9
- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
New A/C Unit
Posted on 5/25/26 at 10:41 am
Posted on 5/25/26 at 10:41 am
My heat pump is leaking in the evap coil and I'm considering just replacing the whole unit since this one is 12 years old. I don't want to sink a lot of money into a 12 year old unit and the quote I got for replacing that is over 2k. That being said, the new units are dual stage and I have been reading up about those. I assume they run kind of like a heat pump in the winter where they run at lower power and only kick in to max when needed or at least that is what I took from it. These are supposed to be more efficient.
Anyone have any info or opinion on the new 2 stage units?
Anyone have any info or opinion on the new 2 stage units?
Posted on 5/25/26 at 10:42 am to Canon951
Have you looked at the cost of a new one? People hate to spend money and I get it, but $2,000 will likely get you a couple more years and could get you 8-10 years.
A new unit is going to be $8,000 or more
A new unit is going to be $8,000 or more
Posted on 5/25/26 at 12:01 pm to Canon951
Question….was your unit working well before it started leaking? If so, I would probably consider repair of the old unit. I have never been able to make the $ work on replacing a unit solely for efficiency’s sake.
I was faced with the same choice several years ago, and I chose replacement. However, my unit was 20+ years old and wouldn’t cool the house adequately any longer,
A very important piece of information that you are leaving out is the cost of replacement. If you haven’t gotten estimates, it is probably going to flatten you!
I was faced with the same choice several years ago, and I chose replacement. However, my unit was 20+ years old and wouldn’t cool the house adequately any longer,
A very important piece of information that you are leaving out is the cost of replacement. If you haven’t gotten estimates, it is probably going to flatten you!
This post was edited on 5/25/26 at 12:33 pm
Posted on 5/25/26 at 12:12 pm to Canon951
It’s stated that the average life of a HVAC unit in the Deep South is 13-15 years, so there is that. But an evaporator replacement of $2K, if that also includes the refrigerant, likely R410A, is a pretty good price, and you could potentially get additional multiple years out of that unit. Judgement call you have to make.
Two stage units have been around for years. A bit more complex than single stage units, but not by much, but a good bit less complex than multi-stage inverter units. Of course two stage units are more expensive than single stage units, but more energy efficient, but it still takes multiple years to recover the added cost via energy savings. Is this your “forever” home or do you plan to move within 5 years?
I would not personally be concerned with the reliability of a 2 stage heat pump system. I seriously considered a two stage HVAC system 3 years ago when I did a HVAC change out on my house, but i didn’t think I could recoup the additional cost of near $4K (Baton Rouge, LA pricing) in energy saving before I was likely to move.
Two stage units have been around for years. A bit more complex than single stage units, but not by much, but a good bit less complex than multi-stage inverter units. Of course two stage units are more expensive than single stage units, but more energy efficient, but it still takes multiple years to recover the added cost via energy savings. Is this your “forever” home or do you plan to move within 5 years?
I would not personally be concerned with the reliability of a 2 stage heat pump system. I seriously considered a two stage HVAC system 3 years ago when I did a HVAC change out on my house, but i didn’t think I could recoup the additional cost of near $4K (Baton Rouge, LA pricing) in energy saving before I was likely to move.
Posted on 5/25/26 at 12:25 pm to Canon951
I have a Trane multistage. Installed in August. Has been really good so far. The condenser usually stays on low even when it's hot. The fan on the inside has 7 speed settings. I have it on one of the lower speeds. Maybe 3 or 4. Coming from a variable speed unit I'm pleased so far. One other thing, there is no capacitor like older units. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. It doesn't take much power to get it running it seems.
This post was edited on 5/25/26 at 12:31 pm
Posted on 5/25/26 at 1:29 pm to Canon951
A two stage unit may also require changing the evaporator coil inside as well. $2 K isn’t much if the rest of your unit is in good condition. You’ll probably get at least 5+ more years out of it.
Posted on 5/25/26 at 1:45 pm to LEASTBAY
quote:
One other thing, there is no capacitor like older units. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. It doesn't take much power to get it running it seems.
This is true, one good thing is that HVAC can be run on a much smaller emergency portable backup generator without the need for a soft start kit if one doesn’t have $12-15K whole household standby generator….lol.
One negative, as I understand it, repair parts like circuit board, b/c they are so expensive (even if under warranty), are not carried on the service trucks or even at the supply house and have to be special ordered. But every type of HVAC is going to have pros & cons.
LEASTBAY - I’d put a voltage surge protector on that unit, or a whole house surge protector, should you not have one to protect the electronics.
Posted on 5/25/26 at 2:29 pm to CrawDude
They supposedly installed one. My last one was hit by a lightning strike which I'm not sure can be prevented easily. Probably $10k of damage including boards on my Carrier infinity, projector, and a bunch of networking gear.
Posted on 5/25/26 at 2:55 pm to LEASTBAY
quote:
They supposedly installed one. My last one was hit by a lightning strike which I'm not sure can be prevented easily. Probably $10k of damage including boards on my Carrier infinity, projector, and a bunch of networking gear.
Yeah, don’t think one can do much about a lighting strike. They probably installed one on the disconnect - I read where many, if not most, HVAC firms now install surge protectors on the condensing unit when installing multistage inverter HVAC systems to help protect electronics - circuit boards.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 5:50 am to Canon951
I only am replacing a 3 ton unit. Best quote I have is $6500 for a complete system instread of $2100 to fix a 12 year old one. I don't plan on moving any time soon. I am more interested in how the dual stage units work than whether it's a good idea or not financially.
Posted on 5/26/26 at 7:25 am to Canon951
You’re asking if the energy savings of a new one is going to justify you spending $12,000 - $15,000 or more instead of spending $2,000 on a repair that would get you multiple more years out of the one you have?
Baw, get the repair.
ETA: never mind, just saw you’ve been quoted $6,500 for a unit. If you’re getting quotes that low, now you’re into potential replacement territory. Just make sure your contractor knows what he’s doing because the installation can easily be fricked up.
Baw, get the repair.
ETA: never mind, just saw you’ve been quoted $6,500 for a unit. If you’re getting quotes that low, now you’re into potential replacement territory. Just make sure your contractor knows what he’s doing because the installation can easily be fricked up.
This post was edited on 5/26/26 at 7:28 am
Posted on 5/26/26 at 7:40 am to Canon951
Find a good welder that will come to your house to take a look and fix the leak.
My AC guy is also a certified welder. I had a leak on the coil and he fixed it instead of replacing. Cost me $50 in addition to the recharge. It took him 15 min to find the leak and fix it. That was about 4 years ago. Knock on wood.
My AC guy is also a certified welder. I had a leak on the coil and he fixed it instead of replacing. Cost me $50 in addition to the recharge. It took him 15 min to find the leak and fix it. That was about 4 years ago. Knock on wood.
This post was edited on 5/26/26 at 7:44 am
Posted on 5/29/26 at 11:45 am to Canon951
I went ahead and had the new one installed. The dual stage compressor is sweet. It runs on lower speed/less amps and continuously pulls moisture out of the air and then ramps up to a higher speed when it needs to. Both speeds are quieter than my old one. Plus less humidity in the house feels cooler. This is what I was asking in my original email if anyone had any experience with it. It's a cadillac compared to the dinosaur I had in here.
Posted on 5/29/26 at 6:04 pm to Canon951
I put a Chinesium inverter set up in my house.
Only a month old so we'll see how it holds up but right now, man it is sweeeeetttttttttt.
House is insanely comfortable, power bill is dirt cheap. It was ~ $4k for the whole unit, so even if if only lasts 10 years im well ahead.
Only a month old so we'll see how it holds up but right now, man it is sweeeeetttttttttt.
House is insanely comfortable, power bill is dirt cheap. It was ~ $4k for the whole unit, so even if if only lasts 10 years im well ahead.
Posted on 5/29/26 at 7:07 pm to Canon951
Our very old house is close to impossible to climate control when it’s Africa hot or bone chilling cold. The new units we got last year are so much better in both directions. Same sizes, night and day difference
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News