Residential HVAC info?

dodgechargerfan

dodgechargerfan

In a 55 gallon drum, floating down river, and
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We're looking to upgrade the furnace and a/c on the house.

They're both original to the house - about 26 years old.
The furnace does have a newer blower motor - we put that in a few years ago.

So, I'm trying to get an idea of what a system would cost.

I've got someone coming over on Tuesday to size up the house and give us a quote but it's one of them "But an AC unit during the winter and I'll give you the furnace for the cost of installation" deals.

Says installation is just under $1600.

All units are supposed to be Premium units Not blems or builder units.
No idea what brand yet. I think that'll depend on what size we need.

Full factory warranties. Money back guarantee, etc etc etc.
Financing if I want it - direct with the financers - no mark up by the installer.

What I don't know yet is what the AC unit will cost. That's the part I'm concerned about. I figure that's the only thing that they could tweak to make up for the great deal.

The house is about 1800 square feet plus a finished basement.

Anyone know about this stuff or just went through this themselves?

I know I should be getting a few quotes and that. And I will after I talk to this guy on Tuesday. I just want to have the advantage of knowing what to expect when I'm talking with this guy.
 
K, we are talkin gas heat & electric a/c(oil would be a bit more) efficency ratings are the key, I'd stay with a single speed unit on the heat, gas=80% eff if you use an indoor chiminey, 90% if the chimineys outdoor(then you'd have to line it for an 80) so put the added cost into a direct vent unit. oil I don't follow anymore, but there probably pretty much alike from unit to unit.On the a/c side 13seer is the new minimum eff rating in the us, the refridgerant is also now important, 22 (the norm) is soon to be phased out & 410A will be the new, If your in the house for the long run(no plans to move for at least 10 years) get something with the new freon & 14 to 16 seer, payback is long(bout 10 yrs) here there are some rebates on the higher eff units that help offset the difference?
NO ONE GIVES YOU ANYTHING FOR FREE, I'm sure you know that, it's built into the bid, that being said winter tends to be slow & a good deal can be made, here I would get between 5 & 6 K for a 120,000 btu gas unit & 4 ton hi eer a/c, varies a lot from house to house & options on models, get me the details as you go, I'll try & steer you in the right direction! DON'T sign anything till you have at least 3 estimates & compare offers & then check the installer out, some are good & some are hacks, talk to any local friends, coworkers & see who they used & how it went not only on the installation but if any problems arose afterwards, were they fast to respond & deal with the problem? Rich.
 
Rich, take a vacation to Niagara Ontario Canada, and while you're there .....:toot:
 
Thanks Rich!

We're gas heat and E;ectric AC so that's all perfect info.

The winter months is exactly why this guy is offering this deal - as his story goes, he wants to keep his people working so he went and committed to buy 68 untis from the factory and negotiated a really low price. According to the story, he's trying to come out just above breaking even for Jan Feb and March. If he can do that he'll end up ahead for the year.
 
Yep, Ive been out bid by the "bigger" guys a few times for just that reason, but the key will be in the actual offer, what units your getting & the ratings, so post up when you see him, I'd still be sure to check 2 others , a better deal might be had, or even a better contractor, both are precious! Rich.
 
Dave,Reliance is running the same thing using Carrier HE units. I have a 14 yr old mid ng but I have not called about pricing.
 
If you have the right supplier and the right installer, you can get a high efficient furnace installed for just under $800. :shifty: I sent my dad an e-mail about your question and I'll post his reply when I get it. What's the size of your house so I can get him a little more info about it?
 
Don't sweat it, I'm just being my normal wiseass self....:shifty:
 
are you shittin me, my 80% furnaces (120,000btu)cost me almost 700, a 90% costs me 1100, I use Rheem equip, but any "brand" name will be in that range, I can't work a day at 800 for the install & come out even, business expenses run almost 900 a week without payroll , whoever's doing that has to have no insurance & the furnace is "falling" off the truck! :huh:
 
Well, I worked at an HVAC warehouse and got an old model below cost and my dad installed it for free. :D

Anyway, here's what my dad said:

It somewhat depends on where he lives. Some of the smaller city shops have a strangle hold on the local market and it is reflected in their pricing. I'm not sure about U.S. pricing either.

The rough pricing for the furnace installation here would be $2800-3000 for a mid-efficient and $3500-3700 for a high. The AC is probably going to run in the $2000 range. These prices are complete with all materials, labour and taxes.

His pricing is for Regina, SK.
 
Great info!

The deal is that I pay the furnace installation cost of $1879 and get the furnace "free" (He even puts that in quotes in his ad. So, he knows that we know that it's not really free). So, it seems like I'm doing okay on that piece.

Around $2000 was what I was expecting for the AC, but it's good to hear of other examples so that I know I'm not pulling that number outta my butt.

Rich, thanks for the brand name info. That's really what I need to know.

Apparently, in the past this deal has used some "off-brands" This year it's different wording. So, I'll hope to hear the right thing when I talk to him.

The deal says the offer will include everything, too. Materials, labour, etc...

This guy has been around for almost 30 years.
There's a good amount of competition in the area.
I'm going to ask the neighbours if they'll tell me what they paid when they got theirs done in the summer. (although, they were literally over the barrel - the old ac unit cacked out and the baby was due in August - AC was an absolute requirement.)
 
K, those #'s are more in line, I'd go as far as to say the heating is a little high,single speed 90% furnace should be bout 500 or so more than the 80%. On the a/c side that might be a little low, 2K is probably gonna be a bare bones unit, lets get some brand names & eff ratings , then we can see how good the offer is! Rich.
 
you're in Mike Holmes country hope for a hack job then hope he fixes it. not too sure on residential but couldn't you reuse the AC condensor and only pay for the refrigerant recovery and recharge?
 
We just got the room cleared out enough to get in there and really look at what's in there now.

The furnace is a Westinghouse 130,000 "firing rate" unit

The a/c unit outside is Westinghouse, too. No idea what size, but it's HUGE!

I expect that with higher efficiency units, I won't need anything as big as that. Does that make sense?

We also have one of those Honeywell electrostatic air cleaners wedged in between the return and the furnace. Are they worth the aggravation or should I look at the newer hepa type filters?

Air exchanger? I've seen them on the building shows. I like the idea behind them. I also know that my boss' house smelled like a skink for a month after one let go near the intake.
 
installation cost of $1879 and get the furnace "free"

then in "peak" season he can show folks a list of what people paid for install??
 
Unfortunatly physical size has nothing to do with eff. in fact some of the high eer units are bigger because of larger cooling coils & smaller motors(quieter, more eff but physically bigger)
My furnaces run 120,000 then 140,000 for your sg footage I go with the 120K if your weather is not too much more extreeme than here in the north east (states) 3 1/3 ton a/c should do it, with a little extra capacity. let the guys do a survey & see what sizes they throw at you! Rich.
 
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