Many of you know that Texas had a record hot streak this summer, just barely missing the record for consecutive 100 degree days and breaking the record for total number of 100 degree days. This after the coldest January on record.
Our house is 14 years old. When it was built, it had a York heat pump, but it was "builder quality." That means just good enough to last through the warranty. We had trouble from the first with it, because it didn't want to switch from cooling to heating and back again very well.
All summer, the cooling unit has run all day and still couldn't get the temperature down to 78 degrees, where we had it set. We had it checked a couple of times, but no one could find an actual problem, other than a circuit board problem with the heat/cool switching.
I finally got ambitious and called several companies to come out and make us a bid. We decided on a unit that is more efficient, has a good warranty, and has a variable-speed fan and a two-stage furnace (we have natural gas; no reason for a heat pump!).
It's been running this weekend, and I'm kicking myself for not doing it last spring! And it cost less than I was afraid it would.
Our house is 14 years old. When it was built, it had a York heat pump, but it was "builder quality." That means just good enough to last through the warranty. We had trouble from the first with it, because it didn't want to switch from cooling to heating and back again very well.
All summer, the cooling unit has run all day and still couldn't get the temperature down to 78 degrees, where we had it set. We had it checked a couple of times, but no one could find an actual problem, other than a circuit board problem with the heat/cool switching.
I finally got ambitious and called several companies to come out and make us a bid. We decided on a unit that is more efficient, has a good warranty, and has a variable-speed fan and a two-stage furnace (we have natural gas; no reason for a heat pump!).
It's been running this weekend, and I'm kicking myself for not doing it last spring! And it cost less than I was afraid it would.