How much $$ should a new home central air conditioner (~4 tons) cost - installed? And how long should it last?
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You have a wide range of prices, as there are very expensive units, and there are low-cost "economical" units. The economical units cost more to run, as they will have a lower SEER rating. A higher SEER unit will cost more up front, as it has more sophisticated technology, but will cost less to operate. When requesting quotes, compare similar units SEER ratings, and warranty. The Warranty will tell you the expected lifespan of the unit. Also verify if the warranty covers parts AND labor, or just parts. Labor can make up for a low-cost part. Some warranty's require the unit to be serviced by a factory representative each year.
Average lifespan of a good machine that is maintained is 20 years. I've seen 30 year old machines operating within capacity. I've seen economical units that need to be replaced after five years.
est. 6-7 thousand and last about 10 years some come with a warranty.
When I bought my house it was 10 years old and still had the original unit. After a couple of problems with it I replaced it with a unit that was one ton larger in capacity that the other. I cost me $5500.00 total but it was a great investment, since a finished basement was not in the original ecuation. So if you plan to upgrade your unit, first take a look at house and ask yourself this question: what had been added since they built it?. Then calculate that you might need a bigger unit, in some case you might need two level units, specially if some parts of your house are hard to cool or heat. By now it might cost you around $12K for the whole thing including installation (don't try to do it yourself). At least you should get tree good estimates that include the installation and removal of the old unit.
Price is going to determine which part of the country you live in, quality of the unit and how "greedy" the HVAC company is. My Top model 14 seer 4 ton unit in WI is about 2200.00 and you should be able to get anywhere from 15+ years out of it. Call around get estimates and do your research.
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