Air Conditioner and Furnace-Code Requirements?

[Trayderjoe]

Greetings All: I have tried searching both TOTV and the web without success and was hoping someone here could point me to the answer. We are being told that Sumter County requires that when an air conditioning unit is replaced, the furnace must also be replaced. Does anyone have experience with this or can post/pm a link to the applicable codes?

I am deliberately leaving out the source of the information for now, but will follow-up with the appropriate agencies if this should not be the case.

Thanks for your help!

[gomoho]

I believe you will find almost all of the homes in The Villages in Sumter County have heat pumps for heat and air; therefore if one is replaced so is the other as they are basically the same unit.

[elbear]

Some air conditioners are electric while the furnace is gas. I'd call another company.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

Sometimes you have to replace the air handler (inside unit) when you replace the outside unit. It depends on the age of the unit and compatibility. I seriously doubt that it is a county code. That makes no sense. If you have an older unit the new minimum standards for SER rating have gone up to 14 (I think) in which case you may need both units replaced.

[Bogie Shooter]

Greetings All: I have tried searching both TOTV and the web without success and was hoping someone here could point me to the answer. We are being told that Sumter County requires that when an air conditioning unit is replaced, the furnace must also be replaced. Does anyone have experience with this or can post/pm a link to the applicable codes?

I am deliberately leaving out the source of the information for now, but will follow-up with the appropriate agencies if this should not be the case.

Thanks for your help!

Why not just call the county??
Sumter County, FL - Official Website - Code Enforcement (http://sumtercountyfl.gov/index.aspx?nid=78)

[Trayderjoe]

Sometimes you have to replace the air handler (inside unit) when you replace the outside unit. It depends on the age of the unit and compatibility. I seriously doubt that it is a county code. That makes no sense. If you have an older unit the new minimum standards for SER rating have gone up to 14 (I think) in which case you may need both units replaced.

I questioned the "code" requirement as well. I wonder if this is a compatibility issue as you suggested.

The home was built in 2006 and it appears that we might be experiencing some of the Trane issues other have posted in the past, or it is possibly due to improper original installation as some other postings have indicated as a potential cause. The unit started having issues 2 years ago and I am thinking it best to replace it as I see a money pit looming in front of me with no warranty protection.

Why not just call the county??
Sumter County, FL - Official Website - Code Enforcement (http://sumtercountyfl.gov/index.aspx?nid=78)

Thanks for the suggestion. I had found the web page your provided and was going through their site looking to see if the plumbing/heating codes were linked but was unsuccessful. Yes, I can (and planned to) call when they open on Monday, but I was interested in what input people from the TOTV forum might provide around the code issue. Isn't that one of the nice things about discussion forums? :)

I appreciate everyone providing their comments to my query!

[llaran]

Most of the homes in Sumter County are NOT heat pumps, although some maybe. Maybe the ones with no gas are heat pumps.

[Bogie Shooter]

Some reading material before Monday.

http://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/thecode/2010_Florida_Building_Code/CHANGES_TO_THE_FLORIDA_ENERGY_CODE_2010.pdf

[mtdjed]

Makes one wonder whether you should have continued your warranty. Our home was purchased new in 2006 and came with a 5 year warranty as long as we paid an annual inspection fee. As the 5yr mark approached, we were given the option to buy into a 2nd 5 yr warranty for $1000. Seemed high but this is Florida and I wanted peace of mind. It has paid for itself already. We have an integrated Gas Furnace using the same air handler, controls, and control board as the AC. I do not think we could simply buy a new AC or Gas Furnace. Our unit is a SEER 14 and a SEER 16 or better would be a wise choice.