Question about replacing Central Air
I’m just curious about what is all involved in replacing/upgrading central air in a house (HVAC is one thing I am not at all familiar with – everything else I do myself)
The furnace is a weathermaker 9200, and the AC is carrier model number: 38CK030300. I’m assuming from the rest of the house, its probably 13 years old or so. I don’t have any documentation, but from one site I found it is a builders grade 2.5 ton unit.
It seems to struggle on the hottest days (about 95+) and never shuts off, so I think it is a hair undersized. This is an approximately 1900 sqft house, with R19 walls, R30ish ceilings.
Would a newer unit save me much money on the bills to justify it? How much work is involved, is this just a swap out for the old unit with no work to the air handler?
Replies
No way to respond with heating AC advice without profile info or geographic location.
"click on your own name, then on "change profile"
DIY easy if you have oxy acet torch, 500 micron vacuum pump, N2 bottle, silphos or similar brazing rod and skill to use such, you don't even need refrig gauges for a replacement in many cases if you have short lines. If you dont have these, you have a lot of study and practice to DIY, but it can easily be learned. Consider replacing the AC with a Heat pump, depending on location. You would not even be breaking any EPA rules with R410A.
'Could be' as easy as buying an outdoor unit online, brazing it in, purge/leaktest/vacuum purge the line and open the valves. Or, you could also make a mess of the whole thing.
Thought profile was filled out, but must have lost it during one of the switches.I don't really want to DIY this, HVAC I don't like messing with. Just curious about what all is involved.
First thing you should do is check the air filters. Then check the operating instructions to see if you're supposed to manually adjust fan speed for AC vs heat. Then have the unit checked by a pro to see if it's operating to spec.
Cutting heat generation in the house (turning off lights, etc) and assuring that attic ventillation is adequate (no blocked vents) will help keep things cool and save money as well.
If this is a contractor's model then likely a new, high-SEER unit will save money, but probably take several years to pay off.
It's foolish economy to change the condenser/compressor unit and not change the A coil at the same time (unless the A coil just happens to be the proper size).
What Dan says+ clean the outside condenser unit. A dirty condenser coil is almost as bad as clogged filter in the furnace. Poor heat exchange going on in both cases.
Insulation seem ok for my area of the country, but not knowing what type of house, site orientation, number and type of windows/doors may mean that it is inadequate for your area.
Dave