AC Recommendations/Installation?

[Pedro Sanchez]

With the recent wave of heat i would like to get Central AC installed.

Can anyone recommend a reputable Heating/Cooling company. I would like good workmanship and a good unit at affordable/competitive prices. Names, Phone #'s or websites appreciated.

Thanks

 

[papasmerf]

Call 3 established companies, in, for prices.

Go with the price in the middle.

 

[RogerRabbit]

Homeservice club is not the cheapest, but they are legit/ credible and you will need to get a membership:

416-925-1111

 

[james t kirk]

I did a house once and the Contractor was Belyea Brothers of Toronto.

Price was ok, but the service was pathetic.

I had West End Heating do my place. They were the worst Contractors I have ever seen in my life. Problems to long to list. Some big fat German guy ran the place. What a fucking asshole he was.

I don't know any good ones. But there's two to avoid.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Do some research

I needed a new furnace and wanted central AC.

Not sure how it is in Canada but this is what I did in WNY 3 yrs ago when I had a high efficiency Trane furnace/central AC/central humidifier system installed.

I checked around then and found out Trane had the best reputation then from checking the web, friends and co-workers who had central air. Got several estimates over a few months. At first Trane was on the higher side but not that much. What sold me on Trane was they had a 'spring special' 3 yrs ago where they actually bid under all the competion and offfered a 10 yr warranty, which was the longest warranty on the market then....everyone else then only offered a 5 yr warranty.

Been very happy with the Trane unit and so far have had not a bit of trouble with it.

 

[papasmerf]

I needed a new furnace and wanted central AC.

Not sure how it is in Canada but this is what I did in WNY 3 yrs ago when I had a high efficiency Trane furnace/central AC/central humidifier system installed.

I checked around then and found out Trane had the best reputation then from checking the web, friends and co-workers who had central air. Got several estimates over a few months. At first Trane was on the higher side but not that much. What sold me on Trane was they had a 'spring special' 3 yrs ago where they actually bid under all the competion and offfered a 10 yr warranty, which was the longest warranty on the market then....everyone else then only offered a 5 yr warranty.

Been very happy with the Trane unit and so far have had not a bit of trouble with it.

Now this will scare you

I have a Trane too

 

[WoodPeckr]

Now this will scare you

I have a Trane too

OMG !

Now that is almost scary.....

 

[tboy]

Heat wave? HEAT WAVE? where the hell do YOU live? 28 isn't a heat wave....38 is lol.....

 

[Pedro Sanchez]

OK, so i called a few places and well most are in the same $ range i am wondering a few things.

- What type of SEER rating should i get? Apparently SEER means efficiency and the higher the # (goes as high as 17, the more efficient your unit) They still make SEER 10 but will no longer in a year or 2. I was looking at the ones with a SEER 13 rating.

- There is a new type of gas on the market its called R410A and units will no longer be made after 2010 with the old gas. If you need service in years after that , 2020 and on) you might have to get a new unit. so should i get the new gas. It's a brand new house and i could spend my lifetime here or i could move in 5 years.

I would also like to know for a 2700sq/ft house is a 2 1/2 ton ok and what is a good model. I have prices ranging between $2000 - $3500 (ballpark quotes)

Thanks, any input is appreciated.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Pedro,
Most of those questions can be researched on the web, or by talking to a few HVAC techies.

Those higher SEER 17 etc, ratings are not that cost effective up here in the northern climates. A SEER 17 rating in better used down south in Florida, Texas etc.

I have a feeling refrigerent gases will change every 10 or so years as newer advances are made/claimed.

A house the size you have, if you have the available room in your lot, may be better and more cheaply cooled with a Geothermal Heat Pump system. Once all the coils are buried all you pay for is the electricity to power a relatively small blower and coolant circulation pump. The earth at a constant 55 degrees Fahrenheit = 12.78 degrees Celsius, becomes your cooling medium and no exotic gases are needed.....just a thought.

 

[nato75]

I've been looking into A/Cs myself and a few thoughts have come to mind (please correct me if I'm way off, I'm just learning about all this for the first time)...

Woodpeckr rightl about SEER ratings and such. In our climate where we use the machine for a few months a year at best, it is just not cost effective to go with a high SEER rated unit - the difference in the cost of the A/C will far outweigh what you save per year in energy consumption. I am thinking about a 10-12 SEER rated machine (but my house is smaller than yours). Especially since A/Cs only last 15 years or so (as far as I gather).

And I wouldn't worry about the changing gases (Puron and all that). Your unit won't become obselete and unserviceable - service will continue. But if it doesn't, you can always change the gas in your current unit; yes, apparently it can be done for around $200-300, and the price will continue to drop as the product becomes more available.

And finally, as far as recommending an installer - I got quotes from a few:

Laird & Son - http://www.lairdandson.com - Lennox
Home Depot Installation (via A Plus) http://www.homedepot.ca - Trane
Convertible - http://www.convertibleair.com/ - Lennox and others

I think I'm going to go with the last one. Nice people, straight shooters, lots of choices, well recommended and good prices.

 

[wop]

There is a rebate program in place for buying a higher SEER rated unit.
See this article in The Star for some good info.
Hire good hardworking local contractor with good references or a big residential Heating Air Conditioning firm with a good long track record. Contacting the company that put in the original furnace may prove to be OK too.
Keep in mind that re-sellers like Home Service Club, Sears, Enbridge Home Service, Home Depot etc. may offer a good deal, or a good warranty or easy financing, but the guy actually doing the work is working for much less than you are paying. This may affect his commitment to doing a great job may be less than you expect, not because he is a bad guy, but because of simple economics, he is wanting to finish and get to the next one.

 

[sledhead]

Watson

Watson's in Richmond Hill. Very good.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Keep in mind that re-sellers like Home Service Club, Sears, Enbridge Home Service, Home Depot etc. may offer a good deal, or a good warranty or easy financing, but the guy actually doing the work is working for much less than you are paying. This may affect his commitment to doing a great job may be less than you expect, not because he is a bad guy, but because of simple economics, he is wanting to finish and get to the next one.

When I got estimates from Sears and Home Depot they were higher than regular HVAC outfits. Sears and Home Depot had to be paid a commission for use of their name and just passed it off onto the customer by giving a higher estimate. Best to try finding a good company and going directly to them. I dealth with the company owner who gave a better deal because no salesman was involved and he said he would pass this savings to me......

 

[Pedro Sanchez]

Thanks for all the input. I have 2 contractors coming to give me quotes based on a SEER 13 rating with the older type gas. Ballparks quotes i have from them are approx $2400 plus gst with 6 months to pay.