SAS
Member
We have a 12 year old 1.5 ton heat pump that has been nothing but trouble since we moved into our house last January. The condenser fan has once again died and I just can't see putting more money into this unit. It is used to heat and cool an upstairs bedroom suite of roughly 750 square feet. The air handler is in the attic adjoining the bedroom. When the unit was operating, it could not handle the late afternoon heat in northern Maryland.
I have had several contractors take a look and provide a quote. Only one of them did a heat load calculation; his results pointed to a 1.5 ton unit. I'm a bit concerned about the size, given that the current unit (when it worked) did not adequately cool the space. Taking that into account he has recommended a 2 ton Bryant unit - either a 13 SEER Legacy or a 15 SEER Preferred unit. He also believes that the existing 5/16 line needs to be replaced with a 3/8 line.
A second contractor has recommended a choice of 3 Trane units, 2 of them are 2.5 tons and the third is a 2 speed compressor rated at 3 tons.
The third contractor went with the Bryant 2 tons, but also suggested "oversizing" with a 3 ton 2 stage unit.
My questions for anyone who can help me are:
What size unit should I go for? 2 ton, 2.5 tons or a 2 stage unit which would normally run at about 2 tons but have the ability to go up to 3 if/when needed?
Does the brand matter? We had great performance from our Trane units in our previous home, but there's quite a premium to pay over Bryant. Is it worth it?
Does the line set need to be replaced?
I have had several contractors take a look and provide a quote. Only one of them did a heat load calculation; his results pointed to a 1.5 ton unit. I'm a bit concerned about the size, given that the current unit (when it worked) did not adequately cool the space. Taking that into account he has recommended a 2 ton Bryant unit - either a 13 SEER Legacy or a 15 SEER Preferred unit. He also believes that the existing 5/16 line needs to be replaced with a 3/8 line.
A second contractor has recommended a choice of 3 Trane units, 2 of them are 2.5 tons and the third is a 2 speed compressor rated at 3 tons.
The third contractor went with the Bryant 2 tons, but also suggested "oversizing" with a 3 ton 2 stage unit.
My questions for anyone who can help me are:
What size unit should I go for? 2 ton, 2.5 tons or a 2 stage unit which would normally run at about 2 tons but have the ability to go up to 3 if/when needed?
Does the brand matter? We had great performance from our Trane units in our previous home, but there's quite a premium to pay over Bryant. Is it worth it?
Does the line set need to be replaced?