When to replace heating and cooling system?

[billethkid]

I did check past listings with the most recent being 2014.
We have a gas furnace and electric air conditioning.
Trane......new construction 2004....original install by Munn's.....maintained annual inspections by Munns since new.

Just had the outdoor fan unit replaced as it stopped working....replaced by Munn's $400.

Life expectancy of HVAC is 10-14 years depending who you talk to or personal experience.

I usually replace major equipment before they fail......not prematurely....but when time is on my side.

There are stories around of units going to 20 years or more.....usually in the minority.

Have you replaced yours?
Who did you use?
Product and how you decided?
Size of your home?
How much if you are inclined to share that?

Our home is 3000 square feet......faces N/S....current system is a Trane XR 12 and has served us very well these past 14 years.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

[JGVillages]

My home was built in 2003. We had a Carrier Unit that was installed and serviced by Sunshine Air Conditioning. Knowing in 2017, (unit 14 years old) that I was living on borrowed time my preventative nature forced me to replace my system. I got 4 quotes. Sunshine, Munns, DeSantis, and Chuck Farrell. My house is 2100 sq ft. My quotes were for a 3 1/2 ton, variable speed system. Chuck Farrell was highly recommended and came in at $4500 which was $1000 to $1500 less than the others. The system is an American Standard which is basically Trane. They are both made identically in the same plants, just distributed under different names in different geographic regions. You won’t be dissapointed with Chuck Farrell.

[Investment Painting Contractors]

My unit was 18 yrs old when Chuck replaced it. Very happy

[Daddymac]

My home was built in 2003. We had a Carrier Unit that was installed and serviced by Sunshine Air Conditioning. Knowing in 2017, (unit 14 years old) that I was living on borrowed time my preventative nature forced me to replace my system. I got 4 quotes. Sunshine, Munns, DeSantis, and Chuck Farrell. My house is 2100 sq ft. My quotes were for a 3 1/2 ton, variable speed system. Chuck Farrell was highly recommended and came in at $4500 which was $1000 to $1500 less than the others. The system is an American Standard which is basically Trane. They are both made identically in the same plants, just distributed under different names in different geographic regions. You won’t be dissapointed with Chuck Farrell.
.
Thanks for the information.. and letting us know the cost.
For some reason, people here hate to say what it cost.
Thanks Again

[dbcolli]

My Trane XR 12 only lasted only 9 years and had servicing by Sunshine . The evaporator coil leaked. I replaced with a Lennox dual stage compressor and air handler. Installed by Service experts Ocala.
Very happy so far and hope it lasts longer than the Trane.

[thelegges]

Chuck does our yearly, I trust him to let me know when I need to replace. Every year he says it still good. At 9 years.

[Fredster]

I had Chuck Farrell replace our system at 14 years.
Probably could have got a few more years out of it.
Farrell’s price was very reasonable, and the installation was
performed in a very professional and neat manner!

[Bobcuse]

I just replaced our Trane XR12 after 14 years after wasting money trying to keep it going despite a leaking coil for 2 years. We came home after a 3 week trip to a very hot house because the A/C motor had failed. I bought a Carrier Comfort 14 seer A/C with gas furnace for $4567 installed less $500 rebate from TECO.

[Bonnevie]

mine is 11 years old. the fan motor just went out. others wanted $500 to replace it. Chuck Farrell gave me option to replace new for $385 or a used part for $225. year guarantee on either one I chose. this was the day before July 4th. I opted for the used motor. I'll see how long I get from the unit. But I tell you one thing.....I'll only call Chuck Farrell when I'm ready to replace it.

[circletrack]

We’re at just under 1,400 sq ft with a 12 year old Lennox unit. Service Experts kept pushing me to replace. They quoted me at almost $10,000.
This was all done during a summer tune up last year that I signed up for. About 10 minutes into service, one of their salesman pulled up. I didn’t really appreciate that approach.

Sounds like I might need to give Chuck a call when the time comes.

[queasy27]

My neighborhood was built in 2004. Last year I noticed A/C replacements being done across the street and next to me. Mine went out in October. I don't remember the specs but the cost was around $5K for a 1350 sf house. Munn's.

I can set the A/C thermostat 4 degrees higher now and stay cool vs the old unit.

[BeetleBailey]

15 years in The Villages, and we only call Chuck Farrell. Always prompt, honest,reasonable, & professional.

[BobnBev]

I did check past listings with the most recent being 2014.
We have a gas furnace and electric air conditioning.
Trane......new construction 2004....original install by Munn's.....maintained annual inspections by Munns since new.

Just had the outdoor fan unit replaced as it stopped working....replaced by Munn's $400.

Life expectancy of HVAC is 10-14 years depending who you talk to or personal experience.

I usually replace major equipment before they fail......not prematurely....but when time is on my side.

There are stories around of units going to 20 years or more.....usually in the minority.

Have you replaced yours?
Who did you use?
Product and how you decided?
Size of your home?
How much if you are inclined to share that?

Our home is 3000 square feet......faces N/S....current system is a Trane XR 12 and has served us very well these past 14 years.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

I also had the fan replaced. $0.00, thank you Broward Factory Service. Sunshine wanted 350.

[jblum315]

Chuck Ferrell does all my AC stuff. He says maybe another 5 years. House built in 2009. I’m trying to save up

[2BNTV]

My home was built in 2003. We had a Carrier Unit that was installed and serviced by Sunshine Air Conditioning. Knowing in 2017, (unit 14 years old) that I was living on borrowed time my preventative nature forced me to replace my system. I got 4 quotes. Sunshine, Munns, DeSantis, and Chuck Farrell. My house is 2100 sq ft. My quotes were for a 3 1/2 ton, variable speed system. Chuck Farrell was highly recommended and came in at $4500 which was $1000 to $1500 less than the others. The system is an American Standard which is basically Trane. They are both made identically in the same plants, just distributed under different names in different geographic regions. You won’t be dissapointed with Chuck Farrell.

This post is 100% accurate. Chuck Farrell is the best and most reasonable. They also do excellent work!

My house is only 1200 sq ft. I haven't had a problem since he installed the unit. One thing I had installed was a grill where you can change the filter without going to the garage and monkey taking off the cover of the unit. Easy pease!

BTW - My neighbor paid $1500 more for a lesser unit from another vendor.

[New Englander]

This post is 100% accurate. Chuck Farrell is the best and most reasonable. They also do excellent work!

My house is only 1200 sq ft. I haven't had a problem since he installed the unit. One thing I had installed was a grill where you can change the filter without going to the garage and monkey taking off the cover of the unit. Easy pease!

BTW - My neighbor paid $1500 more for a lesser unit from another vendor.

I'm in a Patio Villa like you. How long did the first AC last before you had to replace it?

[2BNTV]

About 18 years.

The last time I place a call, I had noticed my unit was not dropping to the temperature I had on the thermostat. Chuck recommend replacing it, as it had a leaking coil. Since it was still working, they recommended I wait for the winter months when they weren't crazy busy. Of course, this is not feasible for everyone.

As I said to him, my unit had one foot on the banana peel and one foot in the coffin.

I strongly recommend having the grill installed,so you can change the filter without monkeying with the unit's cover. It's been a blessing as it it so easy to replace a filter.

[New Englander]

About 18 years.

The last time I place a call, I had noticed my unit was not dropping to the temperature I had on the thermostat. Chuck recommend replacing it, as it had a leaking coil. Since it was still working, they recommended I wait for the winter months when they weren't crazy busy. Of course, this is not feasible for everyone.

As I said to him, my unit had one foot on the banana peel and one foot in the coffin.

I strongly recommend having the grill installed,so you can change the filter without monkeying with the unit's cover. It's been a blessing as it it so easy to replace a filter.

Thanks

[Nordy]

I was an A/C contractor for 40 years in Miami. Sold Carrier, Lennox, Rheem/Ruud, Trane/American Standard. I've been retired five years, but Trane/American Standard was by far the most reliable longest lasting unit. 18-20 years was not uncommon. I don't know Chuck but from what i have read he sounds great to me.

[EdFNJ]

I also had the fan replaced. $0.00, thank you Broward Factory Service. Sunshine wanted 350.



Well, you really didn't pay $0.00 because you had to pay for the service contract. [emoji3].

Best way to figure your true cost is how many years have you paid for the contract and what did you get out of it. Sometimes it pays to self-insure, sometimes not. Service contract companies are like casinos, they never lose. But like casinos there are always some "big winners.". [emoji3]

[CFrance]

Well, you really didn't pay $0.00 because you had to pay for the service contract. [emoji3].

Best way to figure your true cost is how many years have you paid for the contract and what did you get out of it. Sometimes it pays to self-insure, sometimes not. Service contract companies are like casinos, they never lose. But like casinos there are always some "big winners.". [emoji3]
Our "big win" was when the a/c stopped working on a Sunday in July, in the evening, they were there in a half hour and fixed it. Would you get that kind of service without being on a maintenance contract? $200/year helps me sleep in nice cool air! Sometimes the figures don't take into account your comfort.

[thetruth]

I did check past listings with the most recent being 2014.
We have a gas furnace and electric air conditioning.
Trane......new construction 2004....original install by Munn's.....maintained annual inspections by Munns since new.

Just had the outdoor fan unit replaced as it stopped working....replaced by Munn's $400.

Life expectancy of HVAC is 10-14 years depending who you talk to or personal experience.

I usually replace major equipment before they fail......not prematurely....but when time is on my side.

There are stories around of units going to 20 years or more.....usually in the minority.

Have you replaced yours?
Who did you use?
Product and how you decided?
Size of your home?
How much if you are inclined to share that?

Our home is 3000 square feet......faces N/S....current system is a Trane XR 12 and has served us very well these past 14 years.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

I believe as you do that the,"normal life," is 10-14 years.
The SEER number is a number for the efficiency of the unit-it is marked on your system. I believe the REAL efficiency falls off as the unit ages.

Our unit is 4 years old as is our home, it is a carrier and it was installed by the builder. The unit is a heat pump and it supplies both cooling and winter heat. I believe a unit that provides both heat and cooling will not have as high a SEER number as a unit that only cools. Our unit is marked SEER 15. I checked, the ones used in Fenny are the same marked SEER 15.

A call to the home radio show 96.5 FM, I called to ask if you replace a seer 15 with an 18-what will you save. If, my math is correct 15 to 18 is 30%. The reply was you would save 15-20%.

RE: your $400 to replace the fan.
Truly, I do not know what a fair price for that is. You can easily get that information on the internet. I do know that if you have a variable speed fan the part is much more expensive than a single speed fan.

We did not have a choice. I stay in touch with a former business associate who lives in Boynton Beech. He bought a Lennox high efficiency unit-18 SEER-I think. His unit which came with the house was abt 12 years old. He reported to me that his electric bill dropped by 30%. After a year or so a rectifier blew. It was covered under warranty but it took them about 10 days to get the part and it was the middle of the summer.

Truth-I expect our AC compressor was put in before the home next door was built. We keep the bushes cut back but I suspect they too were put in after the compressor was installed. Getting a new one put in is sure to be an interesting project.

[thetruth]

Well, you really didn't pay $0.00 because you had to pay for the service contract. [emoji3].

Best way to figure your true cost is how many years have you paid for the contract and what did you get out of it. Sometimes it pays to self-insure, sometimes not. Service contract companies are like casinos, they never lose. But like casinos there are always some "big winners.". [emoji3]

The company selling you insurance knows the odds of whatever it is failing. They of course need to add to that known cost their profit. In many cases the insurance company has a what they will allow for each job and it is usually below standard retail rate.

Like you, I do not usually buy insurance. With our AC they sent a typical sterotyped used car salesman-fast talker to try to sell us insurance for repairs on a NEW UNIT. They never seem to mention the manufacturers warranty that is included with most products.