Air conditioner finally died. Warranty covering but have questions. (insurance, home)

[DetroitN8V]

My 15+ year old unit that cools the upstairs finally died. When I bought the house, the sellers threw in an Old Republic home warranty. Fortunately, they agreed to replace the condenser with a new unit. I'll be out $650 for non-covered items such as disposal, upgrading the electrical(?) and a couple other things.

They are not doing anything with the air handler in the attic and the HVAC guy assured me that the new unit and old air handler will work together just fine. They're giving me a Goodman 13 SEER, 2.5 ton (same size as the old unit) condenser. A quick Google search later and it appears that I'm getting the bargain basement, budget version. Anything outright wrong with such a cheap unit? Should I demand that the air handler be replaced too? Is it necessary? Anything else I need to know about or have done?

Thanks in advance!

[Desertspiritsteve]

I don't know if a fifteen year old air handler and specifically the old evaporator coil inside it will be compatible with a new condensing unit with r-410a refrigerant. I would worry about the old evap coil blowing apart. I would think you would at least want a new matching coil in the old air handler. You would want to clean the squirrel cage blower and it might just be less expensive just to replace the whole thing. My understanding is that the new 410a systems are under much higher pressure. It sounds to me like they are replacing the old condensing unit with about the cheapest thing they can find. Goodman + 13 seer.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by Desertspiritsteve

I don't know if a fifteen year old air handler and specifically the old evaporator coil inside it will be compatible with a new condensing unit with r-410a refrigerant. I would worry about the old evap coil blowing apart. I would think you would at least want a new matching coil in the old air handler. You would want to clean the squirrel cage blower and it might just be less expensive just to replace the whole thing. My understanding is that the new 410a systems are under much higher pressure. It sounds to me like they are replacing the old condensing unit with about the cheapest thing they can find. Goodman + 13 seer.

That's exactly what they're doing.

The warranty company asked the tech if the evap coil needs replacing and he told them NO. Maybe the new unit is R-22?

[rmissourimule]

Well, I've been through this with a home warranty in the past and for the above stated reasons just decided to pay the freight and get it done right with both units being replaced. Although the air handler was evidently OK, when it was removed from the attic it had rust in several places and I would not have wanted to have relied on it any longer than it had already served. I just replaced everything at a cost of about $4,500 out of pocket. But the relief was immediate and in my opinion money well spent.

Had I just replaced the heat pump with an el cheapo model and it quit on us along with the air handler finally giving up the ghost we would be both inconvenienced and miserable unless we had kept renewing the "insurance policy." I guess it comes down to how lucky one feels.

[rmissourimule]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

That's exactly what they're doing.

The warranty company asked the tech if the evap coil needs replacing and he told them NO. Maybe the new unit is R-22?

How could he know that? He's just guessing. It may have appeared to be OK but failed next month. See my post above.

And you're getting socked with $650 in out of pocket costs. In my mind, this is a no-brainer. You may spend more money but you'll sleep better at night and be comfortable. BTW, my unit was carefully measured out and was a 3 ton unit and it would grow icicles on the end of my nose. The old unit was totally and completely worn out and everything was carted away. No muss; no fuss.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by rmissourimule

Well, I've been through this with a home warranty in the past and for the above stated reasons just decided to pay the freight and get it done right with both units being replaced. Although the air handler was evidently OK, when it was removed from the attic it had rust in several places and I would not have wanted to have relied on it any longer than it had already served. I just replaced everything at a cost of about $4,500 out of pocket. But the relief was immediate and in my opinion money well spent.

Had I just replaced the heat pump with an el cheapo model and it quit on us along with the air handler finally giving up the ghost we would be both inconvenienced and miserable unless we had kept renewing the "insurance policy." I guess it comes down to how lucky one feels.

Makes sense. While $4500 seems reasonable, my struggle is that I have two condesor units along with two air handlers/furnaces. $9000 is tough to swallow when they'll get my AC functional for $650. You're right about the need to re-up the warranty though.

[Desertspiritsteve]

It was my understanding that units using R-22 had been phased out several years ago. AC repair people can still get the R-22 to pump up your old unit after repair. The installer of my 12 year old Rheem split heat pump told me several years back that they charge $40-$50 a pound for the stuff. Refrigerant isn't considered to be a covered "part". Also consider that whereever that condensing unit sits outside your house, the new cheapo unit may be deafeningly loud. They don't bother to put the acoustic blankets on the compressors in the cheap equipment. You can always buy the acoustic blanket aftermarket yourself to put on. It's a velcro installation that you can do yourself for $50 to $60.

[DetroitN8V]

I believe R-22 units can still be sold and installed by using a loophole in which the manufacturer ships them "dry".

[rmissourimule]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Makes sense. While $4500 seems reasonable, my struggle is that I have two condensor units along with two air handlers/furnaces. $9000 is tough to swallow when they'll get my AC functional for $650. You're right about the need to re-up the warranty though.

That's true but at this time you would only be able to make a claim on the one defective one, would you not? If the second one is functional and working there would be no claim and you wouldn't be able to make the insurance company replace both units (two outside units and two air handlers) would you?

It is not impossible that the second one might last another 5-10 years or so. I'd cross one bridge at a time, personally.

I'm not sure where you live but we use heat pumps in this part of the country. It doubles as an a/c in the summer and furnace in the winter. It has been my experience that these units are running on borrowed time after 15 years. I don't believe in fixing something that isn't broken but if it is broken, it needs to be repaired for the long run unless you plan on moving soon.

We had the opportunity to have the system fixed under the home warranty. We originally had the contractor out and he diagnosed it as an improper amount of freon and some was added. It never really worked right and made a lot of noise. It was also one of the older piston types and the new ones are the scroll types and light years quieter. "Everything" including the thermostat on the wall was replaced. The second time I employed the premier company in town to handle the replacement.

Another thing is that these things can nickle and dime you to death. One of the persistent problems is that the drain line can get clogged up and you won't know about it until it starts leaking through your ceiling if it doesn't drain properly. I had this happen to me down in Texas but in that case the air handler was in the garage but it still made a huge mess. The a/c man came out and blew out the line and it worked fine after that. Seems like it was about 12 years old when we moved. But we had them out 3-4 times for this and for that. It still worked fine when it worked but there is nothing like turning on the a/c and it not working in the middle of a hot Texas summer to "annoy" one. Problem was a faulty electrical condenser or resister inside the birdcage unit but it didn't work until it was located and fixed.

[DetroitN8V]

You're right, there's no reason for me to do anything with the downstairs unit that seems to be working fine. I don't know what I was thinking when I responded. It seems like a waste to not use the warranty company but if it's going to be a hack-job then it's worth considering. Meanwhile, it's 109 outside and my upstairs is 93 degrees so something needs to happen ASAP.