@ZW17:

Thanks for all your knowledge.

I have a Trane XV95 furnace and XL16i heat pump, both installed in 2010.  Regular maintenance every six months, but no A/C as of yesterday.  Tech came out and said reverse valve leaked, compressor ran without refrigerant.  Reverse valve cannot be fixed, must be replaced, because in a bad spot.  Safety valve also needs to be replaced because it failed.  Condenser fan also failed.  
Several thousand dollars to fix.

Tech also wanted us to consider whole new system.  3 options Amana heat pumps ASZ160601, ASZC160601, or ASZC180601 with furnaces AMEX or AMVC.  Obviously quite expensive.  I'm getting a second opinion from a Lennox dealer tomorrow.

1) Are these Amana units any good?
2) Is 14 years a reasonable lifespan?
3) Does the tech explanation for the failure make sense?

Thanks!

I've got my first quote.

In getting my next 2-5, I've noticed some big-box type folks (Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, and maybe Sam's?) are also in the game.

Obviously they're not going to be doing the work themselves (lol), but are there any reasons to either include or avoid these folks?

(for either their estimates, or the actual work)

I was specifically thinking about that Costco warranty... which I don't even know if it'd apply to 'their' HVAC work, but I thought it was at least worth asking about.

And I still subscribe to it.

Same!  Geo is over 20 now, figuring my time is coming

Thanks for keeping a great thread going for 10 years!  Hope this is the right place to ask a question.

Wife noted the AC was not working. I checked the Sensi thermo and there was no power to the unit that (obviously) comes from the furnace controller. I checked and reset the breaker, then the power to the unit, then checked the LED, which was blinking steady, supposedly an error indicating no call for heat. Reset the error code counter and and the power again and it is still blinking. Replaced the 5a fuse, still the same.

Unit is a 5-year old Trane XR95 with a natural gas furnace and apparently has no power past the board. No way (for me) to test the transformer (could it be that easy??). No idea why a call for heat would lock out or cause the issue (heat has been off for a while here in VA).

Getting ready to call the pros, is there anything I should smarten up on so they don't roll me?  TIA.

Appreciate the quick reply!

It's only in the high 70s here today so I gave the on call tech a break and scheduled for tomorrow morning. :)

Seriously though, any scam they can run on me like the flux capacitor is bad????

Do you hear the connector on the board snap shut to send power to the blower?

There is a click from the board.

You can bypass a contactor with stout wire as a test

The tech is scheduled between 8-12am today so let's see what they say. Unit was also installed exactly 5-years ago, so fingers crossed there may be an actually useful warranty.

ETA - OP is about a dumba$$. Unit has two drains and OP only checked one. Tech opened it up and sure enough it was backed up and triggered some electronic float. Thumped the drain pipe and the universe was restored to balance.  Geeeezus I feel stupid right now.....

Thanks to all who chimed in.

And I did jump R to G and the blower worked, then R to Y and the blower and compressor worked. Just didn't think to pop that other cap off and check the drain...

One winter I had the webbing that supported my vent pvc 15 foot pipe run fail and the horizontal pipe slumped towards the furnace

Pipe condensant drained toward the gas furnace rather than away, and the fitting at the unit dropped below plumb and did not drain

same blinking light and no blower

blowing out the drain lines every season is a good plan

I assure you it will be on my maintenance plan going forward.

I have one for the math nerds and HVAC enthusiasts.

How do I calculate the CFM flow potential of a goofy flush mount grill like pictured below.

Have a guy who wants to go from a 4 ton up to a 5 ton variable speed. He can certainly use the extra capacity during the dog days of summer.





Great thread. I'm in the biz and still learn from reading here and in other hvac posts. Always something new to learn in this biz.


The one I'm calculating for is:
20.5" wide overall
32.5" tall overall
Channel is 1.75" wide on all sides

Any opinion on the York brand?

Awesome thread, I subscribed after I had my system redesigned and replaced.  But I still am catching up.


BTW, I went from a Goodman 3 ton 13 SEER heat pump covering 2800 sq ft living area and a Goodman 1.5 ton 13 SEER heat pump with a 1 ton air handler covering 300 sq ft, to a single Carrier 4 ton 26 SEER heat pump variable speed compressor and air handler with zoned dampeners.  For the first month I had the new system, I was always going out and checking the compressor, because I can't hear it.

So here's a .. we'll call it a challenge.

I've got a 2000sq/ft shop that I need to install AC in. I've been using a 4 Ton water source heat pump up to this point that I made portable. It's been handy, I've loaded it up on a trailer and taken it to a friends house to work in his shop in comfort. but I digress. The down side is my well runs along with the heat pump which adds to the energy cost & the unit is probably 30 years old at least.

A friend recently replaced his 13 SEER 5 Ton Trane HVAC because the evaporator rusted and developed a leak. Trane wanted an insane amount of money for a new coil + labor so he elected to upgrade to a new variable speed unit. I took advantage of the opportunity and asked him to same his old system for me. I had him have the tech reverse pump the Freon R410, back into the compressor to save it.  It's a Heritage 13 condenser unit mfg in 2009. (I have all the model#'s if needed) I've been researching cased coils (& uncased), & AHU's Lots of freight damaged & discontinued NOS stuff out there that's pretty cheap. The dead AHU has a TXV.

I've been shopping for 5 Ton evaporators with TXV, R410, 24x21 cabinet. Is there anything else I should be looking at to ensure compatibility with the condenser? Anything to avoid at all costs?

I have access to a Scorpion 2000 recovery vac unit, gages, clamp on amp meter, oxy torch other tools. I have argon that I can purge with. Admittedly I've never done home HVAC but I've done plenty of automotive in the past. I'd only have the cost of the coil in it and if I got 5-10 years from it, it would be worth it in the end. Any sage advice?  

What are the thoughts of mini splits vs heat pump vs heat pump/gas (dual fuel) if the entire system will be built from the ground up?
I'm in the process of trying to get something done to my place right now.
It has a rigged in poorly done central gas furnace in a tight crawlspace, but never had central heat.
Been getting quotes on having a new system installed in either a closet or the attic with ducting in the attic.
Electrical will need to be run as well.

Oversized equipment will not control the humidity. The unit only dehumidifies while it's running, so if your on the boundary, get the smaller unit.

I'd suggest that you have your oil burner serviced annually.  Burner nozzles wear fairly quickly, fuel pumps can lose pressure, something went out of adjustment and it sooted up internally.   It should take 1 to 2 hours for a proper clean and tune up..

Hoping this is the right place to get an opinion on brands/course of action.

Have a 1050 sq foot side of a duplex that had trouble cooling this year in central texas (we all did at 108 for a few weeks). System got weaker and weaker. I put gauges on it and had 3 techs out from diff companies to verify it's low on freon, the evap in the attic is most likely the problem and to discuss replacement options. This is a R-22 system from install with the home being built in 2001. Compressor sounds noisy, but i'm thinking that's due to being low on freon.

Issue at hand- Do I repair it myself or update to a new system. On the other side of the duplex 2 years prior, I had the same issue. System completely leaked down due to leak at the evap. I ordered a new one off the net, installed and vacuumed down. Had a tech out who had some R-22 to fill it back up and it's been working ever since. Today i've found a replacement evap for the broken side, but am having trouble finding a tech who will buy R-22 or the synthetic stuff. Since both sides are R-22, I've offered to pay for the whole can and keep it in the event the other side has issues.

Tech 1 uses solely Trane. I can't get them to call me back now, but haven't put much effort into it except an initial phone call.

Tech 2 uses goodman but doesn't install himself. He farms it out to another co so that tells me he's out of consideration.

Tech 3 is suggesting a Nortek Gas 15 seer @ $7,500 or a Ducane dual fuel 16 seer @ $7,900. I've never heard of these brands. Google searches bring up all sorts of differing answers. The pitch is - "Norteck makes maytag, frigidaire and gibson. All brands i've never new were involved in home AC except gibson. The Ducane is an advanced series by Lennox. They carry Trane OXbox but it has bad metering devices and is a low budget unit. Carrier is known for coil leaks. Trane has poor tech supports and warranty issues but Trane and Carrier have good commercial unites. Goodman, Daikin, Trane, CArrier, Bryan, Payne all use the same basic coil design. A ribbon candy coil that causes the compressor to run at higher thermal temp vs system they support that uses a backward Z design that maintains a lower temp due to less heat restriction preventing thermal lock overload. They also come with storm damage protection from hail."

Does that sound correct to anyone with more experience than I? If it was a vehicle, I could tell you individual vehicles and models to avoid by year. I can't do that with AC systems and it's making me nervous picking such an expensive product.

FWIW of the 80+ brands in the American market there are only 7 manufactures.  Nortek uses industry standard copeland compressors, galvanized powder coated sheet metal, composite pans and all aluminum coils.  The Maytag label has one of the best warranties in the business at 12 years.  Whatever brand you go with, it will depend on the quality of the install as to how it performs.  I have a five stage Maytag HP that has been in for four trouble free years.

that is what i am seeing in my research as well. The only hold up i'm having is in comparison to say autos. I think my local tech or forum is the best for say the ford brand. That still doesn't get me around the issue that some of their products are just duds like the 6.4 diesel no matter how good the tech is. Was hoping to see if these installers sounded legit and if any of these brands/models were in the total avoidance column.

How are the Pioneer ducted split units? (Not "mini-split") The bigger 3.5 0r 4 ton split systems with and air handler, and the outside unit that has the fans on the side instead of on top.