AIR COMPRESSOR PADS

By paul On May 21, 2010 Under AIR COMPRESSOR

I need a new A/C is the following quote good?

My A/C air compressor died and I need to replace it. Its a 5 ton and I the ac guy is going to use a Payne PA13 to replace it (NR06000).

For $2000 he is going to :

reconnect existing refrigerate line
removal and disposal of replaced equimpment
reconnect existing line and low voltage wiring
new fused disconnect
condenser pad
Start up.

I can't afford to replace the whole thing with the furnace and vents.
Is this an energy efficient system to save a little money on my electric bill? In the summer my bill gets up to $1000. I have a 2400 sq home.

THANKS SO MUCH!!! FOR ANY INPUT!!!

It is a very basic a/c system. It is rated at 13 seer. Seer is like mpg, the higher the number the higher the efficiency. 13 seer is the minimum efficiency currently manufactured. I don't know what kind of system you currently own, but it is likely rated at 6-10 seer, so yes, the new one should save you some money, but by no means is it a high efficient unit. There are a/c units available rated around 26 seer, but they cost a lot more. My question to you would be if the price includes the outdoor condensing unit and the indoor evaporator coil, or just the outdoor unit. From your description, it sounds like it is just the outdoor unit. I would highly advise against that. It would work, but it may not run to the full capacity it is rated for. Also, you would not get the full 13 seer it is rated for as the existing coil is not rated at 13 seer. You may only get 10 or 11 seer. And the service life of the new condenser will be shortened. Possibly significantly. You should check with your contractor if it is included. If it is, then I would say $2000 for a 5 ton unit is a good price. If the coil is not included, then pay a little extra and get that too. It should only be $400-$500 more. One last thing. The PA13 unit uses R-22 refrigerant. Beginning in 2010, units that use R-22 will no longer be manufactured. In 2020 R-22 refrigerant will no longer be manufactured. And every year until then less and less will be made. This means that the price of the refrigerant is going up. So years down the road, when you need a re-charge, it is going to cost you an arm and a leg. The replacement for R-22 is R410a. You may see it advertised as Puron. It may be worth your while looking into a system that uses R-410a. The up front cost will be higher. Although R410a systems have dropped in price significantly in the past few years. It will save you money in the long run. Hope this helped. Good luck.