New central ac unit

Should you call an accountant instead?

As for the HVAC, there's NO WAY to tell if the quote is good, the $ is in the install and quality install cost $$$. Go read some stories over at hvac-talk.com

Magic 8 ball says "Perhaps. Try again in an appropriate forum."

It doesn't sound unreasonable, depending on your area and the different parts they'll be changing out. For that price it sounds like a replacement of your air handler and coil but no reworking of your ductwork and they won't touch your furnace unit. Is that accurate?

In any case, a 16 SEER compared to a 12 year old model will save you some money on your utility bills. You might want to price out some 17-21 SEER units, as you might be able to get more energy efficient models for only a small increase in cost. Also, what size is the unit? 5 ton or smaller? Do you just have one AC system?

I worked for an HVAC company for a few months this year, but my piece wasn't related to sales or installation - this is just my memory of the peripherals of my job.

JTausTX said:   For that price it sounds like a replacement of your air handler and coil but no reworking of your ductwork and they won't touch your furnace unit.
You cant touch an air handler and coil for $400.

my bad. i guess he was probably taking about $3300 for the air handler/coil rather than $400. makes much more sense!

luv2smile said:   Our central account is not working. Repair person says the motor is out and he can replace it for around $400 but that it still may not fix it.Then the tech is incompetent. He should be able to tell you exactly what's wrong before replacing any parts, if he really is a tech and not a mere parts swapper.

luv2smile said:   Unit is 12 years old and standard contractor grade. They quoted us $3300 to replace the unit with the same lower end unit but with 16 seer. We only plan on being in the house another 3 years or so. Does this sound reasonable?While it may make sense to replace the unit, it makes no sense to have that particular tech and company replace it. We've had packaged heatpumps fail because the outdoor (condenser) fan motor broke, and replacing just the motor (twice under warranty for a Tempstar/Heil/Day&Night, once by me with a Rheem/Ruud) seemed to fix everything, and the units ran for at least 1-5 more years, before breaking down again, usually for completely different reasons. One replacement outdoor fan motor had to be change again under warranty, and the second time the tech insisted on an OEM motor.

I'm surprised that a low-end unit is rated SEER 16 because I think that requires a 2-stage compressor rather than a cheaper 1-stage compressor, and the lowest allowed efficiency is still SEER 13, which are made in both R-22 refrigerant and newer R-410A refrigerant models. I don't know if I'd ever buy the very cheapest model, regardless of the reputation of the manufacturer, but I wouldn't hesitate choosing a good company's second cheapest model.

A handy person can replace an A/C fan motor, but the electricity absolutely has to be turned off before starting work, the fan is often seized to the shaft (cut shaft, pound out the stub), and the wiring connections have to be waterproof (there are special waterproof wire nuts filled with a gel), resistant to ultraviolet (I wrap wire nuts with charcoal grey heatshrink tubing), and be able to withstand a lot of vibration (a "professional" repair once let metal rub halfway through some wire insulation).

Consumer Reports long said that Rheem/Ruud, a lower cost brand, was among the most reliable brands, right up with expensive equipment from American Standard/Trane and Lennox, but I suspect that's because Rheem/Ruud's new high-efficiency models have computerized electronic controls that are troublesome. However I don't really know, and it would better to ask in the residential forum at HVAC-talk.com