primitive wants to replace furnace, air-conditioner

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1158331

Oh my.

Auggie (13,099 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

Anyone know the cost of a furnace/AC replacement?

26-year old RUUD furnace / AC unit. The blower motor is definitely worn out and needs to be replaced -- at $376 that's not a big deal. But to have the whole unit replaced, which I am considering, is estimated at over $7000.00!

I'll get other estimates, of course, but just wondered if anyone here has had similar experiences. Seven grand seems way over the top to me, even for a heating/AC combo. And fixing the blower motor alone doesn't mean something else can go down the road, like the relay.

leftyohiolib (575 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

1. that's what it cost me

i have a heat pump w/ac the air handler inside was 7000 and the chiller outside was 8000 . yeah. had it done about 3 years ago

Melissa G (8,791 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

2. About that in cost..

Depends on your tonnage and brands. American Standard is pretty cost effective.

Your electric company/city may be running low interest loans for hi efficiency units. I have done this 3 times for my homes. we have even gotten 0 percent loans.

shanti (15,675 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

4. yes

my local electric company, SMUD, offers no interest loans for new HVAC units. it's a great deal. i got a new high efficiency unit in 2001, american standard, and it cost me at the time, about $5000. the new unit lowered my utility bill (i'm all electric) significantly. they also gave me a loan for new vinyl windows for the whole house a few years ago.

utility loans are definitely worth looking into if you don't have the money up front for this necessity.

sinkingfeeling (22,690 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

3. Depends on the efficiency of the units. I just replaced my smaller, upstairs

furnance and AC for $5300. The cost to replace it with a super high efficient unit would have been $7600.

Ruby the Liberal (11,552 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

5. Please do get more estimates.

I replaced my AC/Heat Pump with a 13 SEER Carrier for $4k. Of course, I only have 1,500 SF to worry about, but $7k seems like a lot.

LiberalEsto (13,017 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

6. See if you can qualify for an energy saving rebate or tax deduction

Check federal, state and local agencies.

Last year we had a new roof put up with high reflectivity white shingles. Got a nice federal tax deduction on it.

Hassin Bin Sober (5,060 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

7. Are you doing both furnace and AC at once?

If it's just the furnace blower you might consider squeaking by with just a furnace replacement for now. (assuming yours is a conventional set-up with the AC coil in the plenum above the furnace)

It would be nice to have a new efficient AC but sometimes the budget is the boss.

My friend just had to have a new furnace installed. She went with the furnace only and kept the old AC for now. She had to go high efficiency (IIRC 95%) because a cheaper low (80%)efficiency unit would have required an inspection and most likely re-lining of the 80 year old chimney. A 95% unit gets vented via PVC pipe through the wall (no chimney).

My friend's bill was $3300 installed for a Lenox 95%. Ottawa IL. This was, IIRC, a 150k BTU unit.

My neighbor in out condo just had furnace and AC done for $4,000 for a lower end 80% efficient unit. Don't remember the btus.

Tesha (19,404 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

8. A couple of years ago, we spent $8,000 (IIRC, after rebates and tax credits*) for a new HVAC system.

This included the top-of-the-line Lennox high-efficiency gas furnace, their top-of-the-line two-speed A/C condensing unit, and all new refrigerant lines, controls, dampers, and thermostats.

If all you really need is a blower, I'd swap the blower. But that unit is getting old. How efficient is it? Can you make your money back with fuel savings? Or you might view the blower replacement as buying you a few years to prepare.

Tesha

*That might have been "before rebates and tax credits", but I don't think so.

Coyote_Bandit (6,405 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

9. I spent about $8000 a few years back

The price will vary depending on how energy efficient the unit is and how much capacity you require to heat and cool your home.

I opted for the high efficiency unit and have reduced my energy usage by about a third.

I got my unit in February when local contractors offer off-season discounts. Saved about $1000 that way.

Financed the cost for 12 months with no interest and paid it all off before interest accrued.

Auggie (13,099 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

10. Thanks everybody

We decided to replace the blower motor and save up for a complete replacement sometime in the future. The furnace and AC are tied into each other, so both had to be upgraded at the same time. I could have lowered the replacement estimate with less efficient units -- we're in California, not New England, and don't need superpowered heating and cooling -- but that's defeating the purpose, IMO.

In an ideal world -- one in rich I'm really wealthy -- I'd look into solar electricity and/or geothermal heating and consider redoing the whole darn house.

[BattleHymn]

We decided to replace the blower motor and save up for a complete replacement sometime in the future. The furnace and AC are tied into each other, so both had to be upgraded at the same time. I could have lowered the replacement estimate with less efficient units -- we're in California, not New England, and don't need superpowered heating and cooling -- but that's defeating the purpose, IMO.

Why is this primitive using more than its fair share of valuable earth resources?  I'm expecting Warpy, the appliance expert, to stop by any minute and offer to sell the primitive a raw sheep fleece sweater.   

[jukin]

Greedy MOFO DUchebag!  I guess freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer is for the peons. Mother Gia does not like hypocrites.

[GCBill]

In an ideal world -- one in rich I'm really wealthy -- I'd look into solar electricity and/or geothermal heating and consider redoing the whole darn house.

I thought in an ideal DUmmie world, if you were wealthy you would have 95% to 99% of everything you owned repatriated to the proletariat because you are a thief, and you would be living in a 400 sq ft apartment in a mega public housing complex.

[BattleHymn]

I thought in an ideal DUmmie world, if you were wealthy you would have 95% to 99% of everything you owned repatriated to the proletariat because you are a thief, and you would be living in a 400 sq ft apartment in a mega public housing complex.

H5 

[diesel driver]

I thought in an ideal DUmmie world, if you were wealthy you would have 95% to 99% of everything you owned repatriated to the proletariat because you are a thief, and you would be living in a 400 sq ft apartment in a mega public housing complex.

In the ideal DUmmie world, WE would have 95% of everything taken from us, and be forced to work for our food and 400 SF mega public housing complex, while the DUmmies would live like kings, because they are "smarter" people, "special" people, too "sophisticated", too "nuanced", too "privileged" to have to resort to MANUAL LABOR!!!! 

(Think Thurston Howell, III from "Gilligan's Island")

[catsmtrods]

I'm glad he just repaired it. A 26 year old RUUD is almost a guarantee that the heat exchanger is compromised in some way.
I run into idiots like this all the time. I inspect their furnace and find cracks and holes and tell them they need a new one. They respond "how much is that? I can't afford that!" My next question is "How many in your family?"  Can you afford that many funerals? 

[JohnnyReb]

DUmmie should replace it...undocumented workers need to steal it so they can sell it to the scrap dealer.

Hey, that's what was happening around here. Especially with the larger units at churches and businesses.