[Peazoup]

13 years

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

How long did your unit last before you were required to replace it.

SunKool says 10 to 12 years.

When did yours "die"??

22 years air handler coil had small Freon leak, gas heat side worked just fine.

[biker1]

My original Carrier system is still fine after 11+ years. One of my neighbors just replaced their original Carrier system with a Rheem system with a two-speed compressor for about $9500 including new lineset and 10 year parts and labor warranty. Three tons, I believe. They used Sunkool or Sunshine ??

Originally Posted by dewilson58

How long did your unit last before you were required to replace it.

SunKool says 10 to 12 years.

When did yours "die"??

[H-ned]

2 houses - 13 years and 12 years old. Munn’s has annually serviced both Carrier units for many years. I remain hopeful they last a few years longer and don’t die at the same time, but you never know. I recently asked about the units in my homes (one is a rental), and Munn’s said they are good solid units.

[Villagesgal]

Ours lasted 18 years before it died. Maintained regularly. Love the new unit, more seers, bill dropped by 40 per month in the summer.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by biker1

My original Carrier system is still fine after 11+ years. One of my neighbors just replaced their original Carrier system with a Rheem system with a two-speed compressor for about $9500 including new lineset and 10 year parts and labor warranty. Three tons, I believe. They used Sunkool or Sunshine ??

Be aware there are different tiers of HVAC companies. There is Premier, Mid-tier and builder grade. Premier is the best quality and the most expensive and Mid-tier in-between and builder grade the cheapest and worst quality. All will work well but the Premier systems statistically will last the longest with the least amount of problems. So, there will be differences in cost depending on the brand you choose and you usually get what you pay for.

Your post implies a good cheaper price for the Rheem compared to the Carrier system but Rheem is a Mid-tier vs Carrier a Premier system so, I'm not surprised it was cheaper.

Lots of people use Goodman as well looking to save money but then have to replace it sooner so be aware of what you are buying and not just the cost.

Again, Its not to say that Rheem or Goodman are not good systems. They will work well but will probably not have the same service life as the better brands.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Nana2Teddy

Who is Chuck Farrell? Have heard of many HVAC companies in TV, but have never heard of Chuck Farrell. We’re looking for a new HVAC guy, so would he be a good choice?

Great honestly run company that we were luck to hire many years ago. They don’t want to get too big and are no longer taking new customers.

[joshgun]

My condenser went at 7 years. Part under warranty but labor was $3,000. Sun Kool

[Holpat39]

Bought my home in 2003. Still have the original A/C. 22 years old and just now having to have repairs more often. Still working perfectly but will replace this year due to age and resale factors.

[ithos]

The biggest cause of failure in hvac systems is a bad compressor. For some reason the contractors always talk the customer into buying a whole new system. On my block people have been spending 9 to 12k.

If it is a compressure failure than no need to replace the whole condenser. Just replace the compressor. With parts and labor it shouldn't cost more than $2500. Everything else on the condenser unit is relatively cheap to fix and is an easy DIY repair. There are many YouTube videos that explain how.

But to extend the life of compressor for many more years, add a soft start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDp1g8r8IVs

[johnsre]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

How long did your unit last before you were required to replace it.

SunKool says 10 to 12 years.

When did yours "die"??

I replaced my Trane unit this spring. It was 20 years old. It didn't die, I just felt it didn't seem as efficient as it should be during this winter. It's only been two months and going from winter to summer, so can't speak to bills yet.

[birdawg]

12 years had Sun Kool change it 3.5 ton new model 10 year parts and labor 9254 $

[biker1]

I'm not implying anything. Just trying to answer the OP's question with a point on the curve.

Regarding brand quality, here is a summary of my last 4 houses:

Current house in The Villages: Carrier system, 11+ years old. Condenser fan blade was unbalanced and was replaced under warranty, otherwise OK.

Previous home: Carrier Infinity (2 speed Bristol compressor) with 4 zones. In 10 years there were 3 compress failures, an evaporator coil leak, a condenser coil leak, 3 defrost board failures, and the user interface failed. All covered under warranty.

Previous to that home: 2 Rheem systems. No issues in the 10 years we had the house.

Previous to that home: Carrier system, evaporator coil leak after 4 years.

Quality is a crap shoot.

Originally Posted by jrref

Be aware there are different tiers of HVAC companies. There is Premier, Mid-tier and builder grade. Premier is the best quality and the most expensive and Mid-tier in-between and builder grade the cheapest and worst quality. All will work well but the Premier systems statistically will last the longest with the least amount of problems. So, there will be differences in cost depending on the brand you choose and you usually get what you pay for.

Your post implies a good cheaper price for the Rheem compared to the Carrier system but Rheem is a Mid-tier vs Carrier a Premier system so, I'm not surprised it was cheaper.

Lots of people use Goodman as well looking to save money but then have to replace it sooner so be aware of what you are buying and not just the cost.

Again, Its not to say that Rheem or Goodman are not good systems. They will work well but will probably not have the same service life as the better brands.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by ithos

The biggest cause of failure in hvac systems is a bad compressor. For some reason the contractors always talk the customer into buying a whole new system. On my block people have been spending 9 to 12k.

If it is a compressure failure than no need to replace the whole condenser. Just replace the compressor. With parts and labor it shouldn't cost more than $2500. Everything else on the condenser unit is relatively cheap to fix and is an easy DIY repair. There are many YouTube videos that explain how.

But to extend the life of compressor for many more years, add a soft start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDp1g8r8IVs

If the system is more than 10 years old, I would replace the entire system, including the inside air handler. If you just replace the compressor, you will still need to replace and recharge the refrigerant. It is a huge job. You will get a warranty on the compressor but it will not be as long or as comprehensive an entire system warranty. And many compressor failures are caused by something other than a defective compressor, so you may have a problem enforcing the compressor warranty. For example, suppose the evaporator coil leaks and causes the compressor to fail? I would hate to pay $2,500 or more for a new compressor and have it fail within a few months with no enforceable warranty.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by biker1

I'm not implying anything. Just trying to answer the OP's question with a point on the curve.

Regarding brand quality, here is a summary of my last 4 houses:

Current house in The Villages: Carrier system, 11+ years old. Evaporator fan blade was unbalanced and was replaced under warranty, otherwise OK.

Previous home: Carrier Infinity (2 speed Bristol compressor) with 4 zones. In 10 years there were 3 compress failures, an evaporator coil leak, a condenser coil leak, 3 defrost board failures, and the user interface failed. All covered under warranty.

Previous to that home: 2 Rheem systems. No issues in the 10 years we had the house.

Previous to that home: Carrier system, evaporator coil leak after 4 years.

Quality is a crap shoot.

There are always exceptions. I had a neighbor in NY, got a Goodman to save money. Five years later, compessor failure. Had another neighbor has Rheem/Rhudd system. Worked fairly well just very noisy. Couldn't get that resolved, just needed to live with it. In my townhome development we had American Standard very few failures all the way to 15 years. Here in the Villages most Carrier single stage units are working 10+ years with little to no failures and that's a lot of systems. There are so many variables that can affect how long your system lasts but the point was the premium tier brands, generally should last the longest and be the most trouble free compared to the cheaper lower tier brands since the tend to use cheaper components that aren't designed to last as long and that's why there are less expensive.

When the Carrier Infinity systems first came out, like yours, they did have a lot of issues, but over time the system has changed dramatically for the better and there are much less issues. It's a fairly robust system now.