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Thread: Replacing a heat pump

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    N CA
    Posts
    1,279
    The reason, one of the reasons, I bring up the ductwork is taht if it is done poorly, as it was in my home, with the technology in the mini-splits you can remove the duct work and replace with mini splits. I did that and netted out two good sized closets and storage under the stairway. As well the building is zoned. I have a dual for the upstairs bedrooms and two very high seer singles downstairs. With the solar system I installed last year we are H&C for zero dollars. I burn some propane for my Rinnai wall furnace on one side of the house. As to the central units, I’ve been out of that end of the business long enough now to be shy of suggesting one or the other. A fellow I know and respect likes the multistage Carriers. From a comfort standpoint, you want at least two stage. I would not hesitate to use a mini in your shop or the house, IF you have the contractor train you in how to remove the cover and possibly the blower wheel. From there, have him show you how to clean the coil and the blower wheel. It isn’t hard. It is a pitn. This assumes you have duct collection. Minis have the front facing filters that are easy to clean, but you can about throw the cat through them. When you look at the wall evap for minis you see the face of the coil, but at least 40% of the coil surface runs over the top and down the back. Out of sight is not out of mind Don’t tuck the unit so high that you cannot get at it. They allow you to be within 2” of the ceiling but cleaning one of those is tough. I represented Fujitsu in the six New England States for 14 years and find them to be everything that Mitsubishi is.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Neither here nor there
    Posts
    3,831
    Blog Entries
    6
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Bartley View Post
    Thanks for all the info folks. I was hoping to see the third estimate today, it’s the one with the Mitsubishi stuff.

    Malcolm, I’ve worked in a bunch of historic homes with mini splits in different zones. It’s an awesome set up for a house like that.

    Hopefully I’ll have another estimate tomorrow!
    wow. I called the ac guy today to discuss the quote and it turns out it’s not two options- it’s one downstairs, one up. So- it’s not the $15k to 18k I thought it was- it’s $15k up, $18k down. 4500 square feet with 12’ ceilings. I’m getting a second quote now. I was budgeting $20-25k. Might have to up my budget.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Longmont, CO
    Posts
    810
    we had a 3 head Mitsubishi hyper heat unit in the last house, and it was great. the variable speed fan on the outside unit was nearly silent, and very smooth. the indoor units noise was just the "rush" of air blowing. nothing more. i plan on putting in another one in the new place.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Northern Florida
    Posts
    643
    It's important to get the right size system and bigger is not better than big enough. It's worse. Look into "Manual J".

    "Manual J is the protocol used for determining the amount of heating and cooling that a home requires to keep its occupants warm in the heating months and cool and dry in the cooling months. ... Your HVAC tech should use the latest software to aid in a Manual J calculation..."

    A manual J calculation considers the volume of the house, area of walls and windows and the direction they are facing, quality of the insulation, where the house is geographically and more. It takes time to gather the information, which is why many companies won't do it or will fake it. There are a few free online systems for DIY Manual J. I used https://www.loadcalc.net/.

    My original system was 2 1/2 tons and I had estimates for systems from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 tons. I ran the numbers and thought 2 tons was enough. I had to sign a waiver to get the guy to install it instead of the 2 1/2 he recommended. It's been 5 years since it was installed and I was clearly right.

    As for which brand: I went with American Standard because they are made by Trane and Consumer Reports liked them but the installation is probably more important than the manufacturer.

  5. #20
    Got to be careful choosing a dealer. Worst experience was when we bought from a good company that an uncle of mine had helped start.
    They brought in the big compressor and set it . Then they brought in the air handler and it wouldn’t fit….so they swapped it out . Those
    two pieces have to match,but they never mentioned that. Less than 2 years out whole system had to be replaced.

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