review of new American Standard estimate

9 years ago

I received this advice from tigerdunes last year, to replace my 2 ton American Standard heat pump unit and was VERY happy to get it (1066 sq ft. house, good insulation, good clean ductwork, 34 yrs old, north Florida).

"I would look at 2 ton AS Heritage 13 with GAM5030 air handler or TAM7030 var speed air handler. Add a 7 KW heat strip. Ask for HW mdl 8321 for best dehumidification in cooling.

I see no reason for a two stage condenser. A waste of money. Since cooling is more important to your location, you want the higher SEER. The TAM7-030 air handler paired with the Heritage 13 condenser gets you to 15 SEER. I would expect your cooling costs to be reduced apprx 20%."

I have not had to replace my unit, but want to be prepared. So I've requested three quotes from the most experienced HVAC companies in town. There are no American Standard authorized dealers here. The temperatures here are already in the mid 90s and heat indexes will be 98-100 soon. The best company (the first quote), has a three week waiting period to replace HVAC units, and I'm trying to forestall that long a wait, if my system dies.

I asked the three companies for a quote for:

2 ton American Standard Heritage 13 with:
TAM7030 var speed air handler.
7 KW heat strip.

I've gotten two quotes so far:

1st quote: "approximately $6,300 if the work is completed by Aug. 1, 2014."

2d quote:

EQUIPMENT: AMERICAN STANDARD 2- TON
AIR HANDLER: AAM7A0B30H21 VAR. SPEED
HEAT STRIPS: BAYEVAC08LG 8 KW
COND UNIT: 4A6H3024C1 15 SEER
THERMOSTAT TH6220D1002 PROGAMMABLE

Standard manufacturer's warranty: 10 years on compressor, outdoor coil. 10 years on indoor coil and 10 years all other functional parts. Must be registered. One year on labor.

Total cost: $5,948, until June 30, 2014

I have only one question: are components listed in the second quote equal to what I asked for, and if not, what needs correction? Notice that the 2d quote doesn't say American Standard Heritage 13. And I would certainly like to avoid a compressor made in China. . .

I would soooooo appreciate your opinion.

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Comments (5)

tigerdunes
9 years ago
AmStd has rebranded their condensers moving away from Heritage and Allegiance nomenclature to platinum, gold, silver models. Marketing foolishness in my opinion.

But to answer your question, yes that model is in fact the Heritage 13. I see there has been a change to that model since I last gave you that info. I have no idea what the difference is between the suffix C1 that is discontinued and the suffix D1 that is now the active model number. AHRI numbers below.

5297889 Discontinued Systems HERITAGE 13 AMERICAN STANDARD, INC. 4A6H3024C1 *AM7A0B30H21 810 26000 12.50 15.00 22800 8.50 13600 1 HRCU-A-CB 215 584 Yes

6079047 Active Systems GOLD SI AMERICAN STANDARD, INC. 4A6H3024D1 *AM7A0B30H21 770 25600 12.00 14.50 23000 9.00 15000 1 HRCU-A-CB 219 552

Apparently your dealer has access to the discontinued model. This model has a small edge in cooling but really inconsequential.

I would want HW Mdl #8321 thermostat. Has overcooling feature for humidity.

Nice system but pricing on high side.

IMO
mewsician
Original Author
9 years ago
Tigerdunes:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I appreciate your comment on overcooling, too. I'll ask for that thermostat (if this quote is the one I choose; I doubt any others will be cheaper).

The service you guys offer on this forum just can't be beat! It's outstanding.
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mewsician
Original Author
9 years ago
Tigerdunes:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I appreciate your comment on overcooling, too. I'll ask for that thermostat (if this quote is the one I choose; I doubt any others will be cheaper).

The service you guys offer on this forum just can't be beat! It's outstanding.
udarrell
9 years ago
IMO, Northern FL is a high humidity area & 2-Ton is only 533-sf per ton of cooling; 1ÃÂ½ Ton is 710-sf per ton of cooling which would provide more runtime to do more dehumidification, which is your paramount comfort factor.

Additionally, the duct system & Return Air filter area will be sized larger for better efficiency with the 1ÃÂ½-Ton system; initial costs will also be lower.

You can also do various cost effective ways tro make your home more energy efficient...

Here is a link that might be useful: HVAC SAVE Objectives
tigerdunes
9 years ago
Udarrell always offers good advice.

Being a Southern boy and very familiar with our summer weather/climate, I do not want to be borderline on cooling BTUs. Yes, look at reasonable and cost effective ways to reduce cooling load especially attic insulation. I'll just leave it at that. A little common sense along these lines goes a long way. I don't care if AC struggles to keep up in extreme temps. I just want that indoor comfort level maintained, not backing up.

TD

This post was edited by tigerdunes on Sun, May 25, 14 at 12:06