when to replace heat pump HVAC?

[ModestNestEgg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister We went with another company that installed a generic Goodman unit. It ran flawlessly for the next ten years that we owned the house, and AFAIK is still working well. And we paid less than half what the Trane installer wanted.

Goodmans are incredible workhorses and one of the most underrated brands around! I have one that has been here since I bought my house. It was installed in 2000 by the previous owner and it's done really well for me with regular checkups. It did have to have new refrigerant added earlier this year. I hope it continues to hold up! I have a friend who had worked in the HVAC industry tell me that they are a very dependable brand that is very affordable, but they are a contractor grade brand that aren't marketed towards the typical homeowner like some of the larger names.

Just to pass along another bit of information he shared: I asked if there were any brands to be more careful of. He said Lennox units are harder to find parts for in a reasonable amount of time.

[MrsHaloFIRE]

We had refrigerant loss due to a bad coil. Based on age of system we are replacing. If the condenser ever comes in. Keeps sliding right.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsHaloFIRE We had refrigerant loss due to a bad coil. Based on age of system we are replacing. If the condenser ever comes in. Keeps sliding right.

Might not apply in your case, but we just had our (inside) coil for our 13 YO A/C replaced. The guy said that if the compressor goes, you didn't waste the money on the new inside coil, they will reuse it.

-ERD50

[RetiredHappy]

We just bought a 22-year old home. It came with 2 Carriers (3 Ton and 5 Ton), still original and running. We decided to replace with 2 Carriers again (3 Ton and 5 Ton), at 16 SEER. However with trucking and availability issues, just before installation we were told that they could not provide us with 2 Carriers. For the same price the installer suggested to replace with 1 Carrier and 1 Bryant, same size/SEER rating. We buckled and decided to do it. Our electricity bill immediately ran lower, somewhere between $100 to $150 less this past month. In the next 20 years with these 2 new systems, we will get our money back.

[Koolau]

Probably just the cheap streak in me, but I think I'd look for the leak. IIRC there is a fluorescent dye that can be added to a batch of freon. If there is a significant leak, it should be possible to find it. It might take a technician to do if you aren't handy. YMMV

[GTFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ModestNestEgg Goodmans are incredible workhorses and one of the most underrated brands around! I have one that has been here since I bought my house. It was installed in 2000 by the previous owner and it's done really well for me with regular checkups. It did have to have new refrigerant added earlier this year. I hope it continues to hold up! I have a friend who had worked in the HVAC industry tell me that they are a very dependable brand that is very affordable, but they are a contractor grade brand that aren't marketed towards the typical homeowner like some of the larger names.

Just anecdotal but agree in my case - have a 1994 Goodman heat pump still going, one leak fixed and a couple of cheap capacitors replaced, that's it.

And this is in the south, these units run all the time. Every A/C guy I've talked to in that time says you're lucky to get 10 years out of a new one, so I'm not looking forward to replacing it.