It looks like this is going to be the summer of major projects for our new home. Just a few months ago we replaced all the windows and redesigned the structure of the facade by adding a bow-window, and now we find ourselves working on a major interior project. Today we are having the entire HVAC system replaced and are installing a new Trane furnace and central air conditioning unit. Unlike the windows, this is something that was nowhere on our radar and caught us completely off guard. However, this project does make sense considering we did replace the windows making the house more energy-efficient, this component seems like the logical next piece, but that is not why or how it happened. Over the winter, despite at least one window leaking pretty badly, the furnace did an excellent job at keeping the house comfortable, the same can not be said for the existing central air conditioner so far this summer!

Last month there were a couple of days we needed to run the central air (central air was one of the items on my list that a house must have, as I do not handle heat very well) and it barely made a dent in the temperature of the first floor and did absolutely nothing for the second! Understanding that we had no knowledge of the service history of the unit, that was our first step. We contacted Harriman Heating and had them come out to service and clean the unit. When the technician came out to perform this work he first performed a thorough cleaning and testing and was able to give us some additional information about the unit. As it turned out the unit was from the early 1980’s and still had every single original component, nothing had ever been replaced! This is exceedingly rare and he was a little impressed by that fact, as were we. However, he also gave us some less impressive news. As it turned out this unit was at least ½ ton undersized for the size of our house, and it is almost 2 pounds low on coolant. Now the coolant can be refilled, but because the unit is so old it also uses an older style coolant that is more expensive (almost double the cost) and without filling it he could not verify if there was a leak in the coolant system or not. Additionally, because the unit is undersized he also could not be sure it would make a large enough improvement in the units performance to justify the possibility of the coolant leaking. As such we decided to get a quote to replace the unit, which lead to a discussion about replacing the furnace to get the full benefits of the newer high-efficiency systems. Which in turn brings us to today.

It’s very hot today, and we had no central air at all for a good portion of the day because Harriman Heating was here removing the old furnace and air conditioning unit and installing a new Trane system! I have never seen this type of work performed before, having never owned a home, and I am pretty impressed with the fact that this is only a two-man job. The guys have been professional, and great to talk with. They have answered all the questions I have asked and explained things to me in a way I can understand and I greatly appreciate that because I like to learn and know what’s going on. They have gotten the entire unit installed but only the air conditioning is currently functioning, they will return tomorrow to finish the few items left on the furnace. That being said, the new air conditioner is amazing! They told us the moment it was ready to go and we closed all the windows and turned on the new unit to break it in. Within 15 minutes we could feel a drastic difference between this unit and the old one. The temperature and humidity (the new Trane thermostat shows the humidity!) dropped significantly! Watching the humidity get pulled out and seeing the water flushed to the utility sink in the basement is interesting, this unit pulls out a lot more than I ever remember the old unit doing. It’s nice to see such a quick turn around and know that we made a good decision so quickly. While it was unexpected and not in the budget, we managed to get a really good financing option that will see this being paid off in 5 years with 0% interest, so that also made the decision a little easier to make. Now to go enjoy the new cool temperatures of our house.