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Wow! Is this HVAC quote in the ballpark? UPDATE in post 31


Pegasus
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Our AC is out.  We had two repair companies out and it would cost thousands to make repairs and both recommend replacement. We've only had one person come out to give a replacement quote so far and DH and I are both stunned.  We will definitely get two more quotes but is this anywhere close to reasonable?

 

3 ton unit, packaged unit for gas heat and electric AC:

 

Option 1: one-stage, 14 SEER, $7500 installed

 

Option 2: two-stage, 16 SEER, $9,529 installed

 

Gulp. We live in a low cost area of the country. 

 

Hoping for some experienced or knowledgeable hive members to pipe in.

Edited by Pegasus
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I don't remember the details exactly regarding SEER, but we had a new TRANE a/c installed five years ago, and it was $5500.  House is 2000 square feet.

 

Check Angie's List.

 

Ask Lowe's and Home Depot.

 

If you have Nextdoor.com go on and see who people recommend.

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Yup.  That is in the ballpark.  Our neighbors were going to get a pool ($25K or so they said) and then their heat pumps went out.  They told me it was over $20K for both units so they didn't get the pool.

 

Ours were less but we happened to get them when they were running a huge special for our electric company's customers.  I think we paid $13K=$14K for two units.  

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We've had four repair companies make the strong case that we need to replace ours to the tune of $5000 or more. We always chose the repairs (always under $700) and it lasts another year. The first time we were told that our unit was on its last leg, so to speak, was 17 years ago.

 

Same thing with the air conditioner.

 

Now, we don't want the furnace to go out during the winter, but we now have a relationship with a repaireman who we trust to tell us when its time. For now, though, he tells us that we need this or that done, "and you should be alright."

 

I only share that for making a case for getting more repair bids if you can't afford a new unit. The new ones do seem to be quite expensive.

Edited by Fifiruth
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yes, that's aboutwhat we paid when we had to replace our unit a few years ago. Low COL area here, too.

 

Compared to the old one, this one has a much higher efficiency and saves on energy. So it wasn't just a replacement, but a significant upgrade. 

Edited by regentrude
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it depends where you live.  if you are in a particularly hot area - they might be one who increases their prices to increase profits.   off-season prices are often much lower.

 

we had to have some hvac repairs done this year - early July - (and after this summer - 80s/90s every day for weeks -I'm glad we have it.), and it wasn't near that.  part of it was under warranty, so we were mostly paying for labor.

 

call regular hvac, not the "emergency" types, who will charge a lot more.

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Our AC is out.  We had two repair companies out and it would cost thousands to make repairs and both recommend replacement. We've only had one person come out to give a replacement quote so far and DH and I are both stunned.  We will definitely get two more quotes but is this anywhere close to reasonable?

 

3 ton unit, packaged unit for gas heat and electric AC:

 

Option 1: one-stage, 14 SEER, $7500 installed

 

Option 2: two-stage, 16 SEER, $9,529 installed

 

Gulp. We live in a low cost area of the country. 

 

Hoping for some experienced or knowledgeable hive members to pipe in.

NO...No way. I live in a medium cost part of the country and 2 16 seer units for 3-4 ton each costs about $10K.

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7 years ago I had the largest Trane  heat, a/c, with two zone controls, and attic fan installed for $11k,  So. Cal.   btw This July, finally got around to replacing all the cheap blinds (the plastic or cheap steel 1" slats) with nice 2 inch wood white slats.  A 10 degree drop in house temperature on the hottest days.  Instead of coming home to 91 downstairs/ 97 upstairs  during heatwaves,  it is now 81 down and 87 up.  we hang out downstairs until the night breeze cools the 2nd floor.  Have not used the a/c since switching blinds.  Certainly could have saved on the size of the unit, it I had switched blinds years ago.

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1.  In the ballpark for normal but get more quotes.  And be sure you are comparing apples to apples.

2.  What warranty do they offer?  

3.  With regards to repairs vs. full replacement, what EXACTLY are they saying can't be repaired without significant cost?  Why exactly does  the whole thing needs replacing instead?   Get that written down somewhere and see if each company is actually making the same assessment.

4.  How old is the system they say needs replacing?

5.  What is the track record of the units that might be installed (do your own research, don't just rely on what they said)?

 

And on a side note, I agree with up thread, when we replaced our window covers with 2 inch blinds the difference in temp in the house was astounding.  It dropped significantly.

Edited by OneStepAtATime
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We've had four repair companies make the strong case that we need to replace ours to the tune of $5000 or more. We always chose the repairs (always under $700) and it lasts another year. The first time we were told that our unit was on its last leg, so to speak, was 17 years ago.

 

Same thing with the air conditioner.

 

Now, we don't want the furnace to go out during the winter, but we now have a relationship with a repaireman who we trust to tell us when its time. For now, though, he tells us that we need this or that done, "and you should be alright."

 

I only share that for making a case for getting more repair bids if you can't afford a new unit. The new ones do seem to be quite expensive.

We spent $1200 to repair a very old unit because we didn't have $7k for a new one. That was 2 years ago.

 

I do think people are too quick to replace.

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About 5 years ago I had quotes for half that in a HCOL area. We ended up with a $500 repair that fixed the problem. Sometimes, though, LCOL can mean more sparsely populated and fewer HVAC guys to compete for your business and keep prices down.

Edited by KungFuPanda
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7 years ago I had the largest Trane heat, a/c, with two zone controls, and attic fan installed for $11k, So. Cal. btw This July, finally got around to replacing all the cheap blinds (the plastic or cheap steel 1" slats) with nice 2 inch wood white slats. A 10 degree drop in house temperature on the hottest days. Instead of coming home to 91 downstairs/ 97 upstairs during heatwaves, it is now 81 down and 87 up. we hang out downstairs until the night breeze cools the 2nd floor. Have not used the a/c since switching blinds. Certainly could have saved on the size of the unit, it I had switched blinds years ago.

Tell me about the blinds. Off the shelf, custom? Cost?

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it depends where you live.  if you are in a particularly hot area - they might be one who increases their prices to increase profits.   off-season prices are often much lower.

 

we had to have some hvac repairs done this year - early July - (and after this summer - 80s/90s every day for weeks -I'm glad we have it.), and it wasn't near that.  part of it was under warranty, so we were mostly paying for labor.

 

call regular hvac, not the "emergency" types, who will charge a lot more.

 

At least in our local area, all the HVAC people are booked up. It will be more expensive just because whoever you get are coming and working OT to even have time to get to your house right now.  (I work for a plumbing-HVAC company -- but we work 95% of the time for commercial customers so I'm not a good resource for residential.  I do know that, when the company has time, they will do air conditioning replacements for employees at cost (including the labor cost to get the work done) and it is still thousands of dollars.  And right now we're too busy to do it.

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Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences. We will have two more quotes on Monday and DH just got another referral from one of our neighbors.  He was able to get one person to give a "ballpark" amount for a specific unit over the phone and it was for closer to $5250 for a well-known brand.  That would be much more in line with what we were expecting. I'll update later in the week once we have all the quotes.

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Here's the quotes we ended up with, just in case it helps anyone else . This is for a gas/electric package, installed, in the southeast.

 

Company 1:

3-ton Lennox, 16 SEER, two stage - $9,529

3-ton Lennox, 14 SEER, single stage - $7500

 

Company 2:

4-ton Amana, 16 SEER, single stage - $9,951 (wouldn't quote a 3-ton. 4-ton is WAY oversized for our house)

4-ton Amana, 14 SEER, single stage - $8,576

 

Company 3: 

3-ton Trane, 14 SEER, single stage - $4,601

3-ton Trane, 15 SEER, single stage - $5,088

3-ton Trane, 16 SEER, two stage - $6,378

 

Company 3 has been in business locally for over 50 years and has an A+ rating at BBB.  We are going with them. They can't get us scheduled until Friday at the earliest.  Fortunately, we are supposed to have a cooling trend this week.

 

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Company three- make sure that is a new unit and not a refurbished. I would also look at when before they install it on Friday. We had an older business here that was much cheaper than others on ac units and they were busted installing refurbished instead of new. They had excellent rating, too.

Edited by itsheresomewhere
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Very good points. I've advised DH to ask about new/refurbished and to be sure he sees the unit delivered and unpackaged.  The quotes did vary a bit on warranties, etc. which I didn't include in the above but we considered.  One set of the higher costs also bundled in maintenance servicing twice a year for 5 years.  Both sets of higher costs included "free" financing, which I'm sure increased the cost.  Never trust "free" financing.

 

Also of note, the two companies with higher quotes sent out salespeople and pretty brochures.  The lower cost place sent out an estimating technician. He didn't try any sales talk at all.

Edited by Pegasus
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At least in our local area, all the HVAC people are booked up. It will be more expensive just because whoever you get are coming and working OT to even have time to get to your house right now.  (I work for a plumbing-HVAC company -- but we work 95% of the time for commercial customers so I'm not a good resource for residential.  I do know that, when the company has time, they will do air conditioning replacements for employees at cost (including the labor cost to get the work done) and it is still thousands of dollars.  And right now we're too busy to do it.

 

We own an Aire Serv HVAC company.  We do not have extra emergency charges after hours, nor do the prices change with the season.  May want to check with them if you need service.

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Tell me about the blinds. Off the shelf, custom? Cost?

I am a thrift junkie.  I happened to be in a Habitat Restore when they had  new top brand 2 inch wood blinds.  They had a good selection of width sizes from 22 through -60".  Lucky for me a few were perfect width, and the rest were only a inch or two off.  All had more than enough length.   With a combination of discounts that day, I got 13 blinds (mostly 55-57 width) for $90 including tax.  Habitat Restore is hit or miss. But, I go this one every one  week while my son is taking his robotics class.  These happened to be new in bulk and the same brand and style.  Habitat seem to always have a few in stock.

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Very good points. I've advised DH to ask about new/refurbished and to be sure he sees the unit delivered and unpackaged.  The quotes did vary a bit on warranties, etc. which I didn't include in the above but we considered.  One set of the higher costs also bundled in maintenance servicing twice a year for 5 years.  Both sets of higher costs included "free" financing, which I'm sure increased the cost.  Never trust "free" financing.

 

Also of note, the two companies with higher quotes sent out salespeople and pretty brochures.  The lower cost place sent out an estimating technician. He didn't try any sales talk at all.

 

The regular maintenance servicing is often what keeps you in compliance with your warranty. Should there be an issue & you need to use the warranty, you may have to prove regular maintenance. Did they give a different price if you didn't want the financing? I can them not offering an option that doesn't include maintenance but weird to not on the financing.

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I am a thrift junkie. I happened to be in a Habitat Restore when they had new top brand 2 inch wood blinds. They had a good selection of width sizes from 22 through -60". Lucky for me a few were perfect width, and the rest were only a inch or two off. All had more than enough length. With a combination of discounts that day, I got 13 blinds (mostly 55-57 width) for $90 including tax. Habitat Restore is hit or miss. But, I go this one every one week while my son is taking his robotics class. These happened to be new in bulk and the same brand and style. Habitat seem to always have a few in stock.

Wow, you got an incredible deal! Thirteen blinds for under $100 -- I couldn't get vinyl mini blinds for that price.

 

Habitat Restore is new to me. I looked it and there is one an hour or so away, sounds well worth a look.

 

THX!!

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We replaced the AC part of our Lennox 3 weeks ago and it was $4,995.00. It was a 3 ton, 14 seer coil and outside condenser. Our gas heater was newer and working fine so we decided not to replace it. The heater part was going to add another $2200 to the price so it's in the ballpark. 

 

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Wow, you got an incredible deal! Thirteen blinds for under $100 -- I couldn't get vinyl mini blinds for that price.

 

Habitat Restore is new to me. I looked it and there is one an hour or so away, sounds well worth a look.

 

THX!!

Habitat is very hit and miss.  Good to do a circuit of 3 or 4 stores, say once a month, or so.  Since the best stuff is donated by builders and contractors, stores near communities with lots of development happening, tend to have better stuff ( I don't think there is too much transferring between the Habitat Stores, unless it was an extremely large donation).  Each store has its niche.  Pricing store by store varies greatly.  happy hunting

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Habitat is very hit and miss. Good to do a circuit of 3 or 4 stores, say once a month, or so. Since the best stuff is donated by builders and contractors, stores near communities with lots of development happening, tend to have better stuff ( I don't think there is too much transferring between the Habitat Stores, unless it was an extremely large donation). Each store has its niche. Pricing store by store varies greatly. happy hunting

Thank you. That is very helpful. :-)

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