Used HVAC???

[The Money Pit]

I got a quote on putting HVAC in my garage today from a friend of mine that would do it on the side for me for $7200. That's for two complete seperate systems. One for the upstars and the other for the downstairs. I haven't talked to him yet but I think that's just for the equipment. That seems a little high but I know very little about HVAC and I also have nothing to compare it to. I was wondering if getting a couple of used units (from where I don't know) and putting them in. Anyone have some input? Thanks!

 

[W-Cummins]

How about some more information? That seems really high for a bird house and really cheap for the astro dome. Size of the spaces, heat and cool or just one? gas electric oil etc....

 

[oldgoat]

How big of units are they and how much duct work is going to be done? Also what is the SEER rating of the units. Could be a good buy or a ripoff. Does there really need to be two separate units?

 

[The Money Pit]

Sorry for the lack of information. The downstairs is 936 sq. ft. and the upstairs is 432 with a small bathroom, a stand up shower and sink. I need two seperate units because of the code. As far as the size of the units they (I think) are 1 1/2 ton. I need to call my HVAC guy to get the rest of the details. When he looked at the garage he told me he would be using 13 seer for both since 12 is hard to come by. There won't be much duct work at all. I would guess 2 vents and a return for both up and down.

 

[logical]

I understand they need to be separate...for heat:You could do the lower garage area with a $500 Hot Dawg which would also not take up any floor space. the upstairs could easily be handled with a direct vent wall unit.....heck even a good fireplace unit would heat 432 sq ft.

i am no A/C expert (not that I'm a heat expert either), but I don't see the upstairs needing a real elaborate system. the garage...well, I guess I just don't understand air conditioning a garage unless you are storing museum cars.

 

[bmwpower]

....... the garage...well, I guess I just don't understand air conditioning a garage unless you are storing museum cars.

You've obviously never worked on cars when it's hot outside/inside the garage. There is nothing worse than sweating your *** off under a car, trying to wrench something...except freezing your *** off under a car. Both lead to fatigue and a pissed off attitude. I've worked on my cars without heat/air for 16+ years. I got by, but now that I can afford some comforts, I chose to install heat/air in my new place. For a serious garagejunkie, there is no substitute.

Sorry for my rant. Just my opinion on the importance of heat/air.

 

[logical]

You've obviously never worked on cars when it's hot outside/inside the garage. There is nothing worse than sweating your *** off under a car, trying to wrench something...except freezing your *** off under a car. Both lead to fatigue and a pissed off attitude. I've worked on my cars without heat/air for 16+ years. I got by, but now that I can afford some comforts, I chose to install heat/air in my new place. For a serious garagejunkie, there is no substitute.

Sorry for my rant. Just my opinion on the importance of heat/air.

That was kinda harsh....questioning my garage junkiness and all. And yes I've worked in my garage in hot weather. I only said I didn't understand the need....not that someone else shouldn't A/C their garage. I've simply found that a well insulated garage still gets cold but the days when it is really hot inside always seemed pretty few and far between. Plus I guess I tend to be less of a Nancy-boy about hot weather than most.
Regardless....this shouldn't be a $7000 ordeal.

 

[REFLEXX]

I'm installing three "window" type A/C units. The biggest unit will be taking care of 750 sq ft "fab" area. It was like $400 for a 25,000 BTU "LG" brand at HD. According to the space, I only needed a 18,000 BTU, but I figured I might be generating heat myself and overcompensated.

Do a Consumer Reports search for the best units today. It's worth the on-line subscription for all the info I get.

All you need is a hole in the wall or window.

I agree with the above about the HOT DAWG and/or a wall unit for heat. Seems like A LOT cheaper than what you were quoted.

 

[6t7gto]

i bought my gas furnace thru this guy:
http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=chainsaw347



david

 

[The Money Pit]

I talked to my guy today. He gave me a cost of $5200 on equipment for two seperate 1 1/2 ton 13 seer York units which is about what I expected. The extra 2k was in materials and labor. I was totally honest and told him I could probably do 4 to 5k but I didn't want to put that kind of money into the system. I asked him if he could look around to find a used unit to trim the cost. The down side was that the units would be used and 10 to 12 seer. He was really nice about it and I would love to give him the business. I plan on checking around while he finds out about used parts. He even said I might be able to get a smaller company that might do it for a lot less. I'm going to explore my options and see what I can find out. The last time I went with a cheaper subcontractor they did a horrible job and it's going to cost me more in the long run.

 

[W-Cummins]

I talked to my guy today. He gave me a cost of $5200 on equipment for two seperate 1 1/2 ton 13 seer York units which is about what I expected. The extra 2k was in materials and labor.
The last time I went with a cheaper subcontractor they did a horrible job and it's going to cost me more in the long run.

A 1.5 ton for 435 sq ft is way too much cooling unless you have no insulation and open the windows. Did this guy do a manual J calc on your building?? Are these systems just AC or are they heat too??

I got the system I put into my building for $2k ( it was a scratch and dent model but for a shop who cares) it is a 120/80k btu 92% eff vs fan with a 5 ton 13 ser Ac and horz coil, and HP media filter. Look around, that link above has some fair prices too. I used a goodman and all though HVAC techs hate them, it seems to work fine.
The contractor and the install makes the unit. A cheep install makes even high priced equipment ****.
William...

 

[The Money Pit]

I basically gave him square footage #'s and he went from there. 1 1/2 might be the smallest he can get. I got another # for a one truck business and I'll see what kind of price they come up with. I have a Goodman in my house and I hate it. It's very uneffecient. It is close to 10 years old but my builder was very cheap and didn't give us an option. Ever since we have had it, our electric bill has been sky high.

 

[maronha]

Man $7000 sounds like alot to me unless you going to live out there, I have a detached 2 car garage so i just picked up a gas (90 plus) furnace from a local company for $150. It cam out of a townhouse and was basically not even a year old they even gave me the A coil for cooling. Of course it does help to have a father who is a HVAC inspector for thew county. These builders are alway replacing things in these new homes so maybe just do a little checking around with some of the local HVAC companys and see if they have any used units for sell. But i guess if you need to spend $7000 and got it then I guess that ok.

What area of VA are you in? There are lots of big HVAC companys around here.

 

[The Money Pit]

maronha, I'm just west of Richmond. There are a lot of companies but service is in such demand that they can pretty much charge what they want unless they are a small business trying to make a buck by undercutting the larger companies.

bmwpower, That's a good question. I think I couldn't justify spending the $ to replace it.

 

[tedbick]

first off i live in pa use to be in nj.is there going to be insulation in your garage?how many windows everything needs to be taken into consideration.he better not be a real good friend if he's charging that much just for the equipment.especially a 1 1/2 ton.for both .i woule use at least a 2 ton for the 932sq' and 11/2 for the 432sq'.how high are your ceilings in the shop?and as far as being hard to get 12 seers i know i can walk into any supply house up here and most of the time there in stock.it might be hard to get the 10 seer because they are going to stop making them if they have not already.you have to know what brand your getting and what kind of warranty comes with the compressors.scroll are the best compressors in my eyes.you probably have hotter days in the summer then here so that is why i would put a 2 1/2 ton in the 1 st floor.i think if you have a 1 1/2 ton in your shop it wont ever shut off especially if you open the garage doors in the summer. if you have any other questions you can email me at [email protected]

 

[krooser]

I cool 1000sq. ft. with a 12K btu 40 year old window unit..and $7200 sounds like he plans on retiring in Palm Beach on your nickle....

 

[tedbick]

i would personally go with either rheem or ruud.very quiet,why are you so set on 13 seer?its only your garage and an apartment.for the price your paying for 13 seer you wont see your savings for over 10 years,ask your electric company if they have any rebates for installing 13 seer units 1 1/2 tons is to small for the first floor.

 

[bmwpower]

I paid $4400 installed for my 2.5 ton AC(10 seer I think)/100K Btu gas heater (80%). It's a new York unit. One zone, 6 drops.

 

[Blue Seducer]

I am about to do the same thing. My A/C guy says to install a new unit on my house and put my 6 year old, 3 ton unit in the garage. Coast will be around 3600.00 total.

 

[BEECHFRONT]

i paid 5400 for 3.5 ton and 100k btu 90% furnace for my 38 x34 2 story garage and that included all the sheet metal ductwork approx 100 lf of sheetmetal trunks

 

[JohnZ]

I had a 3.5 ton ductless split system installed in my 2500 sq. ft. finished and super-insulated garage last summer; no more sweat in my eyes in constant 90+ weather. Turnkey job was about $5K, keeps it in the mid-70's and low humidity with no problem, so quiet you hardly know it's on.

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1411059

 

[The Money Pit]

WOW! Thanks for the info. guys! I hadn't gotten to the forum in a while. I've been busy with the garage. Kind of ironic huh? Anyhow, I ended up having a local co. do the install for me with 2 1 1/2 ton 13 seer Trane units for $6900. There is a 1 year labor and 3 year warranty on the compressor. They did a great job from what I could tell and were easy to work with. HVAC must be big business around here because he told me he would have charged close to 10k if he went through his company. I found out that his ex-wife used to work for my Father-in-Law. The downstairs unit won't run a lot during either Winter or Summer. Only when it's unbearable. In the winter, I'll keep it warm enough so my plumbing won't freeze. They put in 8 vents and 2 returns downstiars and 5 vents + 1 in the bathroom upstairs and a return. The insulation is about 2/3's completed. I'll be glad when it's all done so I can have a free weekend.

 

[Ironcrow]

.... I've simply found that a well insulated garage still gets cold but the days when it is really hot inside always seemed pretty few and far between. Plus I guess I tend to be less of a Nancy-boy about hot weather than most...

Less of a Nancy-boy? Well, yeah, there's that And the fact that it actually never gets hot where you live, in Detroit. Wikipedia says the average summer high is 85F. While, on the other hand, in Phoenix the average summer high in July is 105F. I don't live in Phoenix, but I can almost see it from here. My garage is air conditioned. I installed it myself and it cost about $2000.

 

[ironroad 9c1]

Less of a Nancy-boy? Well, yeah, there's that And the fact that it actually never gets hot where you live, in Detroit. Wikipedia says the average summer high is 85F. While, on the other hand, in Phoenix the average summer high in July is 105F. I don't live in Phoenix, but I can almost see it from here. My garage is air conditioned. I installed it myself and it cost about $2000.

lol but its a dry heat

 

[Ironcrow]

Yeah, its so dry here...even the WATER is dry!