Some recent repair work on our current Rheem heat pump- I believe it’s a 4 ton/3 ton combo for efficiency- has revealed leaks in both the indoor and outdoor coils (zero refrigerant in the compressor), so the technician recommends we replace the system.
Our house has 3 systems:
[ul]Basement[/ul]
[ul]Main Floor[/ul]
[ul]2[sup]nd[/sup] Floor[/ul]
The main floor system has the problem. Others are fine. All are Rheem. House is 2,878 sqft. total.
Because I know NOTHING about heat pumps (other than that they cool in the summer and they heat in the winter), I’m seeking advice on what to get as a replacement system.
My choices, in no particular order, would be Trane, Lennox or Rhuud.
Are they basically the same equipment with with different brand names? What brand(s) should I avoid?
Trane and Lennox are different companies don’t know about Rhuud.
I worked for a Trane dealer for a while, The equipment is all about the same, the quality of the installation and the responsiveness of the dealer is what makes the difference. Good equipment + bad install = disappointed buyer.
What’s been your experience with installation, warranty, etc., when you replaced or bought a new system?
I was fairly lucky in my employers, they all tried to do the right thing by the buyer.
Are there coils in the air handler, too? Is this what’s meant by “indoor coils?”
Yes, In cooling mode the indoor coil removes the heat from your house and gets rid of it outside.
In Heating mode the the indoor coil is actually some what warmer than room air and will provide heat down to about 40 degrees F outdoors.
What’s a good SEER for a 4 ton system?
I have been out of the trade for nearly 10 years now but if I recall the lowest available is 13 SEER for cooling. I don’t remember if there is a corresponding minimum COP for heating or not.
Can the existing duct work be reused?
Most likely
What kind of cost am I looking at? My service company is a Lennox dealer and they estimate around $6K+ for a new Lennox system or $4200-$4500 for an Amana system.
I can’t help you there except to say that Lennox was considered to be over priced when I was in the trade.
Feel free to give both good and bad reviews. I need all the advice I can get.
I would check out the various articles in Wikipedia on Air-conditioning and Heat pumps petty good information.
I am guessing you have an air to air model, I didn’t check to see where you live, Here in Northern Indiana Air to Air heat pumps are not the best idea, as it gets colder out side, there is less heat available for the outdoor coil to pick up, at some point the coil will start to freeze up and and then goes through a defrost cycle, while it’s doing that you are on your back-up heat. The lower the out door temperature the more you run on back-up heat, if that’s electrical, well then you are buying the most expensive energy of all. (Well currently anyway and probably for a considerable future.).
I’ll probably be talking with some sales reps later this week or next week.
Thanks!