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re: HVAC inspection leads to $26k estimate for complete overhaul - good price?
Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:07 am to Gorilla Ball
Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:07 am to Gorilla Ball
First rule of thumb is to never allow the wife to listen to someone giving a quote and discussing the potential issues.
I’ve found that anyone that gives you a quote while talking and trying to sell you, is usually full of shite. Guys that are good at quoting and providing you an honest good quote, usually will just ask you a couple quick questions and then want to get in and out. If he’s throwing out all kinds of BS then he’s likely putting a lot of fluff in there.
I’ve found that anyone that gives you a quote while talking and trying to sell you, is usually full of shite. Guys that are good at quoting and providing you an honest good quote, usually will just ask you a couple quick questions and then want to get in and out. If he’s throwing out all kinds of BS then he’s likely putting a lot of fluff in there.
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Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:20 am to StringedInstruments
5 tons a little big for 2100 sqft
$2100 a ton
$2100 a ton
Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:31 am to StringedInstruments
quote:
That’s what I told him but he said 5 tons was needed because an addition was built onto the house. It’s 1 story, 2100 square feet with the addition. The first guy told me 4 ton was too big and that we needed a 3.5 ton unit but he could make the 4 work.
DEFINITELY get someone to provide a manual j rating, especially if they're all going back and forth on the size needed. This way you'll know for sure and will have it properly sized.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:14 am to RedBeardBaw
Tell the wife to get a job and pay for it if she feels that strongly about it.
OP, where do you live?
OP, where do you live?
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:25 am to TDTOM
quote:
OP, where do you live?
Birmingham suburbs.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:29 am to StringedInstruments
quote:
Birmingham suburbs.
Oh, nevermind. Good luck.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:40 am to Gorilla Ball
quote:
The unit isn’t leaking. It’s technically working fine, but we have air quality issues due to crawlspace dust and mold/mildew coming through the vents
If the ductwork is sealed right ...it is not sucking mold and dust from the crawlspace.
I had the same problem and withstood more than five idiotic assessments and bids. I finally called Trane Engineering and had a guy from Trane come in and review everything. I'm a home inspector, so I went underneath with him. We found that whoever installed our system ran into a problem with connecting a central duct between two floor joists, to the filtration system in the house. That one foot gap was vacuuming the entire crawlspace and pouring it through the house. And this was with a new system that had already been installed.
The problem was fixed.... with one call.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:42 am to StringedInstruments
The air in my house
How old?
The other identified a shitload of other issues. Said the wiring was out of code.
Call an electrician to confirm this
The ducts are wrapped in asbestos.
Call an asbestos company to confirm this
The pipe that vents the furnace exhaust is venting into the crawlspace because the “terra cotta?” is broken. Confirm this yourself - IF your furnace is venting into a crall space that is BAD
He said the terra cotta shouldn’t even be used anymore because it’s asbestos.
Call an asbestos company to confirm this
The furnace is 20 years old
Furnaces can last a long time
and the 4 ton HVAC unit is 17 years old.
Where are you located? In Louisiana a 17 year old A/C is probably toast.
He suggested:
- Install entirely new ductwork
sounds like you need this
- Install 95% furnace (heat pump I think?)
Do NOT use a heat pump - Use a GAS furnace
- Clean out crawlspace entirely and install new vapor barrier
You might could do this yourself if you want to save money
Get lots of quotes, I got 10 quotes for my new unit and it was only $8k.
Make sure the companies know you are getting lots of quotes.
How old?
The other identified a shitload of other issues. Said the wiring was out of code.
Call an electrician to confirm this
The ducts are wrapped in asbestos.
Call an asbestos company to confirm this
The pipe that vents the furnace exhaust is venting into the crawlspace because the “terra cotta?” is broken. Confirm this yourself - IF your furnace is venting into a crall space that is BAD
He said the terra cotta shouldn’t even be used anymore because it’s asbestos.
Call an asbestos company to confirm this
The furnace is 20 years old
Furnaces can last a long time
and the 4 ton HVAC unit is 17 years old.
Where are you located? In Louisiana a 17 year old A/C is probably toast.
He suggested:
- Install entirely new ductwork
sounds like you need this
- Install 95% furnace (heat pump I think?)
Do NOT use a heat pump - Use a GAS furnace
- Clean out crawlspace entirely and install new vapor barrier
You might could do this yourself if you want to save money
Get lots of quotes, I got 10 quotes for my new unit and it was only $8k.
Make sure the companies know you are getting lots of quotes.
This post was edited on 3/17/21 at 9:04 am
Posted on 3/17/21 at 10:17 am to footballdude
Question for anyone still around -
Are REME Halo purifiers worth it?
Also, I told the $26k quote guy to go frick himself. I called my original guy and without even telling him any details, he walked through the used car salesman speech I got last night. He also talked to me about some different strategies for solving some of the problems without having to overhaul everything. And his ballpark estimate for redoing literally everything was around $17k.
Are REME Halo purifiers worth it?
Also, I told the $26k quote guy to go frick himself. I called my original guy and without even telling him any details, he walked through the used car salesman speech I got last night. He also talked to me about some different strategies for solving some of the problems without having to overhaul everything. And his ballpark estimate for redoing literally everything was around $17k.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 10:32 am to StringedInstruments
quote:
Also, my wife is another I have to contend with. She heard asbestos and mold and I had to put my foot down to not take the kids to her parents house. She’s nutty with these kinds of risks.
Why do you think the guy said this? He's a salesman, he's using the industry buzzwords to get in your wallet.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 10:35 am to footballdude
quote:
Where are you located? In Louisiana a 17 year old A/C is probably toast.
Not necessarily if you maintain them properly. I installed a 4 ton unit in my house in 92 and just replaced it in 2018 and it was still working fine, but I got it replaced in the spring and not chancing being without A/C in the summer if it did break.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 11:46 am to StringedInstruments
Last question I think:
I’ve got a new quote for replacing ductwork, furnace, and ac unit for $12k. This is for a 14 seer unit.
Is 14 seer adequate for a 2100 square foot house? I know I can go up to 18 seer or whatever for a home, but I don’t care about bells and whistles. I just want consistent cooling/heating and reasonable heating bills.
I’ve got a new quote for replacing ductwork, furnace, and ac unit for $12k. This is for a 14 seer unit.
Is 14 seer adequate for a 2100 square foot house? I know I can go up to 18 seer or whatever for a home, but I don’t care about bells and whistles. I just want consistent cooling/heating and reasonable heating bills.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 12:08 pm to StringedInstruments
The 26k estimate obviously doesn’t want to do the job
Posted on 3/17/21 at 12:45 pm to StringedInstruments
quote:
Cost with rebates and discount: $26k
You don’t by chance also need a new windshield do you?
Posted on 3/17/21 at 1:42 pm to StringedInstruments
quote:
Last question I think: I’ve got a new quote for replacing ductwork, furnace, and ac unit for $12k. This is for a 14 seer unit. Is 14 seer adequate for a 2100 square foot house? I know I can go up to 18 seer or whatever for a home, but I don’t care about bells and whistles. I just want consistent cooling/heating and reasonable heating bills.
If you don’t want bells and whistles, and that’s a good decision on your part, a single stage SEER 14 is just fine - prob 80% of units installed in the USA are 14 SEER units. Use the KISS principle. A 14 SEER will considerably more efficient than the old unit you presently have.
A house needs to be designed just right to take advantage of the more expensive, more complex multiple stage high SEER units. If your house is plumbed with natural gas, then a natural gas furnace in the air handler would be advised. If you are all electric, then a heat pump is a good move. Heat pumps are fine, been used for decades, just a little more complex.
And as others as told you sizing of both the cooling and heating systems should be based on an manual J calculation, and not some rule of thumb. Best to pay someone to do one for you, but here is a free one to get you in the ball park. LINK
Posted on 3/17/21 at 1:46 pm to StringedInstruments
At that price you had better have an entirely new HVAC system engineered to be the absolute best available.
I replaced the main unit in my 3200 sq house for half that price.
I replaced the main unit in my 3200 sq house for half that price.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 2:00 pm to StringedInstruments
Are they using flexible ducting or sheet metal? Huge price difference in labor and material.
Posted on 3/17/21 at 5:46 pm to StringedInstruments
quote:
Cost: $6000 for labor and supplies.
quote:
Cost with rebates and discount: $26k
With that big a difference in problems and pricing I'd want two more estimates (without mentioning any prior) and see what's the consensus. There's too big a variance in everything.
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