Im so confused...

..we received 3 quotes for central air.

We have an 1800ish sq. ft. Hi Ranch. Our layout is funky though- its very open. Kitchen, DR/LV and an extra room and bathroom are downstairs. Upstairs is a great room, 3 beds and another bath.

We have NO attic. It gets VERY hot upstairs. downstairs stays a little cooler, but with the upstairs beign so hot, it gets very humid downstairs.

Each person is recommending a different size.

2.5 ton - HD- $4500 (we don't need ductwork) its a Lennox

3 ton - Slomins - $6500 Comfortmaker brand

4 ton - Sears - $7800 or $5600 depending on which unit - one is a 2 fan super quiet and the other one fan - both Kenmore.

The guy from Sears was the only one who measured super carefully, checked a compass to see where the sun would hit, etc. all units are 14 seer. He was the most knowledgable as well.

DH and I have no idea what to do!! Any help is appreciated!

Re: Im so confused...

We have a ranch & had central AC installed last year...and we had a similar problem. We got 4 quotes & each one had a different measurement for our home's sq. footage (there was a 500'+ difference between 2 of them!!), each recommended a different size unit, etc. It was VERY confusing to say the least.

In the end we went with All Weather Temperature Control from Copiague & got a Rheem unit. We felt that they were the most honest & helpful...they thoroughly explained everything & happily answered all of our questions. In the end they did a fantastic job & we couldn't be happier with them. If you're up for getting another quote, I'd highly recommend them. Either way, good luck with your decision

Message edited 7/3/2009 8:41:31 AM.

Re: Im so confused...

Ha, DH is home and got another quote.

This guy wants to do something completely different with our ducts, and a Goodman 3.5 ton unit. We have a Goodman furnace that is about 10 years old and this installer wants to match the units.

Re: Im so confused...

Now you know what I went through this spring.

We called the big companies like you did and then called a few smaller companies that were recommended on here. The price difference was a few grand! I would recommend having 1 or 2 smaller companies come in for quotes.

Also, be careful with Sears - their installers are not necessarily CAC/HVAC certified - the guy that comes to the house to sell the unit is not the one who does the installing.

I'm going to send you a few links to some articles I read and the questions we asked each CAC company that came in.

Re: Im so confused...

Thanks Betsy!!

Yep, the guy this morning is a local place (I must have found the name on here).

DH liked the guy today - especially because of what you mentioned - he is the one who is going to be installing it.

This is such a hard decision!