I have a 2356sq ft home. My outside unit has bit the dust. I have had three separate bids with different plans of action. I will be investing a large sum of money and want to make the right choice. I have a 3.5 intertherm heat pump. Difference between a Goodman Heat pump (13 seer) 4 ton unit, and a Frigidaire 4 ton Model 918858F with R22. The third bid was on a 10 seer 3.5 ton Intertherm replacement. Money varies from 1350.00 to 3650.00. Any advice?

 

Yes your in Texas get at least a 15 seer unit. Get a price from a quality company.

 

Did any of the bidders calculate the heat gain and loss on your home to determine the unit size? I would be wary of a 10 seer or r22 unit. 10 seer units are no longer being produced and r22 is being phased out.

 

It is forecast to be 103* today. Thank you for your reply. I feel like I am learning a new language with all the acronyms. As far as the heat index measurement, I have had three separate "reputable" companies come out, but none have spoken to me of this particular item. I do have a high rated insulation home with 2 X 6 walls. It is a manufactured home and the previous 3.5 Intertherm has worked well for the past 7-8 years. It kept my home very cold, without high electricity bills. With all the changes ie, coolants, Seer ratings, and A/C replacement verses heat pump, I have had a quick education on the differences I never knew existed. Now the problem of picking the best choice for the price. I definately want a heat pump so my cold weather months won't be a problem. Then again, I don't want to be playing this game again for a while. I thought the third contractor would lean towards one of the previous. But, no. It has just added to my quandry. All of these contractors have been sincere in there reasoning, but I can't help but wonder if $ is the bottom line. I am solely responsible for my family and am striving to make the best choice. Thank you again for your posts.

 

Are you talking about replacing a package unit or the outdoor section of a split system? What exactly happened to your existing unit?

 

Thank you again for your response. I called the 'heat gain/loss in my home' an index earlier as I did not have your post up to get the words right. I must tell you that before my father died, he purchased this home and was an inspector for HUD. He always instructed us (my siblings and myself) on the importance of quality insulation, and materials. I know the home he purchased was and is spected to have a very high rating of insulation. I don't know exactly where to look to get those values. I did just google and read up on heat gain/loss of buildings and am little more educated on this than prior. And, to answer your question, no one has spoken to me of this but they all were looking at graphs, specks, and figuring numbers while I was present. All three came up with different companies, different sizes, different coolants, and different prices. Maybe they were factoring in my need to have A/C along with my lack of funding and trying to get me by. But with all the variety, I am still puzzled.

 

The compressor bit the dust. My internal unit, which is an Intertherm heat pump works fine, fan works fine and is approx 8 years old. Fairly new if you asked me. My home on the other hand is 4 bedroom 3 bath double wide with two large living areas, diningroom, utility, and office. North East Texas with next couple of months prob in the 100's. My home only has one shade tree and it as at the southwest end. I have received advice from all contractors that down play me just replacing the compressor. They go into detail as to why I should purchase their option. The conflicting info I have been given tells me pro's/con's why they would choose this or that. This unit has history of problems. That unit is notorius for short life. You need this refrigerant. If we go with that refrigerant, you will have to change fittings/and revamp inside. The written bids did not go into detail like our conversations did. And it also didn't help that I was half asleep during the evaluations. Night shift work and attempting to sleep in the heat of the day is not a positive combination. All appointments in the middle of my sleep.

 

So the bids you are getting are to replace the outdoor section only? Exactly what did they say is wrong with the compressor? There are a lot of morons around who cannot diagnose a compressor properly. Many people have bought new units because they were told the compressor was bad when all they had was a bad capacitor.

 

Yes. Outside unit change. No one has talked about a bad capacitor. Compressor out is all that was advised. Nothing discussed as to why the compressor is out. Once again, thank you for your information.

 

You're quite welcome. So the outside unit has only freon lines and electric wiring connected to it? No ducting? If yes, the outdoor section will have to be compatible with your indoor coil, so the 4 ton units are out. My suggestion is to talk to the person who is saying your compressor is kaput and have them tell you EXACTLY what is wrong with it and how they arrived at that conclusion. Does the outdoor unit run or does it trip the circuit breaker if you try to run it?

 

The outdoor unit does not run at all. Freon lines and electrical wiring only. No duct work outside.

So the bid was going up to a 4 ton unit, and exchanging the coil on the inside because it is currently a 3.5 ton unit. (So, now I understand.) He wants to use a Goodman 13 seer, 4 ton unit and the other bidders reported that this replacement unit was not a quality product. Do you know anything about the Goodman quality?

 

All 3 brands are average. These days there is a lot of parity among all the manufacturers. Goodman is in Houston, it's a big seller. Fridgidaire is sold by Nordyne. Nordyne has several brand names which essentially are all the same, just different labels. Intertherm designs and sells to the manufactured home market. The guys that want to sell you 4 ton units, did they check your circuit breakers and wire size to make sure they are sized properly?

 

No sir, I do not believe that any of them even know where my breaker box is located. That said, I do not know if that was a charge added into my bids.

So, in an effort to keep my sanity. I purchased some A/C window units according to the chart located on this web site. I feel I need more time to research my investment. I am appriciative of the knowledge made available by use of this site.