Air Conditioning & Heating QUOTE - How bad???

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ThePhanatic

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Hi Everyone.
I have a 45+ year old furnace.
Its supposedly a 125,000 BTU unit.(3.5 tons?)
We have a split level (4 levels originally), Attic later finished in 2 additional levels.
We get very good air flow on the main levels and weak air in the new levels.
The air compressor outside is most likely 5 years old and told to me to be 10 SEER(3.5 tons)

I called a local dealer from BRYANT.
Older guy who seems like a strait shooter.

He suggested an 80% efficiency 2 stage replacement furnace and a newer 15 SEER AC Compressor.
He will change a few of the shorter run feeds that are 4 inch to newer 6 inch feeds.

He will add new hard copper lines to replace soft copper ones and a new box with fuses, and a humidifier(optional- $475 extra)

The price is $6900.00 and there will be a $300 rebate.
Keep in mind I live in Northern NJ and everything is a bit higher priced in the area. So is it in the ballpark for a new furnace and compressor unit?



We also discussed that we will most likely add a second unit on the 3rd level to cover the 2 upper levels seperately for better efficiency..
BUT that will wait till the spring.


Anyway-
Any suggestions? Do you think these changes will suffice?
Is the furnace a good size for a 3,000 square feet?
Just wanna see if we are in the ballpark.


THANKS IN ADVANCE
 

NHmaster

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We don't do prices here. As far as equipment sizing, without an acurate heat gain\loss calculation I can't answere the other question either.
 

ThePhanatic

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I am NOT trying to account for every penny.
Just wanted to see if that was a typical type quote for those 2 appliances.
WITH THAT SAID.
i AM WILLING TO WRITE THE CHECK AND NOT CONCERNED OVER $500 OR EVEN $1000 IF ITS WITHIN RANGE...
 

Jadnashua

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It's likely in the ballpark, but some of it is the area. Around here, that's cheap.

I'd consider a more efficient furnace, too. They are readily available over 90% and energy costs go nowhere but up.

Replacing the furnace with the same size is often a big mistake as it was very common to oversize them. Without a good heat loss calculation, it's a total shot in the dark. You get the maximum efficiency when on the coldest day it runs continuously. Frequent short-cycles on either heating or cooling make for a very uncomfortable house. Your a/c needs could be in the ballpark, and could be way off, too. Higher SEER is good, but an oversized a/c unit is very uncomfortable since it won't run long enough to remove much moisture and you end up with a cold but damp house. When sizing, if your house is between sizes, you're usually better off going with the smaller one and rounding down rather than rounding up. You can be more comfortable with the slightly warmer house that is very dry than one that is cold, but still damp.
 

Jimbo

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Good comment by Jad about furnace BTU. Your old one was maybe 70% at best. 70 % of 140000 is 98,000. On a new 110,000 BTU 92% you have 101,000 . See the idea? Having the furnace , or A/C , either over- or under-sized leads to inefficient operation and lower comfort quality in the home. Find a contractor who knows how to properly calculate your needs.

This stuff is not cheap.....but around here, the HVAC companies are running specials, because allegedly they were stocked up on a lot of equipment, and we had a mild summer, so they need to move it. Also, many companies will be looking right now for some work to keep their crew on the payroll, and may be willing to use a pretty sharp pencil on your contract.
 
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