[Cliff Fr]

Originally Posted by Plinker

Currently, there is a $2,000 tax credit available. Our A/C started leaking refrigerant from coils last week. It is 10 years old. Munn’s is replacing it next week.
Cost is $8,500 before tax credit.

Wow!!

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Cliff Fr

But propane tanks are not allowed inside a house or business. I think there's a reason for that.

Look at some Youtube videos on the subject. It's not going to be a problem.

[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

If i needed a new system, I would buy a Carrier unit from Munn's. I would get a standard, single stage compressor that will come with a 10-year parts and 5-year labor warranty. There is no need to sign up for an annual maintenance agreement, at least for the first few years. Also, don't buy a fancy variable speed or dual speed compressor. Too expensive and parts are more difficult to get.

Chuck Farrell is also a good company. You may save a little money with Farrell, but I don't think they are as readily available to service the warranty as Munn's, especially on weekends. Also, I don't think they sell Carrier units, which is the most common system in The Villages.

Five years ago a neighbor’s ac stop working on a Saturday. It was 15 years old. Munns said it had to be replaced and they could do it in two days on Monday. The start capacitor was shot, swollen, no good. A trip to Grangers in Ocala, $35, ten minutes work, and that now 20 year old AC is still working just fine. Steer clear of Munns!

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by mrkorn12@aol.com

Call Good Guys Air Conditioning & Heating. They do excellent work, and very fair prices. (352) 557 - 9437. The guys on the team are: Billy, Brian, and Donnie. They have done work for many neighbors. They recently installed a new Carrier A/C system next door-- they are very pleased.

I have heard excellent reviews about The Good Guys. But, before I hired them to install a new Carrier system, I would be interested in how they will service a 10-year parts and 5-year labor warranty. They are not listed as a Carrier dealer on the Carrier website. Does that mean they need to partner with a Carrier dealer for warranty work, or does Carrier supply any contractor with parts that are covered by the warranty? I would ask a lot of questions before hiring a non-Carrier dealer to install a new system.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Not what I said at all. The single stage Carrier system is, by far, the most commonly installed system in The Villages. Munn's is well recognized as an authorized Carrier dealer and expert installer and warranty repair company in The Villages. If your system fails, a Carrier system can usually be repaired within a day or so, even on a weekend. To me that is important. Neither the Carrier system or Munn's are the cheapest way to go.

I would also point out that there was another thread where a guy was waiting 4 months to get a part to repair his variable speed compressor that was installed by an out-of-town company. I doubt that a similar situation could ever occur with a single stage Carrier unit in The Villages.

I was just poking fun. You are correct. The larger companies like Munn's, Sunshine and other's are going to be a little more expensive BUT, they not only store a huge number of parts but they also have systems in their warehouse that they can pull and install incase they can't fix your existing unit because of a part issue. Also these newer variable speed inverter systems are way more efficient and will become the "norm" over the next couple of years. When you get estimates from Munn's and Sunshine or any of the big authorized Carrier guys they always give you a choice from the basic to the most efficient units. They have the parts and support for everything they sell. Then its up to you to figure out how long you plan to stay in your home, how much savings you will get from a higher efficiency system, how much added value will a more efficient system add to the resale of your home and finally what no one is talking about is how much more comfortable will you be with a more expensive inverter system. The older style system that most of us have is either all On or all Off. Its like driving your car with only one speed, full throtle. This wastes energy and makes it difficult to control the humidity in your home. The variable speed inverter systems run at the speed that you house needs at the moment dependent on the outside temperature and humidity and what the thermostat is telling the system about the temperature and humidity in your home. This saves energy and effectively controls the humidity in you home so its going to feel more comfortable. Did you know that these mini-splits use this "newer inverter technology" that everyone says there are no spare parts for?

Also, there is nothing wrong with going with a smaller company but just know they can have great prices and to an excellent job and be very honest, but they usually don't have the same capacity as the larger companies and here in Florida you can't be without air conditioning.

I forgot to mention, no matter what you buy, unless you maintain it, eventually its going to fail and you are going to be unhappy. Most maintenance involves cleaning the coils in the outside condensor and the inside evaporator, and the condensate line and this can be done by a homeowner if they have the ability and experience. But what the homeowner can't do is measure the decline of the start and run capacitor which will degrade over time and check the refrigerant once a year to make sure you don't have a leak and your unit is operating at maximum efficiency. Many will say, I have a spare capacitor from Amazon that I can replace when it fails but did you know as the capacitor degrades over time at a certain point the system will still run but the compressor will be doing more work and you are ultimately damaging it and shortening its life? So when someone said that you don't need a yearly contract, I would say the way things are here in the Villages, the amount they charge for this yearly preventive maintenance is definetly worth it.

Hope this helps.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by nn0wheremann

Five years ago a neighbor’s ac stop working on a Saturday. It was 15 years old. Munns said it had to be replaced and they could do it in two days on Monday. The start capacitor was shot, swollen, no good. A trip to Grangers in Ocala, $35, ten minutes work, and that now 20 year old AC is still working just fine. Steer clear of Munns!

I'll bet you didn't have a service contract or they would have been to your house the same day. Additionally, they should have been able to see the capacitor degrading way before it failed and replaced it. Many will say, I have a spare capacitor from Amazon that I can replace when it fails but did you know as the capacitor degrades over time at a certain point the system will still run but the compressor will be doing more work and you are ultimately damaging it and shortening its life? So preventive maintenance always should be done.

Finally when it comes to the capacitor, generally, you will be charged anywhere form $75 to $150 to change the capacitor. But I always here people say they got ripped off and they could get the capacitor from Amazon for $20-$30. What you don't realize these are cheap Chinese knock-offs and they don't last as long. You can get American Made capacitors on Amazon form AMRAD but they are going to cost almost double but they will last significantly longer. You also have to consider the HVAC company has to charge you for the trip and their overhead to stay in business so at the end of the day, you are not being ripped-off unless someone charged you a crazy amount.

[lake5798]

We had Sunkool for 10 years, when I had a problem with my split unit in my garage,tech told me was not allowed tocharge if they knew it had a leak, total BS. I received quotes on my split unit in garage and also my whole house ac. Munns ,Kalos and Sun Kool. I told sun Kool to sharpen their pencil ,due to the service tech's false info. SunKool and Munns were $4K higher than Kalos. Kalos did a great job installing both in one day, I performed AC&R work while in the navy, so I knew Kalos was totally upfront and honest with what I was looking for. Would not hesitate at all to use them again!!

[mikempp]

I wouldn't buy a trane after what they did to us in the village of hadley.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by lake5798

We had Sunkool for 10 years, when I had a problem with my split unit in my garage,tech told me was not allowed tocharge if they knew it had a leak, total BS. I received quotes on my split unit in garage and also my whole house ac. Munns ,Kalos and Sun Kool. I told sun Kool to sharpen their pencil ,due to the service tech's false info. SunKool and Munns were $4K higher than Kalos. Kalos did a great job installing both in one day, I performed AC&R work while in the navy, so I knew Kalos was totally upfront and honest with what I was looking for. Would not hesitate at all to use them again!!

If you have a leak as you probably know, adding refrigerant will only fix the problem for a short period of time. It may be a day, week, month, can't tell because it depends on the size of the leak. The tech's company, Sunkool may have told him not to recharge when a leak is detected. The trick is to make sure the tech really found a leak or is he just trying to get you to purchase a new system. I haven't seen any of the big companies try to scam customers. Often its a mistake by the tech. I'm glad you found a good company to get the work done.

[vettman01]

Do not call Frank Gay!!!!

[Don Chi]

thank you for all of the great information, gang...........there seems to be quite a few variables in making this decision.

[Happydaz]

Originally Posted by Plinker

Currently, there is a $2,000 tax credit available. Our A/C started leaking refrigerant from coils last week. It is 10 years old. Munn’s is replacing it next week.
Cost is $8,500 before tax credit.

The new heat pump system must have a SEER rating of 15 or higher to qualify for the $2000 tax credit. Not all heat pumps have that high of a SEER rating.

[Bay Kid]

Originally Posted by Cliff Fr

FYI: New EPA regulations go into effect in January. A different and new refrigerant will be required in all new units sold. The new refrigerant is flammable so all fittings will have to be compression fittings instead of soldered fittings. Prices are expected to increase about 25%. It is not known if modifications to existing installations will be required due to the increased fire hazard.

Scary, but the gov doesn't leave us in control....

[Plinker]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

The new heat pump system must have a SEER rating forof 15 or higher to qualify for the $2000 tax credit. Not all heat pumps have that high of a SEER rating.

Excellent point. Munn’s is installing the Carrier Comfort 15 (Seer rating is 15) in our home as a replacement to our original Carrier unit. The credit brings the total cost down to $6,500. Munn’s has always provided us with prompt and courteous service.

[MorTech]

What are you actually getting for your $8500?