2001 hvac anything to worry about? (how much, townhome, furnace, heating)

[lawson24]

My wife and I have been interested in a property and manufactured home, we offered more then the asking price a long with the binder. Then we had the home inspection, it went well for the most part. The home is a 2001, The hvac unit (Carrier) is the original unit that came with the home, the inspector said that it's at or near the end of it's life, and that we should consider replacement in the future and/or get a home warranty. But he said the first order of business is to get a maintenance service check for performance, leaks, etc. So, we asked our agent whether they would first do a replacement, (we doubted they would), but we thought there's no harm in asking or at least pay for the maintenance service. Well our agent came back and said they wouldn't replace, but they also wouldn't pay for the maintenance. I found out these owners have only lived there 2 years, I'm thinking they have move out, maybe they can't afford to live there, hence not able to pay for the maintenance which we can understand. I'm wondering how much life is left in it, don't want it conking out next summer and also whether we should would go though with this deal. We have asked whether they would come down a little on the asking price, waiting. Also been trying to find out what the monthly electric costs are, thinking this system's using R-22. What do you think? I appreciate your thoughts on this, as always thanks.

[K'ledgeBldr]

You're speaking of the condenser unit- what about the system as a whole. What about the furnace? Gas or electric? Gas I would be more concerned about the heat exchanger.

Yes, 20yrs is getting to the end of it's most productive use- biggest comparison is it's energy efficiency versus today's newer, higher SEER units(?)- ROI, verses running what's there until it dies. There's plenty of A/C usage here in the ATL and I see units that are clearly 20,25, maybe even close to 30yoa that are still running.

Oh course with the other issues that you have mentioned on this forum, I'd say you're trying to talk yourself out of this house. If you feel that way, keep going. You will eventually find the "right" house.

[Coldjensens]

Worry about it? No. Worrying never did anyone a bit of good.

It might last another ten years or more. It might not last another day. The same is true of one that is 5 years old. Was it maintained?

Home warranty?

You may be better off having them give you the money and put it in the bank.

I would be more concerned about buying a manufactured home of that vintage. If you like the land, woudl it be too expensive to put another Mfg home on it?

[NOLA2SGF]

I bought a house three years ago (in June, 2015) with a very old HVAC. It even used an old coolant of some kind that cannot be used any more. It worked just fine for the first year, but the following summer it got worse and worse. So, I replaced the entire HVAC system except for the ductwork, in September of 2016.

This was not bad at all. First of all, I didn't have to deal with it while I was busy unpacking and getting settled in my new home. The new HVAC cost me $7,200, and similar work to replace the HVAC might cost more in other parts of the country or with a larger home. But anyway, now that I have paid for it I have probably the best HVAC ever and probably will not have to replace it again for many years.

I'd say that you should go ahead and buy the house if you are sure that it is the house you want, but make sure your offer is low enough that you will have at least $10K in your emergency fund to replace the HVAC when the time comes.

[NC211]

Have it looked at by an hvac person specifically, not just a general home inspector. Hvac guy will be able to tell you if it has newer parts in it that have been replaced over the years, like evap coil, compressor motor, etc. Chances are they have been at that age. We have a York Diamond from 2000 that runs our upstairs and a 2006 American Standard that runs down and basement. We bought this house in late 2015. Inspector marked the York as past its useful life. Yet it works like a champ! American Standard unit, struggles a bit. But the York had the evap coil and compressor motor replaced in 2008. American Standard is all original and needing a new evap coil soon. We’re not going to bandaid it though, just replace it all at one time for about $12,500 (including heat). Why?

As Kledge pointed out - operating efficiencies have DRAMITSCLLY increased in recent years. Those around us who have replaced their York’s with new in the past 4/5 years immediately are seeing power bills going down by nearly 50%. These are 6,000+ sf houses. Power bills in dead of summer easily $300 on old, $150ish on new.

Best option is to talk to the neighbors and find out who did theirs. You might find out that someone who does hvac for a living also lives in the neighborhood and gives a “neighborhood” discount to lock down the business. We have one here that handles Carrier and cuts a good deal. With Costco approach, we’re looking at $17,500 for everything on a mid-level Lennox setup. With neighbors company (which is highly rated, well established and experienced), $12,500 for upper-end Carrier setup.

Don’t let the hvac scare you away from the house if you really like it and you like it’s setting. HVAC is a disposable item of homeownership regardless. Just like the roof, it’ll eventually have to be replaced anyway.

[headingtoDenver]

Not sure of the market where you are looking, but you could always adjust your offer to factor in the chance of having to replace everything.

[JOinGA]

I bought a house in April 2017. It was built in 2004 and had the original HVAC unit. The house had changed hands several times, so I suspect the maintenance was not the best. My inspector told me to budget for replacement and, sure enough, the heat exchanger flamed out in January 2018. It was not worth repairing, so I replaced the whole unit, using a company that would come out the same day. Be wary of a Home Warranty as a solution as you might have trouble getting same day service (which is problematic in cold months; I was away when my unit failed and came home to a 41 degree temperature in the house at noon!) or end up dealing with band-aid after band-aid as they try to avoid replacing the whole unit. I paid below list for the house. An old HVAC unit should be reflected in the price.

[RamenAddict]

You never know how long HVACs will last- it may already be reflected in the price. I bought a foreclosure with an HVAC that was about 28 years old at the time and of my row of 4 townhomes, two other people in the row also still had the same HVAC units. We all replaced them by the time I moved out 4 years later, but some systems can last a long time. I replaced mine before it broke because it was oversized for the home and really wasteful in its heating/cooling (plus... it was only a matter of time). I think my last workplace had HVACs of the same vintage. They were basically just big home-size HVACs and not the big industrial ones. They occasionally had issues but I don’t think a single one of them was newer than around 1997 and some were from the ‘80s.

[Yippeekayay]

Yes. Just buy a new one. More efficient as they are not strained and thus consume less energy.

[TrapperL]

Considering it's a Carrier, I'm surprised it still works. Jeez, Carrier is worse than Goodman cheap crap. They are well documented for having holes in the coils and short fan life. I would never buy a Carrier HVAC system for even an ex wife. You'll be replacing it and soon.