Our HVAC died and we lost our big trees but there is a silver lining...

[Phentex]

This summer, we lost the trees that provide shade over our house and into our yard. Also, the air decided to retire after 3 decades so we had to replace the whole unit. I was worried about how hot the house would get without any shade and how much the air would run. I guess it was better that we replaced the air before it had to struggle to its death.

However, my bills have been lower. I guess today's units are more efficient than the old guys. My husband said the unit was probably good at the time it was installed but it was inefficient for the size of the house. It's September and still hot here in GA but so far there hasn't been a big spike in the AC bill. (After the shock of replacing the darn thing.)

[Mosby]

1. Its a shame about the trees

The new units are much more efficient but more cheaply made. If I had to do it over again I would get an extended warranty if available.

What's the seer rating for your unit? Your old one was probably 8-9.

[Phentex]

2. No idea about the rating...

I can ask my husband. His motto is it's just gotta last us ten years. That's his plan. I suspect we may be here longer than that. And he's an engineer so he knows enough to be dangerous.

[Shermann]

3. I have a York Affinity 17 seer high efficiency 4-ton single-stage AC circa 2011

I got the 10 year extended warranty, so I got my 10 years without a care in the world. I generally pass on extended warranties but was fresh out of an HVAC nightmare situation and appreciated the piece of mind.

I see no evidence of poor build quality, it is built like a tank.

[Mosby]

4. I got a lemon about 12 years ago.

Good brand, Ruud. SEER 14.

There was a leak in the coils from the factory, took a couple seasons to figure it out, and then all they covered were parts, not labor. Last year the pos needed another repair to the tune of $1500.

Talked to a commercial ac guy a couple years ago, he said that the coils are made using very thin copper, which helps with the seer rating but the welds are harder to do.