned on what the contractor has to offer more then the brand. There are contractors out there that are going to throw a unit in without even walking in your house or getting in the attic to check out ducting. Also you want a contractor that is going to being around to warranty or service your new unit. Just because it's a new unit doesn't mean it won't break. Trust me A/C units are just like everything else and made as cheap as possible.

 

[CLdrinker]

Anyone know how to stop a Trane?
Turn it on.

 

[702sandman]

just a couple questions, are they package units on the roof or split systems ? Heat pumps or gas heat ? I’m here in vegas and we install primarily Trane, lennox, and York. For the most part they all offer 10 years on all parts and compressors. As far as quality I really like the quality of trane and since we do a lot of volume we get really good pricing and can usually sell for same pricing as Bryant, York, or others but give the customer a really good product. You can dm me and see if I can help you out and make sure you get a fair price.

 

[SIK-06]

just a couple questions, are they package units on the roof or split systems ? Heat pumps or gas heat ? I’m here in vegas and we install primarily Trane, lennox, and York. For the most part they all offer 10 years on all parts and compressors. As far as quality I really like the quality of trane and since we do a lot of volume we get really good pricing and can usually sell for same pricing as Bryant, York, or others but give the customer a really good product. You can dm me and see if I can help you out and make sure you get a fair price.

Split systems attic and gas heat.

 

[SIK-06]

What part of AZ?

RD

North Phoenix I-17 & carefree Hwy just south of Anthem.

 

[rampster]

I too may be in this market

 

[Riverhound]

Just went through this in Tucson... We ended up with going with the Carrier Infinity series, 3,600 sqft. house, single 5-ton variable speed AC with a 97% AFUE 100k BTU variable speed blower and 5 zones. so far so good.

The units are great but as other have said it all about the install.

Our system install took 3 guys 2 weeks, most of it in the attic fixing and adding new ducting for the zone system. All the returns were resized to get the system properly balanced for the house. Heck, they spent a whole day balancing they system, programing the thermostats, double checking all the operations and documenting all the air flow and temperatures in each area of the house.

 

[SIK-06]

Just went through this in Tucson... We ended up with going with the Carrier Infinity series, 3,600 sqft. house, single 5-ton variable speed AC with a 97% AFUE 100k BTU variable speed blower and 5 zones. so far so good.

The units are great but as other have said it all about the install.

Our system install took 3 guys 2 weeks, most of it in the attic fixing and adding new ducting for the zone system. All the returns were resized to get the system properly balanced for the house. Heck, they spent a whole day balancing they system, programing the thermostats, double checking all the operations and documenting all the air flow and temperatures in each area of the house.

who did you use? How much?

 

[Riverhound]

who did you use? How much?

Sayco Heating and Air Conditioning out of Tucson. Not sure if they go to Phoenix. It was north of $20k... not for the faint of heart.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Just went through this in Tucson... We ended up with going with the Carrier Infinity series, 3,600 sqft. house, single 5-ton variable speed AC with a 97% AFUE 100k BTU variable speed blower and 5 zones. so far so good.

The units are great but as other have said it all about the install.

Our system install took 3 guys 2 weeks, most of it in the attic fixing and adding new ducting for the zone system. All the returns were resized to get the system properly balanced for the house. Heck, they spent a whole day balancing they system, programing the thermostats, double checking all the operations and documenting all the air flow and temperatures in each area of the house.

5 tons for 3600 sq ft is really stretching that systems capacity. I'd love to see the load calcs they used to design that system since it gets pretty damn hot here. I just can't imagine that system keeping up very well when it's one of those heavy monsoon weeks

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[Outdrive1]

5 tons for 3600 sq ft is really stretching that systems capacity. I'd love to see the load calcs they used to design that system since it gets pretty damn hot here. I just can't imagine that system keeping up very well when it's one of those heavy monsoon weeks

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I agree. I guess it depends on the houses insulation also. From what I’ve seen in AZ 5 tons is around 2000 sq ft or so.


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[westair]

I agree. I guess it depends on the houses insulation also. From what I’ve seen in AZ 5 tons is around 2000 sq ft or so.


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My guess is good insulation, windows and 5 zones, where it is not cooling the whole house at once, only the zones that need it.

 

[Turnup]

I'm doing 2 right now, 2.5 tons on 1k sq' houses, maybe 3 ton but I took them down to the studs and insulated exterior and interior walls so I'm thinking 2.5 will be fine..all new ductwork and finish work, permits, HERS testing, etc for $7k ea using Payne because my dude says its Carrier..

 

[Riverhound]

5 tons for 3600 sq ft is really stretching that systems capacity. I'd love to see the load calcs they used to design that system since it gets pretty damn hot here. I just can't imagine that system keeping up very well when it's one of those heavy monsoon weeks

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Normally I would agree but this house is a little unique. Walls are 11" thick... 6" poured concrete with 2" foam on both sides and 5/8 plywood on the exterior then stucco. Believe it or not this entire house ran on a Carrier 2 ton unit with 9 zones for 17 years... Granted on those nasty monsoon days it struggled but still worked.

 

[Outdrive1]

Normally I would agree but this house is a little unique. Walls are 11" thick... 6" poured concrete with 2" foam on both sides and 5/8 plywood on the exterior then stucco. Believe it or not this entire house ran on a Carrier 2 ton unit with 9 zones for 17 years... Granted on those nasty monsoon days it struggled but still worked.

That makes more sense.


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[702sandman]

Here in vegas the general rule of thumb I use is 400sq ft per ton of air. That definitely can be reduced if we run load Calcs on the house.

 

[$hot]

Normally I would agree but this house is a little unique. Walls are 11" thick... 6" poured concrete with 2" foam on both sides and 5/8 plywood on the exterior then stucco. Believe it or not this entire house ran on a Carrier 2 ton unit with 9 zones for 17 years... Granted on those nasty monsoon days it struggled but still worked.

That’s a hell of a house, who built it like that

 

[Riverbound]

Well,I have been doing this a long time. I'm a Bryant dealer (exact same unit as Carrier) and I can't say one unit is really better then the other. The most important part is the quality of the install. I would be more concerned on what the contractor has to offer more then the brand. There are contractors out there that are going to throw a unit in without even walking in your house or getting in the attic to check out ducting. Also you want a contractor that is going to being around to warranty or service your new unit. Just because it's a new unit doesn't mean it won't break. Trust me A/C units are just like everything else and made as cheap as possible.

This.

If they are selling you on brand and not themselves. Find another contractor.

If they are saying brand x sucks. They are lying to you. Pretty much all AC brands out there are made of the same basic parts. Things like sound deadening, cabinet finishes, etc. are what are the difference between them. Most products are the same with just a different sticker identifying which distributor you purchased them from.

 

[Angler]

Normally I would agree but this house is a little unique. Walls are 11" thick... 6" poured concrete with 2" foam on both sides and 5/8 plywood on the exterior then stucco. Believe it or not this entire house ran on a Carrier 2 ton unit with 9 zones for 17 years... Granted on those nasty monsoon days it struggled but still worked.

That's a bomb shelter! Nice find..

 

[CarolynandBob]

Dammit I was so confused. As I am reading this thread I was thinking "Why the fuck would Riverbound be using a company in Tucson for A/C. After rereading it a few times and still shaking my head I notice the names. RIVERHOUND in Tucson and not RIVERBOUND. LOL

 

[Riverbound]

Dammit I was so confused. As I am reading this thread I was thinking "Why the fuck would Riverbound be using a company in Tucson for A/C. After rereading it a few times and still shaking my head I notice the names. RIVERHOUND in Tucson and not RIVERBOUND. LOL

It confuses me as well when I see his posts. My first thought is always which mod is messing with my avatar? ......lol.

 

[SIK-06]

This.

If they are selling you on brand and not themselves. Find another contractor.

If they are saying brand x sucks. They are lying to you. Pretty much all AC brands out there are made of the same basic parts. Things like sound deadening, cabinet finishes, etc. are what are the difference between them. Most products are the same with just a different sticker identifying which distributor you purchased them from.

Thats great advice! One was bashing the other not so much.

 

[dezertrider]

Pick the contractor and not the brand. The manufacturer wont do shit for you if you have issues after the install. We quarentee parts and labor for 10 years on all new installs because we install it correctly. Not many contractors give that offer. Not many contractors install them correctly

 

[Riverhound]

That’s a hell of a house, who built it like that

It was custom built by an engineer who tried to ring every last bit of efficiency out it. I’ll give him credit, he accomplished a lot but at what cost. You could have put 5 A/C’s on this place for what it cost him to build it.

 

[SIK-06]

Pick the contractor and not the brand. The manufacturer wont do shit for you if you have issues after the install. We quarentee parts and labor for 10 years on all new installs because we install it correctly. Not many contractors give that offer. Not many contractors install them correctly

You're not in AZ I take it.

 

[Riverbound]

You're not in AZ I take it.

No we are out of So-cal

 

[NicPaus]

It was custom built by an engineer who tried to ring every last bit of efficiency out it. I’ll give him credit, he accomplished a lot but at what cost. You could have put 5 A/C’s on this place for what it cost him to build it.

I built a few ICF houses. Cost quite a bit more than stick frame. In AZ it would be worth it. Here in SoCal it just got the sq ft by going with basement.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Normally I would agree but this house is a little unique. Walls are 11" thick... 6" poured concrete with 2" foam on both sides and 5/8 plywood on the exterior then stucco. Believe it or not this entire house ran on a Carrier 2 ton unit with 9 zones for 17 years... Granted on those nasty monsoon days it struggled but still worked.

Jesus!! Yeah..... Second best insulator to a complete vacuum..... Mass. Lots of it.

Just out of curiosity, how's the roof built? If he did that with the walls, I'm hoping something badass was done with the roof.

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[Riverhound]

Jesus!! Yeah..... Second best insulator to a complete vacuum..... Mass. Lots of it.

Just out of curiosity, how's the roof built? If he did that with the walls, I'm hoping something badass was done with the roof.

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Roof is your basic Santa Fe flat build up. The rafters are fiberglass roll insulation and there is about 2ft of blown in insulation in the joists. There are also several thermostatically controlled attic fans venting hot air out. Seems to work relatively well

About a 3rd of the joists are steel and the interior walls are all metal studs, sheer walled with 5/8 plywood and 5/8 sheetrock on top. Not a lot of temperature transfer between rooms.

 

[Wheeler]

Here's one I've been working on down in Blythe.

When I opened up the place yesterday it was 68 deg. after being closed up for a month.

 

[90 Laveycraft]

Good info here guys, Rheem/Ruud dealer here...Calif/central valley.

100 idiot installers out there...20 brands...go with the solid company/warranty, not the manufacture...I went Trane...very happy..