HVAC Query

Blkvoodoo

Blkvoodoo

professionally useless
Moderator
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Location
Archer Lodge
So my Pack unit heat pump is on the way out I believe, the 9° cold snap we had 2 weeks ago the blower bearings were screaming. The unit is 12years old, wasn't an "upper end" unit to begin with ( cheap, spec house ) and others in the neighborhood have died already.

this summer I would like to replace the HVAC unit and all the "flex" (current flex is the really cheap crappy dark grey junk) I've priced the flex at about $20 for a 25' section, this being the aluminized R-6 stuff, might spring for the R-8 if the opportunity presents.

Can't get an HVAC supply house to give me a price on a replacement Heat pump, because I'm not a licensed HVAC dealer/installer.

So, is there anyone here who does HVAC work ?

Aside from not being RAPED on the price of an new heatpump, I'd rather do the install myself, at least then I would have control of the quality of the install, and if there was any issue, I have no one to blame but myself.

This is a 2ton PACK UNIT Heat pump, with aux heat, all in one, no external peices or refrigerant needed. FULL ELECTRIC, no gas, 13seer or better.

I'm in no hurry, mine works for now, and I don't want to mess with it while it is cold out.

anyone ?
 
What kind was your old unit? 12 years for the older ones is about the max for them.

Was your old unit inlet/output side by side, over/under, square, round, or oval? This may determine what kind of unit you can get, like it did with me. I had an old Trane over/under. The new trane was square outlet, side by side but the inlets and outlets were on the side versus the end of the unit like on the old one. So, I had to go to an Armstrong that offset the condensor/etc. towards my deck so it wouldn't block my crawl space access.

pads are sometimes hard to find that actually fit your unit. To solve this, just form and pour your own with sackcrete (what I had to do). Its also about 1/2 the price of buying a pre-formed pad.

I'm guessing you'll prob. have to have some transitions made to fit the new unit to your old ductwork, unless you have all flex from the old unit to the old ductwork already.

I'd get a new shroud made to protect the new ductwork going under the house. Expecting to re-use the old shroud will be a PITA. My guess is that the installers 12 years ago only put the shroud on 3 sides and left the bottom exposed to the ground. This can be a major issue as mice and other small animals can get in there and nest in and around your duct and even inside the duct. This is not wanted, so I'd suggest closing off the bottom of the shroud when you make the other 3 sides.

I replaced and installed mine last year and purchased it from the HVAC supply house. I have my contractor's license and also work for an industrial mechanical contractor. So, I didn't have an issue getting the heat pump or any of the parts. It also helps to know exactly what you want when you call. If you ask too many questions, they will know right away that you are not a contractor.

They don't come with a heat strip, so you'll need to order that seperatly. I'd recommend at least a 10kW strip. However, you'll be limited by the size wire that has been run from your panel box.

Research what units you want or are looking at. Most manuracturers have specs on their websites and you can review them there. I can tell you an Armstrong or Goodman will be your most affordable with a Rheem, Carrier, or Trane being more expensive. Goodman is the largest manufacturer of heat pumps in the world, so you should be good there. Armstrong is the parent company of Carrier, I believe. Goodman has a pretty good warranty. I think they had a 5 or 10 year warranty on the compressor.

If you find abou what you want, let me know. I do business with RE Michels and East Coast Metal Supply (among others) all the time (all HVAC wholesalers).

Edit: If you install it yourself, I'd call your local residential HVAC contractor to ensure everything is installed correctly and working properly. Its cheap insurance as the service call is usually around $75. I did this and I had 2 wires crossed that shouldn't have been. If I had turned it on, the compressor would have shorted out on my brand new unit....
 
rockcity said:
What kind was your old unit? 12 years for the older ones is about the max for them.
Click to expand...
Payne
Was your old unit inlet/output side by side, over/under, square, round, or oval?
Click to expand...
side by side, round, flex from the box. I do believe the flashing between house and unit is only three sided, as we do have a mouse problem.
pads are sometimes hard to find that actually fit your unit. To solve this, just form and pour your own with sackcrete (what I had to do). Its also about 1/2 the price of buying a pre-formed pad.
Click to expand...
Had not even considered the pad, but will probably make my own, as I figure what ever I get will be larger than what I have now, aside from the fact that it is not level anymore
They don't come with a heat strip, so you'll need to order that seperatly. I'd recommend at least a 10kW strip. However, you'll be limited by the size wire that has been run from your panel box.
Click to expand...
I figured the heat strip wasn't part of the package. would like to also replace the wiring to the thermostat AND install a new quality programable. HAs been thru 3 T-stats in 8 years, OEM was a crap no acurate POS, replaced with a programable from Lowe's which crapped out last summer, currently on a cheap replacement my neighbor gave me (his old one I think)
Research what units you want or are looking at. Most manuracturers have specs on their websites and you can review them there. I can tell you an Armstrong or Goodman will be your most affordable with a Rheem, Carrier, or Trane being more expensive. Goodman is the largest manufacturer of heat pumps in the world, so you should be good there. Armstrong is the parent company of Carrier, I believe. Goodman has a pretty good warranty. I think they had a 5 or 10 year warranty on the compressor.
If you find abou what you want, let me know. I do business with RE Michels and East Coast Metal Supply (among others) all the time (all HVAC wholesalers).
Edit: If you install it yourself, I'd call your local residential HVAC contractor to ensure everything is installed correctly and working properly. Its cheap insurance as the service call is usually around $75. I did this and I had 2 wires crossed that shouldn't have been. If I had turned it on, the compressor would have shorted out on my brand new unit....
Click to expand...
I may do just that........
Thanks for the input
 
Inspect your current galvanized duct as the insulation board on the inside will more than likely need replacing. My old house had the duct routed in a low spot and when it rained, water gathered about 6" deep and seeped into the ductwork. When the unit was replaced, I inspected the duct and realized there was at least a 2" gap between the flex duct from the unit and the fabricated duct under the house. This allowed mold, dirt, dust, bugs, mice, etc. inside the supply duct. This was disgusting and I can't believe we were breathing all that crap!!!

I eventually cleaned all the ductwork and replaced the nasty insulation board. The original contractors also did a half-assed job of connecting the branch flex to the main trunk lines and it leaked really bad there. The insulation was not sufficient enough for the new unit and condensated. So, I had to remove all the insulation and replace all of it with new. All of this work was not accounted for and I had to do this work when I replaced the unit. Just keep it in mind as there will more than likely be more work than originally expected.

My house was a spec house, built in 1993 in a cookie-cuter first home neighborhood.
 
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