Carrier AC systems using Puron

It has been almost a year to the day since we replaced our 2.5 ton unit that services the down stairs living space in our home, and now the upstairs unit has taken its last breath so it is time to replace it.  Both units were the original TRANE systems that were ‘state-of-the-art’ back in the 1970s, so we definitely got more than the average lifespan out of them.  We attribute that not just to the quality of the units, but just as much to the regular maintenance of the overall systems.

The new unit installed is a Carrier Model 24ABC6 which is a 2 ton units with a 14.5 SEER rating that matches the 2.5 ton Carrier Carrier 24ABB servicing the ground floor.  We live in a 1,5 story home so the three bedrooms, game room, and full bathroom upstairs is about half the square footage of the main floor.  It makes good sense especially when living below the Mason-Dixon line to zone the house as much as possible to provide cooling where it is needed without throwing away money by cooling areas that are mostly unused.  When the house is mostly empty from 7am to 5pm during the weekdays, we use the ‘schedule’ feature on our Honeywell FocusPro TH6000 Series programmable thermostat to set the temperature to about 85 degrees during those hours.  The only time it will kick in is if we are having some extreme heat.  However, the same setting for the upstairs unit will have it running more often because of the nature of heat rising.  That’s when you really appreciate having a smaller unit to service the areas that are needed because the power consumption of a 2 ton units is almost 1/2 that of the 2.5 ton system.

Electric powered Heater/Blower

The house was custom built back in the mid 70′s and the original owners were very quality conscious which is evident by most of the building materials used, yet it is obvious that the upstairs air conditioner was an afterthought from the original design. The gas line for the furnace that is used  for the 2.5 ton units was not extended to the attic to service the 2 ton unit and to try and retro fit a gas line to that area would be costly and somewhat dangerous.  As a result, the heating portion of the original Trane system as well as the new Carrier system we installed is powered by electricity.  Not the optimal solution by a long shot, but given our set of circumstances it is the best solution for us.

Lastly, since we had to tear apart the old unit and everything that was connected to it, we felt that this would be the ideal time to replace the ducts.  We decided to go with the Thermaflex product with fiberglass insulation with an R-6.0 rating which is a step up from the standard R-4.2 that is used in most new construction.  The higher energy rating means moe insulation and less energy loss through the ducts in that steamy attic.

Flex Duct Installation

Here is what a properly installed duct job looks like when it is completed.  Here we see liberal use of support straps to prevent the ducts from making contact with any surfaces to minimize energy loss.

Poorly installed flex duct

Here is another picture found on the web of a poorly installed duct job.  There is a serious kink in the line which obstructs air flow and the duct is actually touching the roof at one point which will transfer heat into the duct by contact and further degree the cooling capability.  I shudder whenever I look at it!

All in all we are very pleased with the job we did and the overall system performance.  The one thing that you can’t control when buying a new air conditioner is the noise level.  Some will run loud and some will run quiet…it’s a crap shoot.  We got lucky with this one.  I can’t even hear when it kicks in!

The problem comes in when you are dealing with central air conditioners. It doesn’t matter whether it is a split air conditioner or a package air conditioner. The reason for this is that they are typically not sold to the general public. It requires a licensed air conditioning professional to install a new air conditioning unit and to charge the system with R-22 Freon or the newer R-410A Puron, and it is not a one man job.  You can expect to see two or three people involved in the installation process.  In some areas an inspection is required after the installation is completed to insure that the job meet the local building code requirements.  All of this makes the process of shopping for a deal a lot more difficult because now you are not just shopping for a product, you are shopping for a product/service package deal.

I am just like you, I don’t want to pay for something and find out a week later that the Jones’ down the street got the same thing I did for half of the price. It would make me feel like I was taken advantage of. My first recommendation is to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Have to ever heard the saying “An astronaut doesn’t want to fly to the moon in a rocket ship that was built by the lowest bidder”? The make and model of the air conditioner may be the same, but the materials and skills used to install the unit may be entirely different, and that could mean the difference in having a unit that will last you for 7 years versus a unit that will last you for 25 years.

Here are some tips to help you feel good about the cost of the INVESTMENT you are about to make in you air conditioning unit:

• Nothing is better than ‘word or mouth’ references from satisfied customers.  Create a short-list of proposed installers and start the quoting process.
• If you don’t have that to work with, then the next best thing is to decide on the BRAND of air conditioner that you want to have installed, then visit the local distributor to see if they can recommend a handful of installers.
• Lastly, if you run across any homes that have air conditioners installed the you really like, then find out who the contractor was for the home and they can most likely tell you who installed the air conditioner for that home.

Once you feel that you have a handful of quality installers identified, then find out if they can quote you separately for the air conditioner, materials, and labor.  If you can get a breakdown then you can begin to compare apples to apples and effectively shop for the best prices.

I have not owned or worked on any Haier products before, so I did some quick research on them and found that they are an appliance manufacturer, not a manufacturer that specializes in air conditioning.  Needless to say, I don’t expect this thing to last for 20 years under heavy usage, but if I can get 10 years out of it and it works as it is supposed to, then I’ll consider it well worth the cost.

The reason that I even considered purchasing a portable air conditioner to begin with is the fact that we are empty nesters and there is just no reason to run the big central unit to cool off the entire house as much as we used to when the kids where here all of the time.  We still have it turned on so that the heat and humidity don’t ruin our stuff, be we can set it to something higher than a comfortable living temperature for the whole house, and now we can use the portable air conditioning for the bedroom so we can sleep comfortably.  If this works out, then we’ll be looking at a couple more units for the den and kitchen.

This particular model comes with separate air intake and air exhast duct ports, and a window adapter.  It can run in 3 modes: cooling, heating, and dehumidifying.  There is an LCD indicator that let you know when the condensation tank becomes full.  There are 3 an speed: low, medium and high.  There is a timer function that goes up to 24 hours that will turn the unit off automatically.  I’m not sure if and when I would ever use that, but it’s one of those “nice to know it’s there” features.  Heat pump included.  Temperature control.  Remote control included, for all of us lazy bastards that can’t get up out of the lazy boy unless it’s to get a frozen pizza or something like that.  It uses R-22 coolant which is not a good thing, but I haven’t seen an portable units that are cost effective that are using Puron yet.  The air filter easily snaps out from in front of the evaporator air intake in the rear.

That’s it.  As I get to know this guy a little better I’ll keep y’all posted.  Wish me luck!

The new de facto standard is call PURON.  Chemically, Puron refrigerant is an environmentally sound 50/50 blend of two separate refrigerants, R-32 and R-125 and has been given the designation of R-410A which is marketed under various names by differnt manufactueres. Consumer products featuring Puron refrigerant were first marketed in 1996.

Some of the reasons that home air conditioners manufacturers prefer Puron are:

• Higher energy efficiency
• Costs less over the life of the unit than continuing to use Freon
• Safer for the environment
• Considered Non-Toxic
• Non-Flammable

Some of the negative points associated with using Puron are:

• It is a relatively new product that can most likely be improved upon
• Careful installation is required to keep out moisture
• Requires a much higher operating pressure than Freon, so it can not be used in equipment designed for Freon

The bottom line is that we welcome the change, and with the proper planning a home owner can save substantially by chaning over to the new Puron-based systems.  Don’t get caught with your pants down by trying to stretch the life out of a Freon-based system after 2010.  Your maintenance costs will go up and your unit efficiency will go down.  Make the change, even if you have a few more good years left in your Freon unit.