Much Needed Help for a clueless college student!! :)

[Danielle0222]

Hello!! I am trying to order a new air handler on ebay to help save my mom some money on her HVAC repairs. the old air handler was a GE model # BWE724G100A0 for a 2 story, 4 bedroom home. Can ANYONE suggest which air handlers would be compatible to replace the old one with?? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP!!

[Admin]

What province do you live in and what's the square footage of the home?
That's an electric unit.  Unless you live in Quebec, I would convert to natural gas, if available.  If not look for the kW rating of the existing unit and try to match that.  Look at getting a unit with an ECM fan motor to save on hydro.

[Danielle0222]

In Virginia Beach, Virginia. Could you give me a little more info on those? I am clueless!! Thank you SO MUCH!! You are a life saver! Any suggestions on which unit to purchase??

[Rustymike]

hello there
you have a 2 ton coil on an air handler rated at 1000 cfm (good up to 2 1/2 tons, based on 400 cfm/ton)
your should replace the complete system including the lineset and insulation, with a new R410 Refrigerant system to save you power in operation costs.
Not knowing if your Mom's air handler is in an uninsulated attic space or not makes providing suggestions difficult.
If there is gas to the house, I would suggest going with a hi eff gas furnace and a 2.5 tr system with a 14 seer condensing unit, as long as the attic space where the furnace can be placed as heat to keep the heat exchangers and drain lines from freezing.
Otherwise, the other option would be to go with 3 tr, 2 speed heat pump and a new air handler c/w 10-15kw of supplemental heat.
It is a very good idea that the air handler fan motor be an ECM or an X drive motor for you to get the best airflow for the horse power watt usage of the air handler fan, than just going with a standard PSC type motor usually found on the lesser priced units.
Myself, I would tend to lean towards Trane, York or Carrier/Payne/Day&Night and even Lennox.
Whichever way you finally decide to go, have the installing company assure you that your ductwork is fully compatible to handle the airflow requirements of the newer system. If the ductwork does need to be upgraded, usually it's only minor duct changes right at or near the air handler that solves the problem. (unless the complete duct system is vastly deficit!)