Trane XR11 replacement

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Our house has two Trane XR11 air conditioners. One is 2.5 ton and the other is 3.5 ton. They are both about 21 years old.

Just cleaned the condenser coils and made sure they are ready for summer. They appear to be working properly.

But… I know I'm living on borrowed time. I have two questions.

What would be the best replacement for Trane XR11? Would prefer to stick with Trane. Good results so far. Presumably a replacement Trane would be most compatible with existing systems.

Condenser units readily accessible. Air handlers are in the attics. Attic access doors are about 20x48 inches. Standard 24 inch truss spacing. Ideally would reuse the air handler frame/box and replace all the moving parts inside. Is this a standard approach? Will the new air handler guts fit through my access doors?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I wouldn't replace them until they quit. Condensing units and AHUs can go 30-40 years and that is not uncommon.

SuperTech

New Trane air handlers are plastic, nothing at all like the older ones. Nothing from a new unit will be compatible with the old one. The entire air handler would need to be replaced.

I'd keep the existing system as long as possible. When the time comes to replace it focus more on who is doing the installation rather than what brand equipment they are installing. This isn't like buying a new car. The system needs to be sized properly for your home and ductwork and all assembly is done on site in your home. The installing contractor makes or breaks the job. The best Trane equipment will perform poorly and be unreliable if it's installed poorly.

ratio

With the new refrigerants about to come out the end of the pipeline, you're unlikely to be able to reuse any of the refrigerant system except possibly the line set. Start tucking money away now but wait until it fails to get it done. Maybe get an estimate or two & use that as the target to have on hand.

gyrfalcon

I had an older Trane XR. It died around 2018? Was replaced with a basic American Standard A/C. Single stage. A/S and Trane are the same except for the color and badges. They also are teamed with Mitsubishi. R410A refrigerant is being phased out for new blends of chemicals. I have no issues with the equipment - wish I would have paid more attention to the installation- I’ve been fixing some issues from a rushed job. Installation is critical- regardless of brand.