6 HVAC Buying MISTAKES!
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- Опубліковано 24 чер 2024
- 6 mistakes homeowners make when buying HVAC equipment. Joshua goes over these mistakes with the hope that you don't make the same errors causing headaches in the long run. Avoid these mistakes if you're in the market for a heating and air conditioning system, and you'll be more happier looking back on one of the largest investments homeowners make.
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---------Chapters------------
0:00 Intro: Mistakes homeowners make when buying HVAC
0:41 Going Cheap on HVAC bids
2:19 HVAC Brands
4:05 HVAC quotes and estimates
5:58 Heat Load Calculation
7:38 HVAC Accessories and Add Ons
9:22 Extended Warranties
#hvac #mistakes #buyinghvac - Навчання та стиль
Thanks for sharing so many important points with us
We got a new Bryant. We had a 13 or so year old Goodman. It was always problematic. Unfortunately, we had a humidity issue with the Bryant at first and they came to figure it out. The air handler fan speed was too high. He adjusted that and our vents and that day it improved. I am very happy. It seems a nicely made system. I hope it has years of no issues. They thought there was a leak in the Copper freon line but they never found it so we took the risk when the system finally broke. Hopefully, it was in the units and not in the copper line inside the wall in our townhome. I enjoy your channel and have watched for a while for advice! Thank you.
1) Reliability
2) 24 /7 service on call
3) u.s. made and parts availability
4) #1 rating in efficiency
5) great customer service and u.s. wide franchise
These are my reasons for buying a new system.
Problem. Live in a small town where nobody wants to pay for a lennox. Companies want to carry the cheapest brands because they get a better price for the units. Not enough experienced staff to handle issues on repairs. In a town when surfs up nobody works.
Sad but true !
spot on
From my experience, in addition to all the good advice in the video, if you aren't lucky enough to get experienced trained installation and maintenance technicians who are trustworthy and explain the work they will do and how they will do it, then that may negate all the other positives you so wisely chose. It pays to learn about refrigeration systems and how they work so you can understand and communicate directly with the technicians more than just relying on their shop managers. When you've got a good technician, ask for him or her when you schedule service.
Thank you, literally going through this right now. Had a company come in today and one last week. I have 5 more to go. Completely different quotes so far (not quotes but where to put the indoor units and the outdoor, what btu's etc)
Here in Canada there is a rebate program and a 10 year interest free federal loan promo.... part of it is you have to get a home energy assessment and then quotes, all mini split models must be on the federal approved list..
So that is good. All of these companies coming in are on the provincial partner list (somewhat vetted) so that is good.
First company stayed for an hour, measuring, explaining, talking btu science, really thorough. The guy that came today took 15 minutes, not impressed
A large local HVAC company was offering free extended warranties to all its customers. Six months later, I went on a service call to replace a bad capacitor on a condensing unit. The customer told me that he supposedly had an extended warranty but the company that installed his equipment went out of business. My boss later told me that the owner went insane. Crazy stuff.
Woah. That would make for a good movie haha
Some customers can drive you crazy!
@@NewHVACGuide when dose it come out
It was the JibbityJab.
Thanks, good information. I have a lot of questions before I buy. I'm going to look at the estimate I received and then get another as you suggested. I'm in sothern Virginia so you do not service my area.
Check this out.
We live in a condo building that was built in 2017. Our aC unit Rheem 2.0 gave out. Warranty expired in 5 years.
The condo is about 1600 square feet. Some rooms didn’t cool right and before I knew it, it didn’t cool at all.
Now we have to buy a new unit. Also even our furnace in some spot started rusting. Horrible horrible mess.
Hey great vids, you helping us as the consumer, I'm in process to buy a furnace, not sure what to do, my house is a small 1 floor and half basement,
Any suggestions what size, any info helps and I'm on a fix income so very scared making this purchase.
Do you have a video in air source heat a/c pump
Thank you for your openness on this. AC units isnt typically at the top of the normal persons conversation list. I have a few questions Im hoping you can answer. 1. My air handler is in a closet at one end of my hallway if i want the main duct line re routed to a different closet down the hall is that an easy move? My air handler is only 2 years old so Im not eager to replace it; but its in the closet next to my super small kitchen so if moving it is an option how would that process go?
Hey First I would want a company/Individual that has good knowledge of how to do HVAC system sizing. System and ducting concerns. Sometimes I would like the house WARMER in winter and colder in a HOT summer. Then trying not to have any cold areas in my house during winter. Yes my house was all redone with insulation & new windows. This is an excellent video tutorial and more people should ask the questions.
Great point. One question I get is, "How do I know if they have the knowledge?"
Make sure the ductwork is properly sized and insulated as well.-
I overheard a contractor talking about having to replace an entire 2014 system because the compressor failed. What happens to the units that get pulled for stuff like that? Do they get sold for scrap?
Here is a ULTRA CRAPPY policy I found that HVAC company did, or maybe many HVAC companies do this. Someone buys an HVAC system, sells the home and the new home owner now doesn't get the benefit of the warranty, even if normally it still has time left on the warranty. Say it is a 5 year warranty or 10 years, now a new owner finds 'oh that does not transfer ownership. WTF, no, that is completely not right. That system was paid for, and now suddenly it won't be honored. Really, well guess what HVAC companies that do that FU. That is a giant middle finger to new homeowners, and a big giant downgrade in that HVAC companies credibility as a 'trusted name'. If you run a company and have that policy, by all means please post your response, but keep firmly in mind that YOUR company is NOT one we will be going with, so you created a policy that locks you out of doing business so your ultimately costing yourself business and money.
Right so you buy that warranty, and it is great for the original buyer, but homes get sold, and/or flipped and that flipper spends REAL MONEY to buy the infrastructure of the house, including those key appliances and systems like HVAC. So, it is UTTERLY unreasonable NOT to transfer ownership of the paid for warranty with the house. Air Comfort Solutions is one of those companies with that policy, and as a new homeowner who found that out, and even trying this company out, due to that and other legitimate reasons I realized that is a company I do NOT want to use. I essentially spent 71, plus some on work that was completed, but then 397 which effectively was a giant waste O money, and yet, thinking about the non-transferable warranty, that is yet another great reasons not to use that company, or any other HVAC company that has such a policy.
You might not like that attitude, but guess what, ultimately the customer is your boss, as they are the one paying, and without them, you won't remain in business so passive aggressive non-transferable warrenty policies are little middle fingers to customers. Realize, as a new home owner the first company I called was the one on the warranty and not everything was covered, plus the general maintenance or larger 'clean the system' which are like 1200+ dollar jobs, or upgrades like UV lights installed, all of which are now something I won't go back to that company to do. They then lose all that money, which can be substantial. To me, that is horrible business practice.
What is your take on the York heating and air conditioning??
When replace my furnace and coil, is it recommended that I change the AC if it is not bad.
I replaced cap because while it was blowing was only blowing warm air . Also washed outside coils on condenser unit with spray can from the inside out but also from outside and changed indoor filter . It's blowing fairly good but is having soome trouble keeping it to set temp of 78 degrees during the verrry hot day of south Texas . What else can I try ? Will get to set temp at night
I am looking for an HRV system for a 640 square foot tiny home....any recommendations? I am in Canada so the winter is cold and damp
I contacted a local Goodman dealer, who was listed on the Goodman website. Their sales guy said Goodman was junk and we should should buy a different brand. Sounded like a bait and switch scam. I replaced it with another Goodman system, from someone else, and it has been working great for the past 10 years.
I have a 20yr Goodman. Of course the freon costs about $300 lbs. So now I'm looking at maybe a new one but so unsure of all the hype of more efficient. Mine is a natural gas.
I considered the new inverter type heat pumps, that will heat when the outdoor temps are at zero. Salesguy said they are prone to shutdown from power line glitches, a frequent occurrence here. If this is not an issue for you maybe consider that.@@againstallodds404
@@againstallodds404far as heating, natty gas is pretty darn great. Cooling however, you’re def gonna get something more reliable, much more efficient, and costs way less in utility bills with one of the newer inverter/high seer rating hvac units.
This time I went with the contractor I liked the most who has a good reputation. They weren't the cheapest and I would have preferred other brands. But, it was more important to me that I could contact a company with whom I liked to work if any issues or problems occurred.
Tip of the line Lennox system was quoted at 21k 😮 is that a normal price?
amazon will deliver a 3 ton goodman with all the fixings for about 4k. Costco came out and quoted 8k for a system that my wife doesnt remember the name of. How much should it cost to have it put in?
I just had my AC system replaced. The old one was burnt up. But I didn’t have much time to get multiple quotes. And I only found 1 company that would even do a free quote. Everyone else charged for the privilege. Anyways, this company came out 45 mins after I called. They told me they could fix replace the old motor for 1500. But that there would be at least a 50/50 chance it would fail within a year. They recommended replacing. So they installed a 3 ton Amana 15.3 seer, and a new coil. They claimed the unit was sold to me at cost ($4,400) and the coil was $2500.
The total price of the project was $9400.
I never got an itemized receipt, only a total. And the unit does have a lifetime full unit replacement warranty for what that’s worth.
It’s a 1050 sq ft house in a really hot climate. I have no knowledge of hvac so I have no idea if this price was actually reasonable. The Google searches all show I paid about 2-4K too much. But then again I’m told by other people it was a great price. Would love to hear from another expert.
What is a heat low calculation
How do you about taking care of rooms in you home being too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer?
Aeroseal and make sure your rooms communicate with the rest of the home
I ended up using the lowest bid because the person who did it had previous experience installing other units in my condo complex.
I'm replacing my 2013 Rheem 3-ton unit SEER 13 heat pump with a more efficient one. Please, in your opinion, which quotes received makes the most sense (they are all from experienced companies) since I'm not sure about the quality of the product or the fairness of the offers (all include the thermostat of my preference, two surge protectors, and UV light:
Gree 4 tons split system Flexx SEER 18: $10k with 10 yrs parts & 1 yr labor warranty or $11k with 10 yrs both parts & labor + optional $0.75 sq ft of blown-in insulation R30 for the attic $1,399.50.
Bosch 2.0 4 tons BOVA SEER 20: $10,540 with 10 yrs both parts and labor warranty.
York 3 Ton 17 Seer York LX Series Heat Pump Split System: $9,384 with 10 yrs parts & 5 yrs labor plus $300 rebate.
Bryan 3 tons 226ANA paired with FV4CNF005L00 SEER 16: $10,180 with 1 yrs labor & 10 yrs parts and compressor - includes Aprilaire 2210 whole house annual air filter.
I live in NY. I had 5 contractors give me quotes. None did heat calculations. Did not discuss warranties. Just wanted to make a buck.
I've heard that a lot pal
Likely they all know each other too. Keep looking for a good HVAC contractor.
All those 5 contractors are BAD...Don't care about you as the customer.
Every time they come by to take a look and to give me a quote is $150 each time
Does anyone have an opinion about Mr Cool's whole house systems, I live in NJ and only need cooling for about 4 months each season. The new 4th Gen 4/5 ton (switchable via dip switches) really appeals to me as I have the duct work sufficient to run the 5t on the hottest summer days, yet the 4t setting would be best 90% of the time. I know of no other manufacturer offering a unit that does that. The downside IMO is unit is hyper-sensitive to voltage irregularities so I would def install a protective breaker to mitigate that risk.
I have an opinion on all their products ☺️
They haven’t been producing unitary equipment long enough to have a good idea on the longevity yet.
Is Lennox HVAC system has issue of leaking water? I am seeing online. I am looking for new AC and Heating and I am living into Texas. I have signle story house with 2000 sqft. Is 2 stage system of Trane good enough to cool the house?
Hi. I’d find a good contractor and go with the brand they recommend 🙂
I had 4 companies Quote me $20k+, and 1 company quote $8k.
Same brand: 4ton 16 seer 2 stage.
I am totally confused, the 4x high quotes mentioned how nice my cars & house are.
The 4 also offered a 15 year financing.
North Texas.
$20K is a lot. Need more information about the home.
I live in Phoenix, recently had my 18 year old Goodman replaced with a new Lennox unit. I’m regretting that I didn’t get a 16 seer over the 14 seer that I had installed. I don’t know why I did that, hopefully that wasn’t a huge terrible decision.
Only a couple SEER and was most likely a single stage as well 🙂
Lennox has a 21 seer A/C in their elite series...imagine how quiet that one is plus the power savings. If you stay in the location moore than 10 years, its worth paying the extra.
I installed a 16 SEER Goodman HVAC system with a new furnace. My summer electric bill dropped about 45% after installing the equipment myself. I must have had a leak in the old duct board plenum to realize such savings. I made sure to replace the supply plenum and seal all of duct connections. BTW, the old system was a 12 SEER 27 year old Lennox condensing unit and coil with a cheap 80% Goodman furnace.
Interesting…. My contractor was just telling me he did some research on the 14 and 16
SEER and was saying the 14 may be more a better purchase than the 16 because the 14 was just as efficient as the 16.
Maybe this is true or maybe it is a industry myth that is flying around?
I need to dig deeper.
My research so far, you probably did it due to price difference and 14 is fine, it's going LOWER than that were it trails off quickly?
We are just in the process of having a new Trane hvac put in snd it is huge! It looks industrial and makes my home look terrible! I know from what they told us they could do some things because of the way the last hvac was put in after they switched from a swamp cooler but I am super unhappy with the enormity of this thing. Now I have to figure out how to hide it.
Be proud. The neighbors will know you bought the best. I have a two ton beast out back myself. Proud to own mine.
@@brockbaker3able I’ve gotten use to size now but we had the installers come back out to look at it because it makes a huge noise when it turns off. Come to find out below the fan, which sits at the top, as the air goes downward and across the coils as it pulls the air down over the coils the metal flexes and as it shuts off the metal above the fan releases and that’s the noise. Our old one made the same sound.
My ac unit is 29yrs old works fine but getting nervous about is breaking down in the middle of summer it’s a air handler in the attic wondering your thought should I get it replaced because of it’s age ?
Thanks for video and good info
Hard to say Tom. No one can really tell. I feel like some homeowners. Don’t make the leap until it actually does need a repair, but then you do have a window of time between it breaking down before the new system gets installed. So some folks will bite the bullet ahead of time to avoid that.
@@NewHVACGuide that’s how I’m feeling I don’t want to deal with a
Break down in the middle of summer I received two quotes both are pretty close one unit is trans other is Lennox
Thanks for feed back
The best preventative thing you can do is determine if you will run the old system to the point of breakdown and suffer some if the weather is adverse waiting for repairs or, replace the system at a convenient time in the off season. Remember, the older systems were built to last...it may go another 10 years with the mainteneance it needs. It may only need a new capacitor tomorrow for $100 or develope an evaporator leak in August requiring a complete system. New systems have these same issues but sooner vs. later as in old HVAC. We have an Amana system from 1996...still on the original capacitor and the air handler just recently needed its original blower capacitor replaced. No service needed since it was new, no R22 leaks, ducts are sound as are their connections. We're keeping it until the time comes and we have spare brand new made in USA capacitors in stock just in case.
Get it serviced and a tune up.
@@Holyheart1 based on the comments of this thread and others, I would advise that you avoid Lennox. Apparently they’re quality and reliability has diminished significantly. Good luck
we had a variable speed Bosch unit installed a year ago and have had nothing but headaches with it-either it's set so it cools great but has unbearable noise issues or it's set so it's quiet and we end up sweltering. Same problem in the winter-not heating when we really need it. After doing everything they could think of, out installer finally is offering to replace the unit, but what do we choose !!?? the Lennox: LRP16HP electric(heat pump) or the Rheem: "RGEA16 Series" (RGEA16036AJV06TABAUA) (Gas package unit).?? any advise ? we have a 1300 SQ ft, 1 story 1974 house in the Calif central valley.
Trane Lennox Carrier are the top brands, in opinion go with Lennox. I'm no tech, just based on research I have done. Good luck!
A mistake I see a lot is people replacing their system with a like-in-kind instead of considering more modern alternative designs. For example, replacing an air conditioner with another air conditioner, instead of a heat pump that could significantly reduce furnace usage in the winter.
That’s a great point! Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of HVAC contractors making the same decision.
I live in Midwest where it gets very cold and what Iv heard and have read heat pumps are not good choice for this weather ?
@@Holyheart1 - I’m also in the Midwest and rarely hear of HVAC shops mentioning Heat Pumps. In fact I’ve even asked a couple of shops and they’re not familiar enough to install them. But not everyone is fond with how they work. I believe they are also quite a bit more expensive to buy/install.
@@Kenster-man what Iv heard is it might get to cold here . There’s a big problem Iv found out is most Hvac contractors don’t know much about how the systems work all the old timers are retiring the young ones just don’t understand it it’s scary
Thanks
@@Holyheart1 Relying solely on a heat pump in an extremely cold climate is not going to be a good idea. But that's why I said "less furnace". If 8 or 9 out of 10 days each winter are above 5F, then the heat pump will provide affordable and "green" heat. Then you can still have your furnace for nasty cold snaps.
Do you typically cover the cost of all electrical work in your HVAC installations? Many of my quotes have excluded this.
Depends on the project. Have you gotten a quote for the electrical from an electrician? It might be minimal compared to having the HVAC sub it out
How long is a typical labor warranty? About how much should it cost compared to the standard 1 year labor warranty?
Some are only a few hundred and some are a couple thousand. Depends on rates and length.
@@NewHVACGuide From quotes I have received a system with a 10 year labor warranty is quoted at $15k but a very similar system with only a 1 year warranty is quoted at $8k. An extra $7k for adding 9 years labor warranty seems totally unreasonable. If an it is decent quality equipment with a good quality install, I would think the HVAC contractor would stand by it for a $1k extra or so. Some customers will need repairs and others won’t. It is fair that the contractor covers their expected labor for warranty repair across a pool of customers.
I vote against use of wifi stats myself.. someone can control my comfort? Hell nah lol
pretty much what not to do in this video...
How can a contractor justify making a $13,000 profit on a $4000 unit for a days work. That’s robbery.
Ouch. Did you ask them?
I agree...most customers never see the invoice or cost of the materials to do an HVAC replacement. They should because the markup on materials is where the money is or they are overcharging on labor. 2 or 3 men for a days work should be reasonable...plus their time in getting the materials and planing the job etc. Add that to the install overhead and its doubtful any contractor will be able to justify that kind of markup over materials plus labor. Likely the same ducts are used which is a red flag in my opinion because most homes as noted in this video as well never got the correct install from day one. The biggest blunder I see is how they designed the return(s) and type of supply/return vents used, stamped $6 low quality air restrictors or $20 rolled metal that flow air best.
Most quotes and final receipts I have seen from HVAC jobs only show the bottom line price, rarely do you see materials $xxxx and labor $xxx itemized and many do not even describe the job they will be doing in much detail other than "replace condensing unit, coil, thermostat and air handler".
Prices have gone up but that markup seems excessive. My buddy in Dallas got a very good price on a 4 ton Trane 15 SEER system. He got a couple quotes that were over $12k from different contractors but ended up paying less than $9k.
I got a price of $17500 to install a Navian Combi boiler. One zone. It’s four feet from the gas line. No baseboard to install. The unit with all the extras is no more than $5000
@@steveerickson3954 that’s when you block your number and call them randomly out to the middle of nowhere addresses to do quotes 🤣 wanna waste my time with an absurd quote I’ll waste your time and money too.
Very important would be getting their license number and looking it up.
Again get the license number and look it up!! Also require them to pull a permit and have it inspected.
If none of this is offered Corners are being cut.
Also if you are a home owner and you don't want inspection you are wanting to cut corners. I understand there are reasons people don't want this. But it's very cheap everywhere here to do that.
Pretty good advice, but you believe jobs not requiring a permit are being done with corners cut when they don't pull a permit?
@@NewHVACGuide Permits are over stated in general especially with replacement items such as a water heater, HVAC, plumbing etc. I can guarantee whatever the original builder put in their tract home isn't anything to sneeze over. Most replacements are way better products than they are replacing and usually full timers in the business know what is required to be safe and up to date with procedure. However, if you go with the cheapest contractor, a permit might save your job if the building inspector catches mistakes before completion. Some contractor will do cheap work if they know there's no permit and some will do the same...it shouldn't make any idfference, the job requires what it does with or without a permit from the thieves in the building department.
I am only required to pull a permit on 25-50% of the jobs I do here in rural SE Kansas. Kansas has minimal trade license requirements and is enforced by county or city. Johnson County Ks (KC Metro) has some of the most strict requirements nationwide. I took my master mechanical licensing test through JoCo, which reciprocates through all of KS and probably 75% of Missouri. The closest town to me (pop. 3200)only requires a journeyman level test to become a contractor. In a 4 county area I only have 2 city licenses that requires permits. BUT!!!! Every job I do is to code. And if my customer has a problem with that, they aren’t my customer anymore!
The HVAC business should be regulated, when you can buy a split system furnace and ac for under 5 thousand dollars in 2024 and they charge 17 - 20 thousand dollar. That means your being charged 10 - 15 thousand dollars for the labor this is criminal.
Despite the supply chain issues and inflation, I have to wonder if now is the best time to buy a new heating and air system? I do not believe prices will go down even if those issues are largely resolved during the next year.
Folks in HVAC including Griffin Air are saying HVAC systems will be going up in price again in the new year - part of it is because mfrs are coming out with new SEER2 models. Another scam where they are upping prices for the “new” models - BS tactics.
Prices will go up; how old is your present system?; if is still working without major parts replacement, wring out as much use as you can!
@@bobboscarato1313 I believe the price increases will slow down a bit compared to the past two years. My heating is a Lennox Elite that is 24 years old and still runs like a Timex watch. I've only ever had to replace the inducer with a Packard unit which works well after two years. I clean the unit at least once a year.
@@jasonligo895 Just keep it till it dies!
@@bobboscarato1313 You are correct.
If anyone understands anything, please explain it to me!!!
I picked the cheapest bid because we will sell the house in 3 years. I just need it to run for a few years that’s it
See that a lot.
@@NewHVACGuide it was a RunTru, are those a decent brand? Installer was one of the best rated in my area review wise, which was the real reason why I chose them.
You lost me at buy all the accessories
Don't over size
I got quoted 17k to have a 3 head mini split put in, which seems crazy to me. 2 bedroom home in NJ, 36k btus
Trane is the worst system I ever had. Daikin is the next that I will buy. It is like GMC. vs. Toyota. My Toyota Tacoma is 20 years old every button working on. Never had any problem. So looks like the Japanese can make a good HVAC to.
So is my Ford Ranger. I owned both and prefer the Ranger.
No useful info here. It’s literally just a sales pitch for his business
I was quoted 10k, 11k, 8k, 9.5k and 6k. Same size unit and I picked the 6k, Lennox ac and furnace. Selling house in a few years. There’s no need to pay 5k more for a similar system