I have a 20 year old Trane that I want to go ahead and replace before it fails or I have another expensive repair. House is 1430 square feet and built in 60s.

Right now, have 3 options and may get a couple more. The American standard variable seems like a great deal compared to other options. Am I missing something? Is it lower price variable for a reason? Am I signing up for something more expensive to maintain with variable and do I really need it? This is my first and only home to own and first HVAC purchase. I have made decisions based on price for other things before and gotten burned. Hoping some of you more seasoned home owners and hvac experts can help guide me. I will be financing part of purchase and plan to be in this house for foreseeable future in the current market.

Company 1:
American standard silver 15 3 ton single stage - $9,973
American standard platinum 18 3 ton variable stage - $12,097

Company 2:
Lennox ML17CX1 3 ton single stage - $10,772
Lennox EL 18 3 ton variable - $17,944
carrier infinity 3 ton variable - $17,792
Carrier 3 ton single stage (not sure of model) - $10,747

What size is the existing trane ?
Are you happy with its performance cooling and humidity wise ?
What kind of insulation is in walls and ceiling?
How old are the windows ?

American standard is made by trane. I had one for 13 years before selling the house and only repair was a capacitor and the circuit board once failed from a lightening strike.

I would not ever purchase a lennox

Ask the American Standard dealer for a quote on a two-stage outdoor unit with a variable speed indoor unit.

Only $2,000 more for a variable speed vs a single stage doesn't seem right. 3 ton system for 1430 square feet also seems oversized. Did they do a manual j to determine the size?

Quote:

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Now is not the time to replace a working system. At least wait until the end of the summer. Personally, I am content to keep my two two-stage 25yo Trane units running until there is no possibility of repair.

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This is my philosophy also. If one fails, I can rely on the other to keep my house cool until the failed one is replaced. However, I'm thinking the OP does not have 2 units.

The paper napkin calculations for required tonnage:

20 BTU's per SF of house
12,000BTU's per ton

1,430SF x 20BTU's = 28,600 BTU's required

28,600/12000 = 2.38 ton

Variable factors at play are sun exposure, windows, insulation, ceiling heights, etc.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Current unit is a 3 ton and I'm happy with performance. Windows are not original to house and newer but not sure when they were installed. There are a couple spots where there is a small draft during winter I have noticed. Insulation in attic is ok over half the house where bedrooms are but I need some put over the other part of the house. I don't expect the walls have great insulation.

I have a couple more quotes coming for some Trane units and one for Daiken today that I am not super interested in but a friend suggested this company. Any thoughts on Daiken?

I could be convinced to wait until winter. Would I just negotiate costs or hope there are better incentives then? It's been doing ok during this recent heat wave in Dallas but last summer I came home to a hot house when k got back from vacation and had a $700 repair. If something expensive breaks this summer I would like to be prepared with what I want to install so I'm doing my homework now.

If the repairs are building in cost and frequency, then of course the time is ripe to replace the system IF it only takes a day to do in this Texas heat.

Of the choices posted thus far
American standard platinum 18 3 ton variable stage - $12,097
is the clear winner if you stay in this house 10+ years more to save the money in ideal comfort.
Trane ideas are also most welcome.

Remember that no matter the brand a less than 5-star installer can muck the whole system up.

I have ridden HVACs to death until repairs were no longer feasible only to see out of pocket expenses rise to 71% of new install price ... always in peril of days of outages ... parts become scarce &/or price jacked up b/c "the last one". Why pay almost double for unreliable?

It's the stingy man that spends the most & I hope to quit that path.

Next door neighbor just had a Carrier 3.5 ton system installed for a little over $6k. Your numbers seem to be a little higher than what can be had.

Also take a look at Comfort Maker. A Carrier product but cheaper and seems to have good reliability. Can also get up to a 12 year warranty if using preferred dealer. 10 year if not.

Anyone used an Armstrong unit?