house AC/Heat pump advice

[rfuerst911sc]

Well my 12 year old Rheem AC unit is starting to give me the signs that it's tired and want to rest. Living in Orlando we use AC about 9 months out of the year and the heat about 1 month. The current unit is a 4 ton with 10 SEER and my home is aprox. 1900 s.f. single story but with vaulted ceilings on 1/2 of the house. I have done some web surfing and Trane appears to be a good unit and I think I would go for atleast a 14 SEER. I will be replacing the outside unit along with the inside air handler. Any other brands you guys recommend? Or any other ideas in general? Looks like the refrigerant of choice is Puron? I think I can limp thru this summer but thats about it.

[id10t]

We just got a 16.something seer at the begining of the year. Good news is that the bigger ones are cheaper now due to code changes. Our electric bill *really* dropped with the new unit, not sure how much due to newness vs. seer rating. Our house is a tad over 1900 sf, so a similar unit would probably work for you. I'm up in the Gainesville area, so I know the heat you are talking about...

[RickM]

When I installed my two units I had a choice between Rheem and Trane (at a particular price point). I went with the Rheem because of it's scroll compressor technology. It runs quieter, more efficiently and so far trouble free after about five years. It's kind of like having a Whipple supercharger cooling your house

[turbo6bar]

The Copeland scroll compressor is top shelf.

All major brands are good, but the real key is quality of installation. The most efficient unit on the market will give poor results if you choke it with insufficient ductwork.

Ask friends and neighbors for references.

If I recall correctly, R-22 will not be sold in new units after 2010, but the freon will still be around until 2020, when production stops. If you go with R-22, you should have no issues with future service. Puron is just the latest and greatest. I don't think it is better than R-22. It's chief purpose is reduction in impact on the environment. Puron(R-410A) runs high pressures and requires more stringent installation protocol, so expect the labor/installation cost to be higher.

I focus on best bang for the buck, so I would shoot for SEER-12-14 with R-22 refrigerant. The Copeland scroll compressor is a great piece, but a quality install with any other compressor trumps the Copeland with lousy installer.
jurgen

[RickM]

Originally posted by turbo6bar
The Copeland scroll compressor is top shelf.

the real key is quality of installation. The most efficient unit on the market will give poor results if you choke it with insufficient ductwork.

Ask friends and neighbors for references.

Most excellent advice.