We have a Carrier gas heater/AC on the first floor of our house which presently is working fine. On the second floor we have also have a Carrier heat pump/AC that needs to be replaced (coils are bad). We got a quote from a local heating/AC company saying that they could replace our upstairs Carrier unit with a Goodman Heat Pump and Air Handler for $3,200 vs. a $4,200 Carrier unit. My question is should we stay with the Carrier units throughout the house since the first floor unit may need to be replaced eventually too or go with the lower cost unit.? How difficult and costly would be it be replace the upstairs heat pump unit with a gas heater/AC unit since we haven't been happy in the past with the heating and cooling capability of the heat pump on the second level of our home?

Robert S.; Glen Allen, VA

Bob,

Good questions - and not atypical from a consumer considering the purchase of any piece of high-tech equipment.  I'm completely "with you", as I was in the market this past weekend for a digital video camera... I finally turned to my 16-year-old and suggested "get the one you think is best"!  God Bless our new generation of tech-savvy children!

Heat pumps and air conditioners have a life expectancy somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years.  You have many choices at replacement time.  Carrier is a well-recognized name in the industry; however, many manufacturers use the same sources for their major parts, assembled with their name plate on them.  I cannot attest to any specific knowledge of the Goodman brand, other than I understand (through some web research) that they offer some fabulous warranty options.  As well, it is not surprising that a lesser-known brand will compete favorably on price.

I would suggest this... compare features and warranties, and buy some peace of mind by having your installation done by a highly-regarded HVAC contractor (a lesser installation job might compromise even the best equipment).  As well, given the cost of energy these days, splurge for the highest efficiency rating you can get (13 SEER is the federally-mandated minimum today, 16+ SEER is about the max.  Your gas furnace rating should be 90+ AFUE).  Mixing manufacturers on separate systems is not a functional problem, but might become problematic if a service provider works on one brand, but not the other.  I highly recommend the peace of mind that comes with a service agreement on all your HVAC systems.

On the latter question, regarding comfort levels produced by your current system, it is likely that newer equipment might solve your problem.  1) Assure that the loads are actually calculated by the new installer (rather than simply replacing the same system capacity).  Be mindful that larger is not necessarily better - oversized systems create a host of other comfort and operational problems.  2) Have your ductwork inspected by the HVAC contractor - often, restricted / pinched "flex" lines inhibit proper air flow and comfort 3) know that newer technology has come a long way in resolving the "cold heat" problems inherent in the old systems.  Again - a long, technical story - the heat is still colder than body temperature, but it does not "feel" as cold, due to the manner of distribution and variable speed of output.

Adding gas to your second floor system would likely increase the cost of your system replacement by roughly $2,000.  A dual-fuel (gas + heat pump) system would definitely put out warmer air on colder days, but even setting aside the additional investment, I don't think that's necessarily the best solution in our climate, for a second-story system.

Mason

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