New central heat and air system is freaking expensive

[SAWYER]

I had a guy come over and come in, go in the attic and basically if I wanted to have it done right I am looking at 10-12k but that will be all new everything. The old unit I have is too small for my house, it is a 2.5 ton and I need at least a 4. My old system is very inefficient but I had no idea until this guy broke it all down for me. this was my first quote, he did tell me that sure I could get by with a quick 4-5k job but in a couple years it would be breaking down and he named off numerous reasons that all sounded legit. I will get more quotes but damn....

 

[MongGrel]

How big is the house ?

Ours is about 2K sq ft and bought a 3.5 ton last time that was a decent brand name for around 4.5K$

That sounds a bit high to me.

I could be wrong, maybe you need a 4 ton.

 

[SAWYER]

He did a rough check on the footage and he said around 2-2200 sq ft. This was a quote for completely new everything, even duct work

 

[MongGrel]

New duct work would add to it, but 4 ton sounds like over kill to me.

I'd get a few more quotes myself.

It sounds like putting in new ducts he's just running the cost up, perhaps.

 

[boomerang]

The worst thing that can be done is to overcapacity a HVAC system, especially from the perspective of A/C. He should have been doing far more that a rough check. He should know the exact square footage and should be taking into consideration the construction, insulation, which side of the house faces in which direction, the square footage of the windows, etc., etc. He needs to get into it in much more depth and ideally should be providing you with some documentation regarding all that showing why he is recommending the units he's recommending. As you said, get more estimates.

 

[MongGrel]

Actually, I stand corrected. I had to look at the papers.

2 ton would be low.

We put a 3.5 Ton in last time for 2K sq ft, he might not be too far off.

The duct work would add to it, 10-12 K still sounds a bit high to me.

 

[waffleironhead]

If the person isn't running a Manual J to calculate your load then look elsewhere.

 

[SAWYER]

If the person isn't running a Manual J to calculate your load then look elsewhere.

He told me I need to have someone do that, he said it would probably cost 300 or so

 

[Red Squirrel]

4 ton seems about right, I heard a rule of thumb is 1 ton per 500 square feet. Of course there is more to it than that, but it's a quick rule of thumb to at least get in the ball park. While over sizing is not too good, it's better than undersizing, and keep those 30C+ heatwaves in mind, it's nice when the unit can keep up with those and still keep the house at 22 or so. I've been in a lot of houses that have AC but you can barely even feel it, make it worthwhile and make sure it can keep up even with heat waves. 10k for a full job sounds right, the units (furnace and AC) is probably close to 5k alone then all the ductwork and labour etc.

Why are you getting new ductwork though? Unless the existing job is super shoddy there's not really any reason to change that. MAYBE change the main trunks if they're undersized, but that's all I would do.

 

[shortylickens]

My mom had me stay home last friday to meet with a dude. He said he could sell us a 2.5 ton AC and 80,000 BTU furnace AND fix any wiring & plumbing needed to make them work AND give us a 10 year complete warranty all for 5,800 dollars. This of course includes removal and disposal of the old units. And new ductwork on the first floor which he says we need.

Another guy came when mom was home and quoted basically the same thing for 6 grand, but his company has more reviews and a slightly higher rating.

Our normal HVAC guy said something closer to 7 thousand. It also has a 10 year complete warranty but ONLY if we pay them to inspect our units once a year.
The other companies said inspections dont matter, their 10 year warranties are good under any condition.

 

[Joe C]

The worst thing that can be done is to overcapacity a HVAC system, especially from the perspective of A/C. He should have been doing far more that a rough check. He should know the exact square footage and should be taking into consideration the construction, insulation, which side of the house faces in which direction, the square footage of the windows, etc., etc. He needs to get into it in much more depth and ideally should be providing you with some documentation regarding all that showing why he is recommending the units he's recommending. As you said, get more estimates.

This is the correct answer. The contractor must do a "Manual J" to predict the heat gain and size a unit to that. Never size a new unit on what is there now.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Just had an entire forced air system retrofitted into older house in high priced dirty jerzy. $10K for 80K BTU high efficiency installed in attic and all duct work for two stories plus addition. 3.5 ton AC is being installed within the month and will run around $4,500. All carrier/trane mid grade stuff.

hope that helps with your price discovery.

 

[SAWYER]

I am in Arkansas so I would figure the price should be significantly cheaper, plus it is one story. I will for sure get multiple estimatee

 

[paperfist]

Why does he want to replace the duct work?

 

[SAWYER]

It is old and not run properly for good efficiency. I have another company coming to give an estimate on Monday, I will probably get at least 3-4.

 

[shortylickens]

I dont know about OP, but we have a couple dudes coming over today and they'll be installing a new AC and Furnace.
More hot, more cold, a U/V air recirculator, and better ductwork in the utility room.

Good times.

 

[SAWYER]

I have had several more estimates, I am looking around 5k with new furnace and outside unit and some modifications to existing duct

 

[Squeetard]

I bought a $400 12000 btu window unit that keeps my whole 3 bedroom upper floor cool.

 

[mizzou]

HVAC is one thing, from what I understand, you will do more harm then good if you try to overkill or underhand your system. It really needs to be tailored to your home.

 

[shortylickens]

These guys are morons.

They showed up 2 hours late (first job of the day), didnt have most of what they needed and kept making trips to buy junk. Asked me stupid questions all day long, still arent close to being finished, and trashed the house & yard.

I shall slap them soon.

 

[Binarycow]

I understand that if your HVAC system is under capacity then it puts a lot of stress on it during the the hot/cold seasons, but can someone explain to me why one shouldn't significantly go overboard with it? I always wonder about that.

 

[NutBucket]

Oversized for heat doesn't matter as much but oversized for cooling makes the system less efficient. In humid climates it also ends up dehumidifying less making the house less comfortable.

 

[mizzou]

I understand that if your HVAC system is under capacity then it puts a lot of stress on it during the the hot/cold seasons, but can someone explain to me why one shouldn't significantly go overboard with it? I always wonder about that.

You don't want an overpowered AC unit starting and stopping vs a more appropriate size running for a longer period of time.

Something about units being more efficient when they run for a bit, at least that was what a HVAC guy told me

 

[SparkyJJO]

Short cycling a compressor is hard on it and also less efficient because it takes a surge of power to start the compressor each time and they don't real peak running efficiency for a couple minutes when system pressures level off.

 

[LegendKiller]

I was also told that short cycling the AC will result in a cooler temp but not less humidity.