New Homeowner Needs Advises about Repairing or Replacing AC Unit (school, prices)

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by AZ Manager

New homeowner, did you not get a home warranty? They will cover most of these issues for your deductible. Always get a warranty with a home purchase, and carry it for a few years.

there are about eleventy-billion posts on this forum about warranty companies trying to duck out of a/c repairs, trying to duct-tape systems back together with mismatched components & generally behaving like asses, with one or two "but *I* won the lottery!" posts mixed in, often by paid schills. Sorry, but no. $300-$400 per year for "insurance" that isn't very good and inserts a middleman into my repair decision (while I or my tenants bake in 105+ temps!) isn't "a good idea".

Even the "good" warranty companies exclude freon charges & allow their "authorized" repair guys to charge whatever they want for it, so it isn't unusual to pay $100 per pound of freon on top of a deductable for a "covered" repair on a worn-out, cobbled repair.

If the OP had a $300 warranty in effect for three years, then a $100 deductable, then a $500 charge for freon, that's $1500 for a "covered" repair on a ten-year-old system.

[keer7869]

The compressor fan capacitor can be easily replaced for about $40.

[lewdog_5]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

there are about eleventy-billion posts on this forum about warranty companies trying to duck out of a/c repairs, trying to duct-tape systems back together with mismatched components & generally behaving like asses, with one or two "but *I* won the lottery!" posts mixed in, often by paid schills. Sorry, but no. $300-$400 per year for "insurance" that isn't very good and inserts a middleman into my repair decision (while I or my tenants bake in 105+ temps!) isn't "a good idea".

Even the "good" warranty companies exclude freon charges & allow their "authorized" repair guys to charge whatever they want for it, so it isn't unusual to pay $100 per pound of freon on top of a deductable for a "covered" repair on a worn-out, cobbled repair.

If the OP had a $300 warranty in effect for three years, then a $100 deductable, then a $500 charge for freon, that's $1500 for a "covered" repair on a ten-year-old system.

This, this and this every day of the week. The math just simply doesn't compute. These are designed mostly for people would wouldn't be able to pay for, let's say a $1-2k bill at the drop of a hat. So they'll have some company try to fix it many times, pay them a bit each time (hey at least we aren't paying a ton at once!), and finally have to replace an item and instead of you choosing it, the warranty company determines your options, which are usually low to low mid grade stuff.

Not worth it, more of a hassle and relatively no savings.

[haretanya]

Hi all! Thank you all for your replies and so many great information and suggestions!!! I am so touched. Next time I will do more homework like what you did for me. I learned things from you!

I need to correct my mistake. The $200 was not dye, but a sniffer. Now as wmpe mentioned sniffer, it rings a bell! Sorry for the wrong information.

Here is what happened today. So as many of you suggested, we did try to find another company. One of my husband's colleagues recommended his AC guy. The guy came to my house this evening, added freon and changed filters for us (the ones on the ceiling). btw, he suggested changing filters at least every two months, which I did not know. The cost was minimal compared to what the first company asked for. But he asked us to call him again to check the level of freon in one month. If freon does leak and the leak is small, he said he will add some things into the system (leak stop???) to fix the small leaks; if it is a big leak, then he will try to trace down where it is... He did not say how to locate the leak, though.

I forgot to ask him if adding the freon would automatically solve everything that was diagnosed as bad, e.g., the compressor, the capacitor, etc. I doubt that. I shall check with him next time.

Now we cross our fingers, and will see what he finds out in one month.

BTW, some of you mentioned home warranty. I do have one. It expired, and then I renewed. During the waiting period, I called to see if I was qualified for a pre-season tune-up and I asked for a quote since my AC was not cooling down as well as it used to be, they said the pre-season has passed. When I passed the waiting period, I called to ask if I can set up a service for checking my AC, they DENIED the service. The reason is that they got evidence saying that my AC had problems before the coverage started. That is why I turned to an AC company.

The home warranty company said if I provide them evidence saying that the AC functions again, they will start cover it again.

[haretanya]

Originally Posted by keer7869

The compressor fan capacitor can be easily replaced for about $40.

Thank you! It is good to know!

[haretanya]

Originally Posted by Roger427

An a/c system sure as heck should last more than 10 years. Get at least 2 more quotes. Trane is good quality equipment.

Thank you, Roger! We took your advice.

[haretanya]

Originally Posted by wit-nit

A lot depends on the usage of an air conditioner as far a life expectancy. 10 years is a low figure, most are over 15 years, our last 2 were 30 & 25 years old before replacement.
A Trane is an excellent top of the line AC and you'll probably get a minimum of 20 years out of it. We now have a Trane 19 seer unit and in the past 9 years since it was installed we have had zero problems and no service needed. One of the key things for longevity is to clean the filters regularly. Our electric bill runs @150.00 monthly for a 2000 sq ft house.

Thank you, wit-nit. This is important to know.

[haretanya]

Originally Posted by wpme

He is banging you pretty hard on the R22, I recently had 6 lbs added to my system and it cost $125. The coils are icing because the system is low. HVAC supply stores carry a spray on cleaner that works pretty good. Capacitors work, or they don't work, its 2 wires, unplug, plug in new cap, without more details my WAG is its a $20-$40 part max. The compressor is not working well because its low on freon. $200 to add dye is a rip-off, if he was a real tech he would have a sniffer. How long ago was freon last added, if never, the leak is too miniscule to worry about IMHO. If you really think its leaking there is a leak stop, several kinds actually, but only one really works and won't lock your compressor up.

Are you at all mechanically inclined? Do you own basic tools, or have friends that do and they know how to use them? AC system in my home is 30 years old and blowing ice cold right now, if you know what you are doing you can get one to last a long time, if I had to call a repair person everytime, it would have been scrapped a decade or longer ago. Only thing I need an AC tech for is the freon, have my own gauges, just no license to buy the stuff.

wpme, thank you soooo much for the information! So I shall expect the compressor and the capacitor to work now, since the freon was just added. He said sniffer, not dye. My bad! My freon might have been added two years ago by the seller who was selling the house. So I shall expect a leak then...

I wish my husband and I were more mechanically inclined. I think we could learn over years as a homeowner. Again, thank you, wpme!!

[haretanya]

Originally Posted by wpme

He is banging you pretty hard on the R22, I recently had 6 lbs added to my system and it cost $125. The coils are icing because the system is low. HVAC supply stores carry a spray on cleaner that works pretty good. Capacitors work, or they don't work, its 2 wires, unplug, plug in new cap, without more details my WAG is its a $20-$40 part max. The compressor is not working well because its low on freon. $200 to add dye is a rip-off, if he was a real tech he would have a sniffer. How long ago was freon last added, if never, the leak is too miniscule to worry about IMHO. If you really think its leaking there is a leak stop, several kinds actually, but only one really works and won't lock your compressor up.

Are you at all mechanically inclined? Do you own basic tools, or have friends that do and they know how to use them? AC system in my home is 30 years old and blowing ice cold right now, if you know what you are doing you can get one to last a long time, if I had to call a repair person everytime, it would have been scrapped a decade or longer ago. Only thing I need an AC tech for is the freon, have my own gauges, just no license to buy the stuff.

wpme, thank you soooo much for the information! So I shall expect the compressor and the capacitor to work now, since the freon was just added. He said sniffer, not dye. My bad! My freon might have been added two years ago by the seller who was selling the house. Or, he/she never added it. I do not really know.

I wish my husband and I were more mechanically inclined. I think we could learn over years, probably a lot from this forum. Again, thank you, wpme!!

[haretanya]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

Here's what the equipment costs:

https://www.acwholesalers.com/Air-Co...6454%3A3.5+Ton

I'm not telling you to install a new one yourself - but know that the *appliance* you're buying isn't particularly expensive or complex. The guy doing the install isn't a Dr or a Lawyer who went to school for 12 years learning a black art. An install of a complete unit shouldn't be much more than $1,000 (cause it only takes a few hours of a technician's time).

The prices quoted for repairs are obscene, but common. Shop around & ask lots of questions. Especially about *warranty*, because the standard warranty is worthless if the shop doing the work gouges you on labor.

Fwiw, your original system is most likely oversized & you could prolly save a huge amount of energy by bumping *down* to a 3-ton unit with a two-speed compressor. (Two-speed compressors are only sold in full-ton increments). Don't let anyone sell you a bigger unit. Bigger isn't better.

New units come pre-charged with refrigerant & the new refrigerant is much less expensive than r-22. - r410 is like $3 a pound. You can almost always re-use the lineset going to your old unit, unless you want to move it somewhere else.

Based on what you posted - If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at these :

https://www.acwholesalers.com/Air-Co...A16458%3A16.00

That's a two-stage 16 seer unit. Seer ratings don't mean much in the desert, but you need to go to 16 seer to get the two-speed compressor, which will actually save you a ton. On moderate days, a two-stage compressor still cools the house, but it doesn't draw as much juice. On hot days, you still have full capacity.

I'd figure on $4500 tops /installed, for a top-shelf goodman with a fancy-pants touchscreen thermostat.

Id be willing to bet your $6k quote was for a much lower-specd unit, without a two-stage compressor, which is just throwing money away imho..

Thank you, Zippyman, for such thorough research on the price. I will refer to your post whenever I decide to replace the unit.