[murchmb]

I have what I think is a ~14 yo York heat pump on my 1500 sq. ft. vintage 1931 bungalow. We have a home owners warranty and the most recent contractor to visit our unit has determined that it needs a new accumulator in order to function properly. Both he and the HOW company have determined that the part is unavailable and they have agreed to replace the unit. I have already heard the brand Payne mentioned and see that this is a low end replacement that may or may not be a suitable for us.

Our current unit is a York mod. # B1 SPO 20A 06A. Is there a way to find out the year of manufacture and tech specs for the unit such as SEER and ton rating? I want to make sure what they replace it with is comperable. Any words of wisdom here?

Additionally, we are considering a 1300 sq. ft. additions to the home. What size unit would we need in N. Alabama to heat and cool say 2800 sq. ft. Are we better off with one unit for the whole home, or two: one for the older portion and one for the new, more energy efficient addition? This comes into play in that we might "cash out" our replacement unit with the HOW company and pay extra for a better and/or larger unit.

Thanks! I'm really glad to have found this forum.

 

[6448craig]

If I am not mistaken that York model number is a 12 seer package unit.

 

[aruddick]

Gotta love home warranty companys. Dont know about existing unit, But the Payne is a low end unit ( carrier generic brand) We do sell them good for rentals and our price sensitive customers. I tell all my home warranty customers to cash out and then use that money as a down payment on what best fits thier need. Hope this helps.

 

[murchmb]

If I am not mistaken that York model number is a 12 seer package unit.

Thanks. Yes, it is a package unit. I'm assuming the Payne would be a split unit and the air handler would have to be installed under the house? I only see one Payne heat pump listed on their website.

 

[murchmb]

Gotta love home warranty companys. Dont know about existing unit, But the Payne is a low end unit ( carrier generic brand) We do sell them good for rentals and our price sensitive customers. I tell all my home warranty customers to cash out and then use that money as a down payment on what best fits thier need. Hope this helps.

Any ideas on the price cash out and price difference if we were to consider something from Carrier or Trane?

 

[aruddick]

Not a fan of wtty co's . They will prob give you as little as possible. As for price of new, Dont buy from the cheap guy!!! Check service, support and if you buy Carrier use only Factory Authorized Dealers (FAD) check carrier website for local dealers

 

[sammy37]

If you dig into the payne site a little more, you will find that they also make package units.

 

[murchmb]

If you dig into the payne site a little more, you will find that they also make package units.

Thanks. I missed it when I first visited there.

 

[RyanHughes]

The Payne should work just fine, but as others have hinted at, I think you can do better. For rooftop units, I prefer Trane, York, or Lennox.

 

[murchmb]

The Payne should work just fine, but as others have hinted at, I think you can do better. For rooftop units, I prefer Trane, York, or Lennox.

I know I can do better. I'd love to be able to put a top of the line Trane or Carrier. We are trying to look forward to when we start the addition to our home and will balance out the costs of upgrading to a unit that will work for the enlarged house versus "settling" for the Payne unit for the existing square footage.

My wife is an artist and we have a small outbuilding she uses for a studio. It may be that the Payne gets relocated it to the studio in a few years. That's what happened to the previous heat pump when the former owner had the York unit installed.

 

[beenthere]

Don't worry about conditioning the addition, until you build it.

 

[murchmb]

Well, it looks like we're locked into the Payne. A bozo at the HOW company told us last week we would be receiving a call to discuss some options for what unit we would like. The call never came. The HVAC company called yesterday to let us know the unit had arrived and when would we like it installed. After calling back the HOW, we found out the bozo we talked to last week gave us incorrect information and choices of equipment were only for major appliances. Further, if we wanted to cash out the claim, we would have to pay return shipping, restocking, and cover the existing repair to the unit to the tune of ~$720. At this point, I'm sick of the process and am going to let them install the Payne. How badly can they screw up installing a package unit?

 

[gary_g]

How badly can they screw up installing a package unit?

The bozo at the H.O.W. company will probably be the lead installer.

Just kidding.

Best of luck to you.

 

[BaldLoonie]

You're lucky, it is harder to butcher a packaged unit install. Biggest thing is lousy ductwork and that's something you can check afterwards and seal up if you find leaks.