- HOW TO CHOOSE A DEALER: Your best source of a good company is one that has
done good work for someone you know. So ask friends & neighbors what firm they use. If they
had good results with this dealer, you have a much better chance yourself. There are way too
many careless dealers and good dealers with lousy help - you have to be careful. There are
many shortcuts that can be taken with the installation of new equipment that homeowners don't
understand. Their are issues like sizing, brand, efficiency, how it installed - that play an important
part to the operation and comfort the system produces. I'll cover those issues next.
- WHAT BRAND:
That's confusing. Most brands are similar but some are decidedly high end
and some are low end. You can't always tell by the price quoted
or the warranty. Best bet is ask the dealer why
they chose the brands they did, how long they've had them, who wholesales them locally. We
chose our brands by quality & local support. All our sold by family owned local
distributors who have above average support. Overall, if you get a system
properly sized and installed, regardless of brand it should do just fine. We
recommend you get an extended warranty regardless of what brand you choose. See
that topic below.
- WHAT SIZE: That's confusing.
Most dealers GUESS. That doesn't do you any good. Most
existing equipment is too large. In the "old" days, the thought was bigger is better. But big
furnaces cycling constantly are not efficient nor do they deliver even comfort. Big air
conditioners cycling constantly aren't efficient, they don't remove moisture well nor do they cool
evenly. The newer high SEER units are particularly bad at moisture removal in the first 7-8 minutes of operation. The only way to know is survey the house. Not just square feet of floor but walls,
windows, doors, take into account insulation, shade - anything that affects heat entering &
leaving your house. Then use a spreadsheet to determine exactly what size you need. Don't let
someone GUESS at your comfort for the next 20some years.
If
you want to calculate for yourself, you can buy the homeowner's version of a
very easy-to-use load calculation package. Go to HVAC-Calc and check it out.
- WHAT EFFICIENCY:
That's confusing. It depends upon local fuel rates and how long you
are going to be in the house. In many climates, standard (much higher than you have now)
efficiency furnace & air conditioners are all you need. The extra for a super efficient A/C or 90%
efficient furnace won't pay you back in utility savings in the near future. BUT - in extreme
climates or with high fuel rates, the payback can be much quicker. In some areas,
utilities offer
rebates if you do buy higher efficiency unit which really helps on the extra price. This is
something you need to talk over with your dealer and your utility can help you decide as well. Or
e-mail me with your location and rates and I can help. Don't let a salesman pressure you into
high SEER or AFUE equipment. That's when to get leery! Today's minimum SEER is
13 which is many areas is just fine.
WHICH REFRIGERANT:
Another issue to confuse the homeowner! For 50+ years, home air conditioners have used
R22 and it works great. But it is a HCFC, a hydrochloroflurocarbon which does have
some ozone layer depletion potential. As of the year 2010, new units may not
use a HCFC as a coolant. R22 will be manufactured until 2020 though with
substantial production cuts and be available
in recycled form until 2030. All manufacturers are switching to R410a, which
is a HFC and has no chlorine. R410a works well in residential
equipment but does have some drawbacks, mostly evident in a poor
installation.
Which to buy? R22 is long proven to work well, will be manufactured for 13
more years though the price for it is rapidly rising where R410a prices are
dropping. Most premium units today are R410a
and that gas is available in standard units as well. Cost for R410a equipment
tends to be the same or close to R22 units.
- CHANGE THE COIL: The cooling coil that sits above, in or below your furnace is a matched
part of your air conditioning system. If you are replacing your cooling system, make sure any bid
includes a new, matched cooling coil. Too many dealers are happy just to sell you the machine
outside. That's doing 1/2 the job and a mistake, especially with today's 13 SEER
units. Reusing an old coil reduces capacity, reduces
humidity removal, reduces system life and costs more to run. Resist the temptation to save a
buck. Get the old coil out of there. This is especially critical with heat pumps
where an old coil flat out may not work with a new heat pump and require
seasonal visits to adjust refrigerant level. I recommend new connecting tubing if at all
possible especially if changing to R410a. This
eliminates everything old that can cause you grief in the future. I also
suggest that the coil not be changed with a furnace only unless there is
a good reason. The coil is part of the cooling system and should be matched to
the outdoor unit. One problem with buying a new coil but keeping the old outdoor
unit is you may be limiting what you can install outdoors later either for size,
efficiency or refrigerant reasons.
- LINE THE CHIMNEY: When discussing a new furnace with a dealer, if you have a chimney
in your house that the furnace uses, there are issues to consider. If you are
choosing an 80%
efficient furnace, chances are a metal liner needs to be installed in the chimney to protect
against condensation damage. The newer furnace has much cooler & moister exhaust than the
old inefficient unit you are replacing. The industry has found problems. There are codes that tell
when to use a liner. Too many dealers skip the liner and many homeowners are finding out the
costly mistake that was. If you are putting in a 90% furnace which doesn't use the chimney, a
metal liner must be installed in the chimney for your gas water heater to use. There have been
many problems throughout the country when dealers don't do this. More info here
- ASK YOUR SALESMAN'S CREDENTIALS: Here's why- many of the larger firms are hiring salesman - guys
(and ladies) trained to sell, not trained about heating & cooling equipment. They know how to make a sale (aka: high pressure) to an undecided prospect,
not how to help you choose the right system for your home. So ask the representatives you meet what their background is: do they
service, do they install, do they have any education in the field, are they certified by the EPA, RSES or NATE?
I think you'll find yourself more likely to believe what you are told when you know a bit more about the person who is doing the telling!
EXTENDED WARRANTY? Most dealers are offering extended
warranties on top of the manufacturer's warranty and their own labor
warranty. Periods of 5 and 10 years are common. Should you buy? If priced
competitively and from the manufacturer or Equigard, it would make sense to,
especially on furnaces. As furnaces are becoming very complex and many of
the components are made in developing nations to keep the price down,
repairs are becoming more common and more expensive. In 10 years if you plan
to stay in your home, you most often will recoup the investment. Do read the
fine print, however, as these warranties only cover breakdown of the
equipment. Maintenance and problems not related to an equipment failure are
not covered. Also avoid warranties done by the dealer as they are only as
good as long as the dealer will honor them.
DUAL FUEL? With
fossil fuel prices getting high and in many areas of the country, electric
rates are still affordable, the newest trend is going dual-fuel. There's
even a new buzzword for it, "hybrid system". This is when you use
a gas or oil furnace with a heat pump outside. Heat pumps can be very cheap
heat though need help heating the home when the temps outside drop below
freezing. Usually they are installed with electric furnaces and
resistance elements help out. But more and more heat pumps are being put
with fuel furnaces. A special thermostat or a dual fuel kit provides the
interface between the heat pump and furnace. The installer picks the temp at
which the furnace takes over and automatically when the outdoor temp reaches
that point, the fuel furnace provides the heat. Since the heat pump is off
in cold weather, comfort inside is maintained as you are used to but your
heating bills can drop substantially. Certainly something to ask your dealer
as you are choosing a new system. For those in the Midwest, especially
our customers in the Indy area, there is CONSIDERABLE heating bill savings
by using this technology!
- HOW OLD IS YOUR UNIT?: E-mail us with the model number of your equipment and we
can check our reference book and find out the approximate age and efficiency of your products. That can help you decide
whether it is time, due to age or cost of operation, to replace the system.