Originally Posted by ddsrph

Rich
I just installed a Trane split unit heat pump in the new house I am building in Tennessee. I installed it myself except for soldering the lineset. The dealer had no problem with this. Look online for the many companies that sell directly to the consumer, Alpine is one with with a good reputation. If nothing more it will give you a good idea of what a unit should cost. The price difference is small between the different sizes, and more so for the higher seer units. My feeling is go with the current standard units of 14 or 15 seer as the payoff for the much more expensive, and prone to problems higher seer units does not usually offer much advantage. If your duct work is OK the prices mentioned by the other poster are excessive as you will see for the cost of the units online. Most of the ones you can buy direct are Goodman which are OK units and pay close attention to warrantee issues when buying online.
If you are the handy type you can do the bulk of the time consuming work and save a bundle, even working with a local reputable company who is supplying the unit.

Originally Posted by lizzyq

Compost from the local recycling centre - they collect the leaves, grass clippings and prunings/brush/scrub from the township and turn it into compost and mulch. A very generous cubic yard (it was more like 2 cubes) cost me about $20, but I did have to get hold of a pick-up truck to transport it the 1/4 mile home. Next year I think I'll try and find a little tipper truck

Originally Posted by RICH

Thanks, this would be an approach I would be interested in, but I got a man round today, and am embarrassed to say, the problem was a simple as a dodgy breaker on the main house board. I failed to realize I should have been looking for 240 volts, where I was finding 120v, in all the right places.

$80 service call fee, 30 minutes (plus $160 for unrelated 2lb top up of R22) and it is good as new. Will need to replace the breaker soon, but that's not beyond me!! Phew!

Originally Posted by ddsrph

When the time does come for replacement you can buy a Goodman split unit heat pump online for less than $2000, do the basic install and then pay for final hookup and startup. I was ready to go this route but a local company sold me a Trane unit with agreement to solder lineset and do startup, all for $2500 tax included, plus he provided thermostat and a few other bits I needed for my part of the install. I already had done the ductwork, using commercial spiral, exposed ducts like you see in many modern restaurants. We fired it up a couple weeks ago and it is working great. If you buy local and do install, a printout in hand of what you can buy a unit online for would be a good talking point when getting a price from a local dealer. A lot of dealers are very honest, but many are not and they love uniformed home owners willing to pay thousands too much.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

So this is the appliance equivalent of open heart surgery: top off, check, back off, check, front off, check, disconnected plumbing inlets and drains, check, drum out, check, split open the drum, check. I have never come close to having a washing machine this far apart unless I was breaking it apart for scrap.

I have new bearings to install, now I just need to get the stainless steel drum off its axle to get to the bearings.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

So it took a few weeks, and I still need to reassemble it, but these are the bearings I removed. Only the large, inner bearing was damaged, the smaller one I destroyed as I hammered it out with a chisel. As the replacement bearings come in a set, there is no reason not to replace them both while the machine is disassembled.

Anyhow, the attached picture is the remains of the bearings. The larger which had failed had nine ball bearings in it, held in place with a bracelet-like spacer (centre and left of the picture). Of the nine ball bearings, eight were split and broken into two pieces, split open like nuts! You can see a couple of the broken ball bearings nea3 the far right of the picture.

Originally Posted by Beaverstate

Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to start new? ......

Originally Posted by Beaverstate

Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to start new? Or did they quit making it after the war.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

Do you know of a high efficiency front-loader that I can buy for less than $70?

"Easier", maybe, but not as interesting.

Originally Posted by Nutek

Maybe you can rebuild it as a top loader.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

Well at the moment it can be loaded from both the top and the front. And also from the rear.

Unfortunately this flexibility is unlikely to last the rebuilding process.

Originally Posted by Nutek

There is an Actress/Bishop joke in there somewhere.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

Maybe Sultan can help us find it? ...... If anyone can, it will be him!