New central air conditioning unit installation

[jayzon]

we just bought a 14x72 redman, came w/ split system nordyne/ miller. whoever installed when home was moved messed up. 10 seer unit 1997, 2 or 2.5 ton, not sure. 2 HVAC's have looked at it. appears to be a blockage & there's no port on the suction line. to fix would cost $850. sears recommends we replace it. R-22, old unit, etc, etc. their estimate for 30K BTU 2 ton w/ heat pump (which allows dual heat in winter gas/ elec) & $800 5 yr 'bumper to bumper' warranty w/ yearly tuneups, is $6,000 installed. any comments? on the internet i've found estimates of about the same for the same kind of system. joe
ps - we're located eastern PA, USA.

[tnt17]

Just for kicks, does your power company offer any heat pump assistance? our power company does loans, or another option is they add in $50 a month to the power bill, or a set amount the homeowner can afford. Up to $4,000 on MH.
$6,000 seems steep, we have a 4 ton recently installed for $3,000.

[Robert]

Hi,

30K btu is 2 1/2 tons.

Do you currently have a gas furnace ?


If this is just a heat pump split system, $6000 is somewhat high in my humble opinion.


I'm not a fan of Sears HVAC, will leave that there, no further comments.


To recover the refrigerant, braze in a service port, evacuate and recharge does not come to $850 in my humble opinion.


Was that Sears also ?


How old is current unit ?


Also, w/o a service port on suction line, how was unit charged, evacuated, recharged and checked for proper pressures ?


Was home/unit just moved and as of yet not turned on, meaning it was just brazed in and left that way ?



Thanks,
Robert

[jayzon]

hi again - to answer the questions. yes, it's a gas furnace. yes the fix it extimate was sears. the unit is 1997, came w/ home, orig set up in MD, moved to PA 4 years ago. i had all the same questions? if there's no port, how was it done in the first place? nobody seems to know who installed it. lovely...
$6K includes: pad to set outdoor unit on, outdoor unit, line sets, thermostat, evaporator (inside), heat pump & 5 year warranty (which includes yearly tuneUps, which is why i got the warranty). heat pump was about $1 extra. joe

[Robert]

Hi Joe,


The outdoor condener IS the heat pump. 6K is ludicrous and .......................well you already know my feelings on Sears HVAC and you are seeing a little of the why.



Find a reputable HVAC Contractor or two and get some reasonable and experienced estimates.



Thanks,
Robert