Central air conditioning

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Stealth22

Ugh, I'm so confused looking at some of these quotes.

Some say 2 ton, others recommend 2.5. It appears that the price difference in the sizing isn't much, but I'm still wondering what the best choice is. I'm leaning towards a 16 seer unit.

A1 Chesney (Costco) is by far the most expensive...Arpi's was significantly lower for the same Lennox unit, but their tech mentioned a 16 seer Goodman unit, and his quote is like another $1000 lower for that unit.

Is it worth paying for a brand like Lennox? Are there any CP'ers out there with Goodman A/C units?

I have a Goodman and it's been pretty good so far. I am not sure why it was mentioned we should consider staying away from them though. I did read somewhere that the parts are warrantied up to 10 years, but on occasion takes a while to acquire + labour isn't warrantied. I am not sure if this is that reason to stay away. To maintain the warranty, I am not supposed to set the temperature below 22C (which is cool enough anyways).

The guy who installed it for me (I hope I didn't misunderstand, but it's a family friend whom I trust and compared his quote to others) said that a good rule of thumb was around 1 ton per 800 sq ft. However you have to add in the sq ft of the basement. His wasn't the cheapest, but I went with him because the price was comparable and he spent the time to explain things in far more detail than the other guys I got quotes from. A few guys were as bad as, "I install this brand. That's all you need to know because it's a good brand and they have a good warranty."

[jeffporfirio]

Originally Posted by woob

Do you live in a Castle??

Regular sized home, one unit cools the downstairs and the other the upstairs.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I have a Goodman and it's been pretty good so far. I am not sure why it was mentioned we should consider staying away from them though.

Everlast works with various HVAC systems all day every day. With his line of work he is seeing systems at various stages of their lifespan; unlike somebody who installs new systems.

No company intentionally makes a bad product, so that isn't to say you made a bad choice or will have bad luck.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Everlast works with various HVAC systems all day every day. With his line of work he is seeing systems at various stages of their lifespan; unlike somebody who installs new systems.

No company intentionally makes a bad product, so that isn't to say you made a bad choice or will have bad luck.

Yeah, I am aware that EVERLAST is a pro in this field and I forgot to mention it in my previous post. I was surprised he had that opinion because he works with these products on a regular basis. I was more musing about the idea that it was a bit of a shocker that these two brands are ones he'd stay away from. Especially since it seems quite a few individuals seem to have no issues with their Goodman units.

But yeah, if he has reservations regarding them, that's something to definitely look into, not ignore.

[EVERLAST]

It's also based on recall info deficiency issues and warranty service and repair I do.

I'm commenting on the highest amount of issues I see by brand and by install.

Most installers as well do not take time to teach, answer questions and be stewards to the industry.
If they won't make the effort to earn your business by going the extra mile then they don't deserve your business.

Most important is to always buy extended warranty as you will use it!!! Not buying it will put you in the hook for expensive repairs, arguments you can avoid and unnecessary stress.

Make sure before you hook up new equipment you clean the ducts and use a company that has some idea what they are doing. I specialize in it so I could be considered if you wish?

I see allot and fix a record number of issues and violations missed by installers and city inspectors.

[GGG]

Everlast, Do you think you see more issues with Goodman and Lennox because there the most widely used or do you think have more repairs than their share of installations?

[EVERLAST]

Hi
Sure more companies are pushing /Goodman/Lennox but Lennox being proprietary makes them more money on less warranty.

I see people concerned hearing /seeing my feedback but the biggest issues I see with any brand is maintenance.

People use the wrong filters and then don't change those of any filters monthly as they should be.
Then people don't get annual furnace vent and duct cleaning services done by reputable companies.
There's allot of other factors as well especially with retrofits on older homes.

The same applies for folks looking to add air conditioning. I'd never add air conditioning by installinng it over older equipment either. It's a bad idea because the old equipment isn't designed to push air thru a coil efficiently.
The thing is that mechanical contractor just want to make money and they don't care how they do it.
So all the above is just something to think about .

[MoneyGuy]

I'm new to central air. I closed the windows last night to run the AC, but this morning the AC isn't running and upstairs is hot. Do you leave the windows open when you run AC? I have a split-level with bedrooms upstairs and a Nest system. What temp do you set your AC to run at? Today my wife set it at a low temp so the AC will run while no one is home.

[Sliver]

In my experience, the biggest thing with getting the whole house cool without cold spots and warm spots is to mess around with the vents. I close almost all the basement vents so more cool air is directed upstairs.

It's kind of a pain this time of year because if you have a few days of cold weather and need your furnace, you have to go around opening the basement vents again. No big deal, though.

Don't leave the windows open. Close blinds on windows that face the sun.

We set ours to 22.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by Sliver

In my experience, the biggest thing with getting the whole house cool without cold spots and warm spots is to mess around with the vents. I close almost all the basement vents so more cool air is directed upstairs.

It's kind of a pain this time of year because if you have a few days of cold weather and need your furnace, you have to go around opening the basement vents again. No big deal, though.

Don't leave the windows open. Close blinds on windows that face the sun.

We set ours to 22.

+1. We do the same. Either use balancing/distribution valves in the ductwork, or use the actual registers to close off air to lower floors and make sure top floor vents are all open.

It's a bit of trial and error initially, but once you have it figured out it's a quick 2 minute job twice a year to get the vents how you like them.

[MotoRacer]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

Paying retail for a system is crazy, $2000 for half a day of work to install it? lol

Any DIY links or not recommended?

[Stealth22]

Thanks to everyone who provided advice in this thread...we pulled the trigger and had a 2.5 ton unit installed by Action Furnace on Monday.

It was really hot outside that day, so having the A/C up and running for that evening/night was awesome. We were sleeping so comfortably that night, lol. You guys were right, central A/C is a game changer. It sure wasn't cheap, but I think it's going to be worth just about every penny!!

I'm also going to have to mess with the vents or somehow get our ductwork balanced. There's a noticeable difference in the airflow between one side of the house and the other, both with the A/C and the furnace.

Oh, and I take full responsibility for the weather cooling down since Monday. :P

[Nufy]

Would you mind providing details on what you had installed and pricing ?

I am looking to get AC installed as well.

PM if you wish..Thanks either way.

[MacDaddy77]

Originally Posted by Sliver

In my experience, the biggest thing with getting the whole house cool without cold spots and warm spots is to mess around with the vents. I close almost all the basement vents so more cool air is directed upstairs.

It's kind of a pain this time of year because if you have a few days of cold weather and need your furnace, you have to go around opening the basement vents again. No big deal, though.

Don't leave the windows open. Close blinds on windows that face the sun.

We set ours to 22.

Even better is if you can reach any of the 5" or 6" heat runs off the main duct take them off and put dampers in them. the closer you can shut them off to the duct the more air will be forced as they don't have to travel to the register. Then open them back up before winter.

[Stealth22]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Would you mind providing details on what you had installed and pricing ?

I am looking to get AC installed as well.

PM if you wish..Thanks either way.

2.5 ton Goodman GSX-13, 13 seer unit.

I didn't see the justification for spending extra on the 16 seer. The sales rep told me that in Alberta, we don't run the units enough to see the energy savings, and the 16 was like $800 more. The unit I have is also not really that loud, even standing next to it.

They included a winter cover, and the cost was about $3500 plus tax. That included the installation, city permit, wall brackets, the electrical disconnect switch outside, everything.

I also had to pay an extra $500 for them to do an electrical subpanel because our panel had no vacant breakers, but that was going to be a thing no matter which installer I went with.

I went with Action Furnace because their people seemed to be the most upfront and honest, and they include labor in the 10 year warranty (most do not!), and they don't require an annual inspection to keep the warranty valid.

The guy who came out to do the installation was great too. He went through every single detail when he was done and was happy to answer any questions we had, both during and after the install.

One of my coworkers (along with others in this thread) also had a unit installed by Action, and had nothing but good things to say. I'd highly recommend them.

If you're going to do it, my advice would be to decide soon, as all of the HVAC companies are going to be getting really busy now.

[DoubleF]

Congrats Stealth22 I'm sure you've enjoyed that unit with the weather we've been having thus far. That's a similar unit to mine. Mine is 2.5 ton Goodman at 16 seer and the numbers you quoted seemed spot on with the $800 difference. I had mine installed by a different company. I think the 10 year warranty is standard on Goodman units. I am not sure if there's anything we need to do to avoid voiding the warranty other than perhaps keeping the temp above 22C for the first 2-3 years or so. But what you mentioned in your post, my guy said something similar relating to annual inspections not being necessary (though he said annual inspections are nice if I wanted him to be my HVAC guy so he could evaluate preventative work and acquire parts in anticipation of a fix, rather than fire fighting then buying parts at a premium due to urgency of a fix).

I do suggest getting a smart thermostat with additional sensors. I know Ecobee and Nest have this. I don't know if other smart thermostats have multiple sensor features. This way, if you're upstairs at night, you can have the AC unit cool the upstairs to the desired temperature rather than whether the thermostat is located. I also find running the fan helps to mix the cold and hot air

Regarding the cover, the guy that installed mine said that it's a waste of money so I went with his suggestion and didn't get one. His explanation made sense though as he mentioned that only snow generally gets in there and there's certain safety features that keep the AC unit running in low temps, so its not really affected by exposure to the elements anyways. He also mentioned a sound blanket isn't really necessary, but due to inner city living, it wasn't a bad thing to add on if I wanted to be a decent neighbor.

After chatting around and reading what Everlast has to say, I think my fears of having a Goodman is allayed a bit. Assuming the unit is not completely installed incorrectly, the main issues seems plausibly that there are many individuals that don't bother with the proper upkeep like replacing HVAC filters and doing duct cleaning which kills the units prematurely. That's perhaps metaphorically like someone buying a car known to be nearly indestructible and never doing upkeep and wondering why their vehicle broke down before the limited warranty end and understandable why the failure rates are little higher. (sorta like how Volvo is safe, so people feel they can be slightly more careless)

[Nufy]

Thoughts on Side vent Units ?

Anybody have one ?

I want to put mine under my deck as its the only practical space that is available.

Clearance requirements dictate a side vent unit.

Everywhere else is on a walkway on the rear of my house.

[Fleury’sOTGoalCelebration]

We purchased our home in 2009 which came with a Trane air conditioner (believe it was installed in 2007 ish.) We have never utilized a cover nor has it ever been inspected. We use it quite frequently during the summer months and have had zero issues to date.

[Sliver]

Covers are so cheap and air conditioners are so expensive. I can't think of a single good reason not to protect it for the seven months a year it won't be used.

[Northendzone]

i purchased a BBQ cover that fits over about 80% of my AC unit