Home HVAC cost?

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volaredon

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I'm needing to replace the system I had put in in 99 at a cost of $3400. Now same equivalent will be $7900? Huh?
If I JUST had the AC portion done it's $5300.
I have a 100k btu 80% rheem furnace and 10 seer 2-1/2 ton ac. The condenser is shot, has a hole. Won't take freon. Main problem is the ridiculousness of the cost of r22.

If I put a 95% furnace in and 13 seer 3 ton, I'm looking at $8900. Upgrade to 14 seer add another $300. The guy who did the system in 99 is now dead .. the guy who I am talking to now is a neighbor's brother. New system will be rheem again.

I've only ever spent that much in a vehicle twice, thas double what I usually spend on a vehicle.
Does this sound typical? THAT MUCH increase in the same thing in this amount of time? I can't wrap my head around it. We've been sleeping in the camper in the driveway in hot nights for a couple of weeks now to get ac.
Oh yeah location might play a part, I'm an hour and 2 counties south of Chicago.
 
volaredon said:
W T F
I'm needing to replace the system I had put in in 99 at a cost of $3400. Now same equivalent will be $7900? Huh?
If I JUST had the AC portion done it's $5300.
I have a 100k btu 80% rheem furnace and 10 seer 2-1/2 ton ac. The condenser is shot, has a hole. Won't take freon. Main problem is the ridiculousness of the cost of r22.

If I put a 95% furnace in and 13 seer 3 ton, I'm looking at $8900. Upgrade to 14 seer add another $300. The guy who did the system in 99 is now dead .. the guy who I am talking to now is a neighbor's brother. New system will be rheem again.

I've only ever spent that much in a vehicle twice, thas double what I usually spend on a vehicle.
Does this sound typical? THAT MUCH increase in the same thing in this amount of time? I can't wrap my head around it. We've been sleeping in the camper in the driveway in hot nights for a couple of weeks now to get ac.
Oh yeah location might play a part, I'm an hour and 2 counties south of Chicago.
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Yup, sounds about right, sorry to say.

I'm a commercial HVAC Tech (well, I quote repairs and service mostly now, and don't get my hands dirty much anymore unless the youngsters get-in over their heads), and prices on new equipment has increased dramatically the past few years. Your R-22 example is a good start, as right now R-22 sells for over $125/pound. Why? It's no longer made in the US, and no longer available for sale in new equipment. Remember when R-12 for your car used to be really expensive? Same thing.

But even though R-22 is no longer available, you can swap-in R-438a/MO-99 refrigerant (currently sells for around $40/pound), if you know what you're doing. If your Tech didn't mention this, ask him why (or why not).

Then again, your existing system is 25 years old, and since the typical expected lifespan on HVAC equipment is roughly 20 years, it's had a good run. (In Old School/1970's car terms, your system has 150k+ miles on it....)

The bitchy part of all of this is that while the costs on equipment has gone up, the quality has gone down. Again, in car terms, think about OEM parts that you used to buy, versus the Chinese knock-offs on Amazon. (It's not really that bad, but you get my drift...).

For the most part holes can be fixed, so if you know where it is (if your guy showed you), post a pic (or shoot me a PM), as I would be REALLY curious to see one that can't be repaired.
 
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What @ProjectBazza said is exactly what my provider told me last year when I got a complete HVAC replacement with a Goodman. It was 18 years old in a rental property. It had a good run and the guy said they are better today than they were back then. Total cash price was $12,500.
 
I just can't believe prices are THAT MUCH more than what I had to pay last time....
 
volaredon said:
I just can't believe prices are THAT MUCH more than what I had to pay last time....
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How about this for an example?

I just did a Google search for "median new car price 1999 dodge pickup", and here's a a partial screenshot of the results:

screenshot.JPG


Note the original prices were $22,590 (top of page) and $21,795 (bottom of page).

I'm only theorizing here, but perhaps the "sticker shock" is because most of us (heck, most people in general?) are aware of/keep up with new vehicle prices on a day-to-day/year to year basis, while no one pays attention to A/C prices until their system goes down.
 
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volaredon said:
I just can't believe prices are THAT MUCH more than what I had to pay last time....
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One other thing...

This "hole" your tech mentioned must either be in an inaccessible spot (tube sheet, etc), or the compressor plug, as I can't think of anywhere else that isn't repairable.

Either that or he doesn't want/need the work.

But then you have to compare the price to repair against the price to replace, and if you have a guy that's not fast and efficient.....

You're in a tight spot, and I get it! I have to deal with this every day, but with office buildings, shopping malls, schools....

Again, if you'd like to run some stuff past me, feel free to shoot me a PM, as I'd be happy to help!
 
Typically everything has gone up triple in price, down 2/3s in quality and longevity and want you to buy extended warranty that actually doesn't cover anything
 
volaredon said:
W T F
I'm needing to replace the system I had put in in 99 at a cost of $3400. Now same equivalent will be $7900? Huh?
If I JUST had the AC portion done it's $5300.
I have a 100k btu 80% rheem furnace and 10 seer 2-1/2 ton ac. The condenser is shot, has a hole. Won't take freon. Main problem is the ridiculousness of the cost of r22.

If I put a 95% furnace in and 13 seer 3 ton, I'm looking at $8900. Upgrade to 14 seer add another $300. The guy who did the system in 99 is now dead .. the guy who I am talking to now is a neighbor's brother. New system will be rheem again.

I've only ever spent that much in a vehicle twice, thas double what I usually spend on a vehicle.
Does this sound typical? THAT MUCH increase in the same thing in this amount of time? I can't wrap my head around it. We've been sleeping in the camper in the driveway in hot nights for a couple of weeks now to get ac.
Oh yeah location might play a part, I'm an hour and 2 counties south of Chicago.
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Sounds right. We were quoted $16,000 a few years back but we were making changes to the air handler system. It would probably be over $20 g's today. Our old Heil compressor keeps working well. (knock on wood) It was old when we moved in nearly 30 years ago. Ahhh, they don't make stuff like they used to.
 
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toolmanmike said:
Sounds right. We were quoted $16,000 a few years back but we were making changes to the air handler system. It would probably be over $20 g's today. Our old York compressor keeps working well. (knock on wood) It was old when we moved in nearly 30 years ago. Ahhh, they don't make stuff like they used to.
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My fathers 35+ year old Rheem condensing unit finally bit the bullet a few weeks ago. Built like a friggin' tank, and he kept that sucker clean! But everything dies eventually....
 
ProjectBazza said:
My fathers 35+ year old Rheem condensing unit finally bit the bullet a few weeks ago. Built like a friggin' tank, and he kept that sucker clean! But everything dies eventually....
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Oops, mine is a Heil unit. I need to wash it out. The fins are partially plugged. The kids in the family that lived here before us wrote their names in the coil fins and it took me 2 or 3 fin comes to try to straighten the fins out. I got most of them straight but not all. I am surprised it works as well as it does.
It's an old R22 system.
20240627_085234.jpg
 
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it would be great if you could find a hvac guy that is retired or will do it on the side.. a friend of mine just had a rheem 2 1/2 ton put in and on the side price was 2600$ for everything. i paid 5000$ 2 years ago for mine to be installed. hell of a mark up on things now a days..
 
A big part of the problem is the games the gobt/ EPA is playing with equipment/ refrigerants. It is a multi prong spear. They are screwing around with refrigerants, and these require somewhat different/ specialized repair/ maintenance procedures and equipment, as well as recovery tanks and so on. It ups the costs for the companies, and they pass it to you. The gobt keeps mandating more efficiency, which is a quickly diminishing curve. THAT is upping equipment costs. No difference, really, in many ways, than motor vehicles.

The rules and regulations these people can conjur up makes the IRS look like a tic tak toe game

And then there's shipping inflation at all levels, and just plain inflation
 
67Dart273 said:
A big part of the problem is the games the gobt/ EPA is playing with equipment/ refrigerants. It is a multi prong spear. They are screwing around with refrigerants, and these require somewhat different/ specialized repair/ maintenance procedures and equipment, as well as recovery tanks and so on. It ups the costs for the companies, and they pass it to you. The gobt keeps mandating more efficiency, which is a quickly diminishing curve. THAT is upping equipment costs. No difference, really, in many ways, than motor vehicles.

The rules and regulations these people can conjur up makes the IRS look like a tic tak toe game

And then there's shipping inflation at all levels, and just plain inflation
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We are finding that out about new refrigerators. We need to replace our appliances and the new ones only last a few years.
 
volaredon said:
W T F
I'm needing to replace the system I had put in in 99 at a cost of $3400. Now same equivalent will be $7900? Huh?
If I JUST had the AC portion done it's $5300.
I have a 100k btu 80% rheem furnace and 10 seer 2-1/2 ton ac. The condenser is shot, has a hole. Won't take freon. Main problem is the ridiculousness of the cost of r22.

If I put a 95% furnace in and 13 seer 3 ton, I'm looking at $8900. Upgrade to 14 seer add another $300. The guy who did the system in 99 is now dead .. the guy who I am talking to now is a neighbor's brother. New system will be rheem again.

I've only ever spent that much in a vehicle twice, thas double what I usually spend on a vehicle.
Does this sound typical? THAT MUCH increase in the same thing in this amount of time? I can't wrap my head around it. We've been sleeping in the camper in the driveway in hot nights for a couple of weeks now to get ac.
Oh yeah location might play a part, I'm an hour and 2 counties south of Chicago.
Click to expand...
My brother in law just put a new system in his double wide, it's 1150 square foot and it cost him $6600.00, I believe it's a 2 ton system
 
What hasn't gone up. I am NOT wanting to be political AT ALL, but everything is going up. Over the past 5 years or so, a lot of things have doubled in price, so I am not surprised that HVAC has increased also.
 
For where we are, a heat pump was the best way to go....cools in the summer and heats in the winter. Average cost to get setup in our area is $10-12k for a 3-4 bdrm home. I had a mini-split heat pump installed in my 1200 sq ft shop a few years ago for $3600. Best $3600 I ever spent! lol
 
-Boosted- said:
For where we are, a heat pump was the best way to go....cools in the summer and heats in the winter. Average cost to get setup in our area is $10-12k for a 3-4 bdrm home. I had a mini-split heat pump installed in my 1200 sq ft shop a few years ago for $3600. Best $3600 I ever spent! lol
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i was gonna ask if he considered those, they seem to be all the rage, but since they are "new" who knows
 
diymirage said:
i was gonna ask if he considered those, they seem to be all the rage, but since they are "new" who knows
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They are quite efficient from what I have heard. A customer put one in his old cement block shop and it worked really well, spring, summer, and fall. (NE Iowa) They burn waste oil in the winter.
 
I installed a 3 1/2 tone heat pump package unit with aux heat strip, last fall in my rental. Problem in Florida, is if your not a contractor it is a ***** to get a unit or any parts locally. I bought my unit from Lowes On Line. The local store would not sell to me, but on line was fine and they delivered. Cost was $2900.
Took the old unit, repaired the leak, Redid some previous "butchers" wiring screwups, did a refrigerant retrofit and installed it in my garage. Biggest expense was the jug of refrigerant.
PS: I am certified in both section 608 and 609 but I am not a "contractor".
 
diymirage said:
i was gonna ask if he considered those, they seem to be all the rage, but since they are "new" who knows
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Not so new anymore. We have had a heat pump for more than 10 years now. Way more efficient that ac in the summer and even a furnace in the winter.
 
Put one of these in your windows and you won't have to work your system half as much..these 101° days suck...

20240626_200204.jpg
 
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