HVAC guy rant

[tsolomon]

Went through the same thing a couple of years ago when I replaced my central air and I did ask him that same question. He said that by looking at the old unit and the size of the house, he knew what the appropriate size would be. I pursued it based on the fact that the old unit couldn't keep the house cool and he assured me that it was a cheap unit and that the new one would do the job. I can now say that he was right and the new unit not only kept the house cooler, but it also cut my summer electricity bill in half.

[cmitch]

When I built my home in 2005, I got a 15 SEER 3.5 ton Heatpump and all ductwork installed for $9,350 final price (It was bid out for $9850). The second lowest bid (I had bid it out for a 14 SEER) was $15,000. When I told 'Jimmy' That 'Sam' was going to do it for $9,850, he scoffed and said it would not be done right. What he didn't understand is that 'Sam' doesn't cheat people. He charges a fair price for his work. 'Jimmy' was miffed and said that there was no way 'Sam' could do it for $9,850!. Fast forward 6 weeks, I get a call from 'Sam', saying, "Hey, Clayton. I got a closeout deal on a 15 SEER American Standard that is $500 CHEAPER than the 14 SEER American Standard I quoted. Want me to get it?" It was a no brainer. I seen 'Jimmy' in town about 3 months later. He says, "Well, did 'Sam' do that job for $9850?" I replied that he wasn't able to do it for that. Jimmy gets all excited and says, "See, I told you it couldn't be done for $9850!"
I politely let him down by saying that 'Sam' DIDN'T do it for $9850. He did it for $9,350! THAT pissed him off.

[forgop]

Originally Posted by tsolomon

Went through the same thing a couple of years ago when I replaced my central air and I did ask him that same question. He said that by looking at the old unit and the size of the house, he knew what the appropriate size would be. I pursued it based on the fact that the old unit couldn't keep the house cool and he assured me that it was a cheap unit and that the new one would do the job. I can now say that he was right and the new unit not only kept the house cooler, but it also cut my summer electricity bill in half.

If I was just replacing a unit, you might be able to make that assumption. In my situation, the house was not built with a duct big enough to carry enough cfm's to heat/cool 2300 sq. ft. adequately. You can barely feel the air trickle through any vent and by the time you get it, it's no longer hot/cold air because of the distance it travels to get there. My system blows downward and then makes an immediate 90 degree turn for the supply upstairs in a duct half the size it needs to be. Therefore, I'm forced to have entirely separate systems for each floor. The problem is, for a new unit, he has no measurements of square footage or knowledge of the supplies/returns upstairs.

Can't wait to see his bid though...the guy yesterday guesstimated it would be around $5k for a 3T central air unit, a 3T air handler, and all of the other necessary work to go along with it.