Carrier Heat Pump Quote Help

12 years ago

I'm in the Washington DC area, 2 story 1900 square foot house plus 900 square foot finished basement. Replacing 14 year old 2.5ton heat pump. 2 16x16 return air vents; one on ground floor and the other on the 2nd floor.

Quote A:

Carrier Performance 16 25HPA636 3 ton unit

Carrier Infinity FE4ANF003 air handler

15kw staged heat strips

Carrier Infinity Thermostat

Really liked this contractor a lot- ran a manual j; took the time to inspect the existing setup; has a very good reputation for high quality installs.

$8500 after rebates

Quote B:

Carrier Performance 16 25HPA636 3 ton unit

Carrier Infinity FE4ANF002 air handler

15 kw heat strips (not sure if these are staged or not)

Carrier Infinity Thermostat

Contractor did not run a manual j; just eyeballed it but also thought existing 2.5 ton unit was undersized and that a 3ton unit would be better. Contractor has fairly good reputation although I doubt the installs are as meticulous as the first contractor.

$6100 after rebates.

I prefer the first contractor but it's a huge difference in price. The only difference in equipment is the 003 handler vs the 002 handler. Is the smaller air handler acceptable with the 3 ton heat pump? Any other feedback on the proposed equipment?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

tigerdunes
12 years ago
Tom

just on the pricing alone, one has to lean toward Qut#2.

However the 002 Infinity air handler is not an approved match.

The 005 would be the air handler I would want whether Qut #1 or #2. And I would insist on a staged heat strip.

4384581 Active Systems PERFORMANCE 16 PURON HP CARRIER AIR CONDITIONING 25HPA636A**31 FE4AN(B,F)005+UI 34800 12.70 16.00 36600 9.00 22200

Obviously you will require a new and correctly sized refrigerant lineset. Is this included?

a very nice system except for the absence of demand defrost.

IMO
Pete_Honor
12 years ago
I'm in Northern Virginia, 2 story split level 1800 square foot house plus 600 square foot finished basement. Replacing 13 year old 2.5ton heat pump. 2 16x16 return air vents; one on ground floor and the other on the 2nd floor.

Quote A:
Carrier Performance 16 25HPA636 3 ton unit
Carrier Infinity FE4ANF003T air handler
15kw I don't know if staged?
Carrier Infinity Thermostat # SYSTXCCUIDO1
Really liked this contractor
$6800 after rebates

Quote states 'Use existing refrigerant piping'
Is this bad?

Is this a reasonable quote?

Tom - Can i ask where the $6100 came from?

Quote B:
Trane XL15i 16 SEER 2.5 ton unit
Trane Variable Speed 4TEE-C air handler
15kw I don't know if staged?
Trane Programmable XL900 Thermostat
liked this contractor
$7100 after rebates

Any Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

-Pete
Related Professionals
Chino Hills Solar Energy Systems · East Lake Solar Energy Systems · Palm Springs Solar Energy Systems · Saratoga Solar Energy Systems · Franklin Solar Energy Systems · Homer Glen Solar Energy Systems · Bozeman Home Automation & Home Media · Chattanooga Home Automation & Home Media · Keller Home Automation & Home Media · Plant City Home Automation & Home Media · Ponte Vedra Beach Home Automation & Home Media · San Fernando Home Automation & Home Media · South San Francisco Home Automation & Home Media · East Setauket Home Automation & Home Media · North Ogden Fireplaces
tom_dorn
Original Author
12 years ago
Just realized I had a typo on my original post- the price difference was large but not that large! Quote #2 was $7100, not $6100. Contractor #1 came down another $400 from original quote. Combine that with the $600 in federal/ VA DMME tax credits/rebate that only quote #1 qualifies for and the price difference was down to $400. Enough for me to justify going with #1 for the slightly larger air handler and better contractor reputation.

Both contractors inspected the refrigerant lines during the quote and said they were properly sized and could be reused. Contractor #1 flushed and pressure tested the lines during the install. (not sure exactly what they use to flush them with but the lines were looped back inside and then hooked up to some sort of machine outside for hours.)

The difference is comfort is quite noticeable- I didn't expect that. We now have the thermostat set at 77 and it feels just as comfortable as when we kept the old system at 75. I'm assuming this is due to improved dehumidification.

Tigerdunes- Thanks for the feedback; much appreciated.

Pete- Why the difference in unit size between the two quotes? Are your price quotes just with the Carrier rebate or did you already factor in the federal/state rebates? If that price is before federal/state rebates it seems like a great deal compared to my quote.

-Tom