When To Replace Your HVAC System: When Is Enough Really Enough? 

I agree with your method. That would absolutely keep the unit running longer. I am big a regular maintenance and yes the small parts should be replaced to keep the expensive ones going. Hell my unit is 25 years old and strong. The difference between mine and most people is they can not buy the parts on Amazon and do it themselves. If you can, then that is awesome! You will also have a unit that runs forever. The unfortunate thing is that not everyone can fix or maint our own like you or I. That's what these vids are based on. The people that can not. I want to be able to help the ones that don't do there own HVAC because there are a lot of them. I think we should all be like you or I and just take care of it our selves but these days .... That's not the norm anymore. Thank you so much for watching and thank you for the comments. I enjoy hearing from both sides of the spectrums. Those that do and those that pay to have dun. It takes both types of people to make the world go round! Thanks again! Have a great day! Be sure to subscribe and share with your friends! ( The ones that don't do it themselves....). And maybe even the other ones ! Lol

Damn straight on every point! Wish everyone did it like you did.

What brand did you get?

Sometimes replacement is the better option. Really shouldn't have been at 7 years. That's pretty early. But a lot of the time it's all about the servicing contractor. Did they find the root problem originally? Did they recommend all the right replacement parts? Is it just a run of bad luck? Did they do the repair correctly? If it was a refrigerant related repair did they evacuate correctly? Flow nitrogen while welding? There's a lot of options. And unfortunately you may never know the answers. But at a point, yes it is sometimes better yo upgrade the system rather than keep paying for repairs. But the next one, make sure you get 10 year part and labor warranty at a minimum! Should never have to pay for any repairs in the first 10 years on ANY system these days! A lot of manufacturers even offer unit replacement warranties if a compressor fails. My AC at my house , has lifetime unit replacement on the compressor. They will give me a new unit if the comp fails. No matter the age! Warranties are everything and if a contractor offers you less than 10 years on part AND labor, don't forget the labor warranty, you need a new contractor because they are shorting you. No one should ever get less than 10 year EVERYTHING these days. This isn't 1980 anymore! It's there. The contractor just has to get it to you. How's this helps. Have a great day ! I have another vid on warranties specifically if interested. Also one about what equipment to look for! Be sure to subscribe and share ! Have a great day!

I'm glad you are happy with your purchase! The price has came down cause now most models utilize an x13 style variable speed motor which is considerably less than a true variable speed yet compare significantly to the previous variables. They work great. Efficient, quiet and huge difference in comfort. Thats why I say when it time to upgrade, it's just time. No one wants yo spend the money but sometimes we can have so much more when we do. Technology scares me some days. But some days, it proves that newer can be better once in awhile. Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe and share! Have a great day!

I would say it depends on the system you have. If it is an inefficient system then sure a higher efficiency unit May save you a little bit of money. Buy leaps and bounds I don't know. Depends on what you currently had. The other thing to remember is utility bills have skyrocketed in the past year or so. In our area kilowatt rates on electricity doubled in most areas in the past 6 months to a year. Propane and natural gas both are high fuel oil is always high. So there's a lot of other variables in there. If the units just 15 years old and doing fine I might consider keeping it. I have never said at 15 years it needs to be thrown away. 15 years is the national average. Average being the important word there. That is statistically when other people not myself but other people have determined when most failures start occurring. I agree with this 15-year mark but they're not my statistics. I do personally believe anywhere between 10 and 20 is where most people experience the more major problems that actually cost quite a bit to repair. And my biggest thing is never to spend too much in repairs on a system. So many people believe if they make a repair or two and specially if it's a more expensive repair, they automatically think that they have basically a new unit. This theory is absolutely false. If you have a 15-year-old air conditioner, and you put $3,000 in a compressor, that is not a new air conditioner. That is a 15-year-old air conditioner with a $3,000 compressor in it that now only has a year warranty. There's several handful of other parts in there that could fail. Do some people get lucky and not have any other failures absolutely. Are there other people that have failure after failure absolutely. It's luck of the draw at that point. With the cost of new equipment right now, if I was not having any problems whatsoever, and I had not already had to invest a bunch into it in repairs I would probably keep it. But if I had a bunch of money in it with repairs over the last year too, I have high utility bills because of the system, at 15 years absolutely I would replace it don't let it nickel and dime you to death. But every case is different so all the variables have to be considered. Hope this helps a little be sure to subscribe and have a great day! Share with your friends!!

Can't say I recognize the name airtemp, but that might not mean anything. Might just not be a name around here. 15 seer is a good choice. 14 will be the minimum allowed by the us government after the first. I personally like the 16 seer 2 stage by Amana but that's just me. A lot of it all depends on warranty. That is everything in our industry now. No one in my opinion should buy anything that does not have a 10 year parts AND labor warranty and lifetime compressor warranty with all the options we have out there now. That's the main thing to look at. A lot of manufacturers have really bumped up their warranties but some contractors don't wanna do the paperwork or offer the 10 year labor because of price. Number one: look at warranty. Number two:. Make sure your equipment is registered with the manufacturer or your warranties could be voided! As for the 2.5 ton, all depends on your house if that is the right size. Tonnage is nothing but the size of unit. Has nothing to do with efficiency (assuming it is the right size for your home). The only way to know sizing is for a contractor to do a load calculation in your home before they offer ANY equipment. Ask to see it. Even if you don't know what the load calc means, ask to see it. That way you know the contractor is doing it. Without it, it is just a guess it will be the right size and you do not want anyone guessing on something that important and that 3xpensive! Hope this helps a little. Best of luck with your purchase. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and share with your friends! Keep me posted on how it turns out! Thanks again! Have a great day!

@@andyscornerhvac Happy Thanksgiving Andy yes I am subscribed and told family and friends about your channel!! Thanks for responding so helpful I prayed for answers concerning this replacement woke up this morning and a response from you !!!! This helps I will keep you dated how can I bless you (monetary) for this valuable information!!

Thank you so much! Just keep watching and sharing! God bless you my friend! And a happy Thanksgiving as well!

@@andyscornerhvac Thanks Andy by the way do you have any recommendations for companies with knowledge and integrity like you that you can refer me to I live in Raleigh NC.

Can't say I know any there. But I know you can typically look for any companies that are members of NCI or Airtime500. We are members of both. They are HVAC organizations that promote the best practices and methods focussing on the client and their needs with the most efficiencies possible for your home. Most (can't always say all of course) but most operate about the same as us. The other thing is just ask around. Reputation means a lot in a community. Hope this helps! Have a great day!

If it’s 18 and you are having to spend money on it, I’d go ahead and replace b4 the new prices get too high. Life expectancy is around 15 and I don’t recommend putting much money into anything over 15 to 20. 2 stage usually has better warranty and a better piece of equipment although I prefer single stage on a gas furnace. I have a video on here about that too. As well as how much one should cost and also which brand to pick. Personally I would run as fast as possible from anything tied to carrier. The name is why those parts on your current unit cost so much. You couldn’t give me a carrier. I’d rather gather wood n start a fire to keep warm! Lol. Just personal opinion though. But seriously I do think you are probably getting to the time of replacement. Lennox does make a good unit. Rudd is not bad but I don’t care for the serviceability aspect from a service techs point of view. I like Amana. Have for a long time. Great warranties and priced right. Hope this helps! Be sure to check out the other vids on the channel. There are several that pertain to what you are looking at. Don’t forget to subscribe and come back with any questions! Have a great day! Be sure to share!

@@andyscornerhvac Thank you very much for the feedback!

@@andyscornerhvac thank you for the feedback Andy!

Based on the info I provided of my home, would you recommend that I stick to the 3 ton, or move to a 3.5 or 4T unit?

@@SCTROJAN it all depends on what the load calculation says it needs. I have another video on ac sizing too! Lol. But a load calculation is the only way to know. 3.5 to 4 ton sounds too big to me on just 1900 sq ft but I could be wrong. I can not stress enough to make sure your contractor does a full load calculation! Watch the vid for more in that. But any contractor not doing load calcs is guessing. Do you really wanna guess on a 10 to 20 thousand dollar purchase that your gonna live with the next 15 to 20 years? Ask them to see it. If they r doing it they will gladly show you the report and it will show you exactly how many btus you actually need for your specific home. Biggest thing to remember that no 2 houses are ever the same. NEVER. Even if they look a like they are diff in little ways. Different people living there, maybe diff contractors. Way to many variables to guess. Hope this helps. Check out the other videos for more! Have a great day!

And replacement parts are not as good as the original in most cases.

I have a Goodman in my house. Well actually it's an Amana but Amana Goodman and Daikin are all part of the same brand. The Amana and Goodman furnaces are pretty much the same thing a lot of the parts come down the same assembly line but the Amana typically offers better warranty packages. That's what I put in but I do also work for an Amana dealer. LOL so that makes a difference. But I've worked on most all of them. Biggest thing I tell people to go for now is who's offering the best warranties. And what parts cost after warranty is out. Just one reason I like the Amana Goodman line. After warranty parts are fair compared to some of the other brands in price and they have awesome warranties. You can get lifetime unit replacement warranties. Lifetime heat exchanger warranties. 10 year parts and labor. Lifetime compressor. The list goes on. That's why I like them. I don't knock too many brands cuz they all have a lot of similarities. But a couple that I would run from personally, or Carrier Bryant pain and York. In my experiences with some of these brands, our replacement parts are outrageous. There are some people that love carrier. ( Mostly only carrier dealers ( LOL. But a lot of universal parts will not work on them yo 10 20 years down the road when you need something fixed. And they all need fixed at some point. So if you have to go back with the OEM part they know they can charge you whatever they want for it. Linux has gotten that way as well. I actually used to work for a Lenox dealer. And I've always considered them to be a good furnace but some of their replacement parts nowadays are starting to get ridiculous. Which on the same token, everything I mean everything in the HVAC industry is getting outrageously expensive. Parts are high equipment is high labor is at an all-time high there is just nothing cheap. So really the biggest thing to look for in a furnace is the warranty and a trusted contractor. The contractor makes a difference on everything. How it's put in will determine if that thing runs 20 years or not. And how much money you're going to have to put into it later. Always always find the best contractor you can and ask people about them find reviews ask your neighbors all that kind of stuff. And make sure they are giving you the best warranties you can get. Do not by any means forget labor warranty. There are so many contractors out there that want to save a dollar and not offer labor warranties. Well then when something breaks the parts under warranty but yeah you still have to pay labor ... That's stupid in my opinion. Get full warranties on everything. Because yes in this day and age they all break down at some point. And I didn't notice you didn't mention anything about an air conditioner. If you are thinking of replacing anything before the end of the year I highly recommend upgrading the air conditioner before 2023 as well. The government is putting stipulations on the efficiency ratings and we're moving to the new sear 2 ratings and equipment is estimated at this point to increase by at least 20% if not more in price. Typically it's cheaper to do the entire system at once anyways but this 2023 deadline is really changing the world in our industry and then we have more changes coming in 2025 and the increase will be even bigger then. So just a little pro tip to throw out there if you were thinking about air conditioning as well. Thanks so much for watching, I love the questions. Be sure to subscribe share with your friends and have a great day!

@@andyscornerhvac Thanks for taking the time for the great reply. I live in Ontario Canada and can get cold on those long winter nights. Have only got one quote so far for the Goodman and it was $4,000.00 plus the 13% tax that our government puts on everything we buy.With the dollar exchange that would have been $5,400.00 in U.S. funds for comparison. Wasn't considering a new AC or heat pump as of yet.

This was a couple years ago, systems are more than 9 grand now! With some basic repairs pushing over a thousand dollars and on higher end equipment pushing a few thousand dollar repairs....yah it's comparable. I agree that the industry is changing. The cost of repair vs replace is changing drastically. I remember when a new system was less than 3 grand! But at the same time repairs were 100 bux. The world is in a bad way right now when it comes to the cost of either of it. I don't know what the right answer is but if a person has to put 4,000 into a 25 year old system....I'm gonna recommend replace all day. These things are not made to run more than 20 years these days. Wish it wasn't so but it's reality. I don't wanna see any one have to spend crap tons either way but it's a matter of where the money is best spent. 9 grand for 10 years of not paying anymore or a couple thousand dollar repair on an aging system every year? Won't take long to pay for itself. If you get 20 years out of that 9 grand.....it was worth it. Thanks for watching! I appreciate your comments if you agree or not. We all have our opinions. Mine are based on watching people have to spend that money day in and day out. Some repair and some replace. Just depends on the situation what is best for each person. Have a great day!

@@andyscornerhvac Agreed and all good points. It's the same with your car. Do you fix the old car or buy another. Either way they're way overpriced to buy or repair. Like you say everything is messed up right now. I hope 2024 brings better news for us! We are more than ready for a break in the chaos that has followed us since Covid. almost 3 years ago now! Peace and love is what we need more of! Best to you my friend!Thank you for your reply!

I agree if the repairs are 200 - 500 dollars. 15000 is about the going rate depending on your area. Only 200 a year and hell yah I'd keep it. As long as it's a low dollar repair. Most repairs these days fall in the 600 to 3000 dollar area. Unless it's just maintenance or a capacitor or contactor or something very minor. It's nothing to end up with a repair beyond 1000. Not saying any of that to scare anyone what so ever. I promise. I am not a sales man by any means. I have made my living the past 23 years by fixing the old ones that people want to keep going. I have no issues at all at keeping one going. It all comes down to how much it takes to keep it going though. That's what I care about. Hell I make money when people want to keep them! Lol. No thats not funny but sadly true. I have seen too many times when people say well 1500 isn't that much up put into this one. Or they say well 1500 is better that 15000! This is true but that 1500 only replaces one part out of at least 20 all together. And then the next year it's another 1000. Then the next it's 2000. And then they say well I have so much into it that I can't replace it. So at that point they have a 20 year old ac they have paid for 3 times and it's still just as reliable as a 20 year old unit and inefficient as a 20 year old unit and they are stuck with it. That's the only reason I say replace it B4 something bad happens or the idea of watch how much you put into it. Most all manufacturers only give a 1 year warranty on a replacement part. So if you spend 2500 on a compressor and it gives out in 1.5 years.... now what? Do it again? No way. Lose 5he 2500 when you throw it away? That sucks. It's all a luck game really. Some do great with the chances. Some do not. I just know what the odds are from the experiences I have seen. Most of the time... The odds are not in the homeowners favor. And no, it's not the contractor or the manufacturers fault. It's a 15 20 year old unit. Everyone thinks if they replace one part it's like a new unit. It's not. It's still 15 - 20 years old. If it's older than that, we shouldn't even be having this convo. Anything can happen. I just want my clients to spend their hard earned money in the right way. Cause anything over 1500 to 2 grand is not worth going into anything over 15 years old. Hope this helps. Good luck. Have a great day

I hear what you are saying. Since you are in the business Let me ask you a question. I replaced my heat pump about 12 years ago. Since then They have changed the law on refrigerant I have the OLD R22 can you still buy compressors for those units?@@andyscornerhvac

@@rioraton yes. The freon it still available to. Everyone is going around saying this BS that it's outlawed. It is not. Manufacturers just cannot build units made 4 r22 anymore. Copeland and all the other compressor manufacturers are still making compressors that will run on 222. An r22 is still available. It's just a lot more expensive than the new stuff and more expensive than what it used to be. Too many fly-by-night contractors are using scare tactics when they transitioned 410A instead of 22. In 2025 the type of freon is going to change. Unfortunately this happens every so many years

Thanks for that info@@andyscornerhvac

Amana. Great warranties and they perform well.

Check out the vid that came up last night on the channel. This is what it's about !