I had my HVAC replaced yesterday. The old one failed Friday and I got a new American Standard unit put in yesterday.

Crew showed up at 7 AM yesterday, took out the old central AC machine in the back, the connecting wires and such, the furnace and air handler in my attic and everything else (coil, concrete base, and so on). I expected the job to be between 8 and 10 hours but they finished by 1030 AM. Counting time to test the AC and furnace, they were done in under 4 hours. Totally amazed by their speed.

Anyone else have to replace your HVAC system? If so, how long did the crew take for yours?

If you can devote separate crews to the condenser (the outside unit) and the air handler/evaporator (inside unit), and you're able to reuse existing copper, electrical, and control wires (from the thermostat), under four hours is feasible.

After recovering the refrigerant, the condenser is really just two pipes, three electrical wires, and two control wires. Cut it free, roll it off, level a new concrete (really cement covered foam) pad, and drop the new one on it.

The inside unit is where things can get hairy. If it's an attic unit, some of the old air handlers are built from like 1/4" steel. Getting them to the attic access can be a nightmare. Everything is going to need to mate up. The new air handler (furnace) is probably not the same size as the old one. Aligning the new evaporator coil with the new air handler, connecting the top of the coil to the duct work and the bottom of the air handler to the return intake can require new sheet metal pieces to be made. Getting the condensate out of the house is another concern. Typically the main drain line will be run with PVC pipe. If it's in the attic, you'll need multiple safety pans and drains to prevent flooding disasters. Sometimes, the old closet (if it's not attic mounted) isn't a good size for the new equipment. In the end, the main 8-way wire from the thermostat will route to the air handler first.

After everything's rigged up, pull a vacuum on the refrigerant lines. Check for leaks, and that it's maintaining the vacuum. If your brazing is good, introduce refrigerant. Let it equalize in the running system, and balance as necessary.

If your crew got it done under four hours, you had a good crew and favorable conditions. Congrats on the new system! They're expensive, but knowing you won't worry with it for many years is a great feeling!

Thanks Mr Tulip. The guy I used is someone I have used for years on my AC and furnace. He warned me the R22 freon in my old system meant I would have to replace the thing sooner or later, and my furnace was a little messed up by a leak from the roof in 2021 from the ice storm (by the way, Farmers Insurance is a bunch of crooks - they changed my policy 2 weeks after I paid my premium in 2020 about how roofs would be covered) so I always knew the whole shibang would have to be replaced.

The guy showed up Saturday and took measurements of everything, as well as pictures so he knew exactly what dimensions he needed. He's an older guy like me but brought along some huge guys. One guy was big enough to carry the old unit himself, looked to be almost 300 pounds.