Replace R-22 unit or upgrade?

[drajj5]

Going from 1.5 ton to 2 ton on an 1100sq ft apartment I wouldnt consider oversized.

And the contamination from previous compressor failure is what this hvac guy is suspecting too.

I am just wondering about the price. Does 2650 seem reasonable for that 2-ton unit installed with new inside coil?

OR should I shop around for someone willing to install a lesser quality (perhaps), 1.5 ton unit?

Not too concerned about seer rating. They are efficient and well insulated apartments. And I do not pay the electric bill. So I will see no savings of a higher eff unit

LD1, I just had a heat pump installed at the house I am renting out- just last week. I was quoted 3,100.00 and that was for a entire new air handler and outdoor compressor/condenser unit. This home had gas heat only and conditioned 1150sqft. The unit they installed was a Goodman branded unit both inside and out. The boys that came out and did the install were top notch and had to run all of the lineset under the house and plumb a drain. Brand new Honeywell T-stat and new thermostat wire were pulled as well (10 wire was needed).

But..... I chose to remove gas from the equation due to the added stress from wondering if they (tenants) are keeping the tank full and not running a bunch of space heaters in the winter vs. buying gas for heat.

I did spend above the amount I just quoted as I installed the new electrical breakers and ran supply power to the inside air handler (heat strips) and to the outside unit disconnect. It added another 350 to the cost of the new A/C.

Now I need to figure out how to use the super fancy digital t-stat...

Hope this gives you some insight via my experience.

Gafn is spot on with regard to oversizing a unit. Most tenants will run the **** out of central heat and air so you should be good with a 2ton unit. People in the winter are cold at 70, however will set the t-stat at 64 during the summer months and crank it up to 80 in the winter. Renters are hard on stuff, I rented a car once..... but that's another story:devil:

 

[pohorsky]

A good friend of mine does HVAC work for a living has never liked the 410A. For him he has seen too many coils blow out because of the immense high side pressure. His company was constantly repairing units less than a year old. I would avoid it if possible.

 

[Gafn]

If you want to be certain on sizing.. take a shot at this worksheet...
AHAM - Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

This will put you in the ball park for certain...

 

[kenmac]

I said you should just replace it all... With a 410A system. not R22.. R410A coils are tested for the higher pressures... You worry about a lesser quality ??? Define lesser quality....I can buy any unit I want.... I have a Rheem knock off...with a Copeland scroll compressor..... The compressor is the heart of the Condenser.... They are pretty much all the same... Just like ford , chevy ,dodge,,, You can get a basic unit or 1 with all the bells and whistles... What ever floats your boat !

Is 2650 reasonable ?? I don't know what he has to do to get this installed... If it's a 410A unit.. is he replacing all the Refrigerant lines ??? If not, he should as least flush them reallllllll good !!! Add a drier /driers.. The 2 Refrigerant oils don't mix very well, and can cause problems !If it's a dry R22 unit.. he will have to fill it with Refrigerant... Will he use R22,Mo99,R407C, etc,
I would say ,if a 1.5 ton has been doing a good job, I see no reason to increase the BTU'S.

From behind my computer screen ,,, I would say it's not a bad price....Is it the best price ?????

 

[drajj5]

I said you should just replace it all... With a 410A system. not R22.. R410A coils are tested for the higher pressures... You worry about a lesser quality ??? Define lesser quality....I can buy any unit I want.... I have a Rheem knock off...with a Copeland scroll compressor..... The compressor is the heart of the Condenser.... They are pretty much all the same... Just like ford , chevy ,dodge,,, You can get a basic unit or 1 with all the bells and whistles... What ever floats your boat !

Is 2650 reasonable ?? I don't know what he has to do to get this installed... If it's a 410A unit.. is he replacing all the Refrigerant lines ??? If not, he should as least flush them reallllllll good !!! Add a drier /driers.. The 2 Refrigerant oils don't mix very well, and can cause problems !If it's a dry R22 unit.. he will have to fill it with Refrigerant... Will he use R22,Mo99,R407C, etc,
I would say ,if a 1.5 ton has been doing a good job, I see no reason to increase the BTU'S.

From behind my computer screen ,,, I would say it's not a bad price....Is it the best price ?????

I agree totally....


the one I had installed was a 2ton unit. The air handler was super easy to get to (hallway type closet) there was a crawl space to rune the lineset. So this was factored in the price that I was quoted.

If your air handler is in a crawlspace or attic - job can get tougher for the A/C guy and will have to work harder to repair your unit.

They don't make 22 anymore, 5 years from now a jug of that will cost a fortune....Get the new stuff and don't worry about it, if done correctly the hermetically sealed compressor will do it's thing and your refrigerant will stay put in a closed system doing it's thing for years to come

 

[kenmac]

well, as of now,,they still make R22 .. It's production is being scaled back every yr until the production will be 0...R22 production will end, and it will be illegal for R22 to be imported Jan 1,2020.. There will still be R22.. Who knows at what cost... R407C is a good alternative refrigerant for R22.. Some HVAC owners I know also use mo99

 

[LD1]

AS to the price and if it is the best, I havent got any more quotes. Kinda why I was asking about price cause I was wondering if I needed to.

This all started a few months back. I purchased these apprts about 10 months ago. A different Hvac company had just replaced the compressor at the end of the previous winter. Th tenant never used AC, and was complaining about heat this winter. Had this guy out to diagnose. Spend a few hours when it was 20 degrees out trying to troubleshoot and add r22 to the system. Thought the cold was causing problems getting the system charged and his gauges were still reading low. Said he would come back when it warmed. He did, further troubleshooting leads him to believe there is a blockage somewhere and the time and labor involved in trying to isolate the blockage and make a repair, that I would be money ahead to install a new R-22 dry unit.

Well, that kinda evolved to wanting to replace the indoor coil as well. Which has evolved to just going to a 410a unit since the cost would be the same given the indoor coil is also getting replaced even if I went with R22. So far I have not paid anything for this guys time. He said he would get me some quotes which he did and why I am posting here.

If the price sounds reasonable for the labor and time already spend + the installation of the 2-ton system I mentioned above, I wont bother getting other quotes and I'll stick with this guy. Even if I could save a few hundred bucks going with someone else, I would likely have to pay this guy the difference for time already spend diagnosing.

I see Heat pump packages online (outdoor unit plus whole new indoor unit) ranging from 1500-2500 bucks. Depending on brand and SEER. Since he is only doing an indoor coil instead of whole unit, and without knowing what the outdoor unit cost, I was afraid you guys might tell me the price is way too high. So I wanted confirmation before proceeding.

Another quick question. Anyone know if there is any federal tax credits for replacing an existing HP on an apartment? I know there are a bunch of credits for personal, even rebates to local electric coop. But for appts? and on AEP electric is there anything I need to look into? I know there are usually minimum SEER requirements and dont want to miss a credit cause I tried to save a few bucks on a less efficient unit.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just replaced a 10 ton Carrier Comfort Series gas pack... needed a crane... 15k

 

[kenmac]

It's sounds like a fair price.. Make sure he either replaces the line set or flushes the existing line set.. I vote for replacement if possible.. R22 and R410A use different oil ..They aren't compatible...
Also, (if it matters to you) make sure you still get the 10 yr all parts warranty from the MFG..with partial replacement.. Some Manufacture's will only give 5 yr all parts on partial replacement..