What do I need to know about heat pumps?

[Terry W]

One of our heat pumps is almost 18 years old. It’s a basic, single phase Trane unit. We are total electric. No natural gas in our neighborhood. I know it’s not a matter of if, but when it will need to be replaced. Before that happens I’d like to know what I should be looking for. I know there have been improvements in the last few years but have no idea what matters and what doesn’t.

Any advice?

[Terry W]

Wow. 78 views and no responses.  I guess I'm not the only one with limited knowledge of heat pumps.

[rwe2156]

Wow. 78 views and no responses.  I guess I'm not the only one with limited knowledge of heat pumps.

Maybe its b/c its hard to tell exactly what you want to know. They are higher efficiency so you're electic bill should go down. If you had that much luck with Trane, you might as well go back with them but any of the major brands should be good. Check the warranties.

I have a friend in the AC business who does all my work. I told me to stay away from Trane, Carrier, etc, as some of the parts are proprietary.

If they are in your area, I've had very good luck with Goodman. 4 units between house and business, the last one we replaced was a 1999 model, the one before that 1998.

[blackhat]

You don’t need to shop for a heat pump. You need to shop for an installer start making inquiries of friends, family and co workers in your area.

[Terry W]

You don’t need to shop for a heat pump. You need to shop for an installer start making inquiries of friends, family and co workers in your area.

Thanks blackhat. I'm smart enough to know what I don't know. Here are a few things I'm puzzling about.

My unit is single stage. It works, but do I want to look at a dual stage or even a variable-speed unit. Or, are they finicky, complex and break down more often?

What is the SEER sweet spot for efficiency vs cost and reliability in 2023?

R22 is phased out. Is there another refrigerant being phased out in the next few years? If so, a system running what refrigerant should I be looking at?

I agree, finding the right installer is key.

[Snipe Hunter]

R22 is phased out. Is there another refrigerant being phased out in the next few years? If so, a system running what refrigerant should I be looking at?

It was replaced with R410A and it's on the way out too. R470A is it's replacement

[fredhargis]

What Blackhat said is how I did it. I've had 3 in the last 22 years or so, and the right installer makes a big difference. The last 2 I bought (these were all at different houses) were from the same outfit, because I was so impressed by their CS. I would stick with the larger names out there, but first and foremost is a quality installer.

[Snipe Hunter]

Terry, like Blackhat said. I can tell you that the cheaper units (Goodman for instance) tend to be louder but they do work. I also am more concerned about the installer than the brand but I would stick with a brand that has a lot of local support. Lennox tends to use a lot of unique parts and that can lead to lead time issues on repair parts.

[blackhat]

Before choosing a unit you need to ask a bunch of questions. What is the heating load and cooling load of the building?  Has that changed recently?  Are you running on electric backup a lot for heating?  These questions could impact sizing a replacement. 

R22 essentially no longer exists. R 410a is going away but slowly. There’s a couple contenders for replacement but no real front runner right now.   

If your loads are a close match, nothing wrong with a single stage. 2 stage ok or go to an inverter based system. Efficiency is always paired with high repair costs. I have no idea what minimum SEER ratings are in your area or energy costs.

[Cabinet Monkey]

Location would be helpful , almost mandatory.  How about adding to your profile ?


What might be best in N. Montana won’t be great in So. Florida.

The min. SEER is the sweet spot.

The improvements over the years all get incorp. into the base products. Moving up the food chain really only gets features you may or may not want.