Frugal Village Forums banner

Please, I need advice on central air units

3K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  leighcat 
#1 ·
We have been told to get a Rheem by my friend's bf who is licensed for AC. He took a 2 yr course for AC. Does anyone know if this is a great brand or not? My house is 1450 sq ft and he is quoting me for a 3-ton and new handler. My attic is tight for the handler which is limiting our options. I just want to make sure I do this right before shelling out so much money! Any help is greatly appreciated! :)
 
#2 ·
We have Goodman which is related to Amana. They are two stage heat and cool with a variable stage blower. This means that the unit runs on a lesser amount of electricity unless it really needs to make a change in the temperature, heat or cool, then it will "kick up" (my terminology) and you will hear it working a little harder for a short time. I truly believe this has made a difference in our gas and electric bills.

Good luck in your search. Ask lots of questions and ask from lots of different sources, then go with the most common answer and your gut.
 
#3 ·
We are replacing our entire heating/AC system! Our home is 25 years old and just under 2100 sq. ft. Last summer we pushed our luck with the AC and it needs to be replaced! We are going with a SEER day/night system (not a clue what that means but dh does so that's all that is important!) It is a 5 ton unit and again they are replacing our entire forced air system and our quote was $6500. Of course if they get in there and find they need to replace duct work then the price goes up! This was the best quote we got, some of them were way more than this!!
 
#5 ·
Rheem is a fine brand. We also have a Goodman - came with the house - but that is considered an "economy" brand. In the past we've bought Trane.

I'd get more than one quote from different vendors. Different people have different ways of looking at the set-up - some more cost effective and efficient than others.
 
#6 ·
Rheem is a name brand. The correct size and SEER rating are important. You will pay more up front for a unit with a higher SEER rating, but you will save on your monthly electricity bill.

Central Air Conditioning | Department of Energy

I put a new high efficiency A/C and heater unit in our house about four years ago. Before the electricity bills ran $300 to almost $500 during the summer months. Since the new unit was installed I haven't had an electricity bill reach $200.

Good Luck!
 
#7 ·
Thank you for the responses. It is a 15 seer. He says that will be the best one because of the size of my attic. With installation it will be around $4400. He is giving me the family discount since his gf is like a sister to me. This job would normally cost someone $6500. I know he is quoting less than the other company, RJ Kielty would quote me. They charge a lot! Well, after the research I did last night and questions I asked, it looks like he is my best option. He is not trying to make a profit and is installing a system he would use on his own home. :)
 
#11 ·
So far, the house is staying nice and cool!! I got only one electric bill since we got the unit and it was much less than when I ran the old one. It will take a couple of months of bills to see if it is saving me on electric because there were some cool days.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top