Where to buy a new air conditioner?

Do you have a brick home?
You will probably need to change out the air handler/ evaporator coil up stairs aswell.

 

oops. disregard the up stairs in the my last post.

 

I had Egan and Henson come to a check on my system. Wonderful experience. They were not high pressure and didn't try and upsell me.

 

How good is the insulation in the attic?

 

They work by the hour and not commission.

 

I can't find air shampoo anywhere

 

Let's put it this way...there is a direct correlation between high utility bills and lack of insulation. I should know as I currently live in a rent house where the insulation has all but disintegrated in the attic. The a/c runs practically continously in the summer time because the cold air doesn't stick around. Also, at night in the summers after the sun goes down, it gets really hot inside my house...hotter than the hottest part of the day. Without the insulation, heat from the heater in the winter time and cold air from the a/c in the summertime doesn't stick around very long...which means the heat / a/c has to run more and is less effective.

So, while your a/c may not be getting the job done, if you don't have proper insulation...then that is only making it worse. This shows up on your exorbant electricity bills.

 

I worked in the A/C business for 2 years, so I can probably provide a little help.

Surfguy is right, good insulation is very important because if your house isn't insulated well, it doesn't matter how well you cool the house, the cool air is just going to leak out. You want your house to be as airtight and insulated as possible. The air conditioner continually recycles the air making it cooler and cooler until you reach the desired temperature.

There are a couple very simple things you can do on your own to try and make your air conditioner run better right off the bat. First off, make sure there isn't any grass or vegetation around your outside unit. (the one with the big fan on top) If there is, clear it all away, cause this can really ruin your efficiency. Then get a water hose and spray the coils down really well. You can even use soap if you want, but a high pressure nozzle will go a long way toward fixing you up.

Next, make sure your air filter is clean. A lot of people try to sell you those reusable kind that you're supposed to clean and stuff, or the ribbed ones that are supposed to catch more dust, but usually the cheap kind you can get at the grocery store or Wal-Mart are just fine. If it looks gray instead of blue or white, chances are you're in desperate need to change it.

If you really wanna save yourself some money, and it's not too hard, go up into your attic or wall closet or wherever your "inside" air conditioner is (the evaporator coil) and clean it. Usually there's some kind of panel you can pull off, or maybe unscrew (often you'll need a 5/16" or 1/4" nutdriver or socket) to get to the coil. It looks just like a radiator, and their often an "A-frame". Take a wire brush like you can get at Home Depot and just clean off the gunk. Again, you can use soap on it, and you can even spray the inside if you have a pump sprayer or something. I've seen 12 year olds to do it and an A/C company with charge you up to $100 for the same thing.

That said, if you still want to buy a new air conditioner, you're looking at a LOT of variables. For instance, there are 3 main parts when you consider a new central heating and cooling system. The furnace/blower, the evaporator coil, and the condensing unit (the one outside). Are you replacing the copper pipes connecting them? Does your ductwork need to be replaced? (if it's the old plastic kind left over from the 70's... probably) You have to consider all these things.

With a house your size, you're probably talking about a 3 ton unit. Depending on what you want done, you're probably looking at anywhere from $2000-3500 worth of work.

Just giving you an idea of what to expect. I've seen people get charged $4000 or more, but if that's the case, you probably aren't shopping around enough.

I have family in the business that could do it, but they couldn't finance you, so I'll just offer advice... how's that?

 

I was actually going to suggest that if you want to try and save money, Janitrol is a good brand to go with. They're a little noisier than some of the more expensive brands, but they work just as well...

The fact that you still have the original unit from the late 70's is actually amazing. Not many A/C's last that long, so you should consider yourself lucky. Any A/C that old is going to be pretty crappy by today's standards.

 

My dad owns and operates an A/C company that has been servicing the Houston area for over 15 years. If you would like, I can give you his #.

 

How much does new insulation costs?