How long (typically) to replace AC this time of year (Phoenix: house, buying)

[Eric618]

I recently bought a house here in Avondale with the original AC unit (home was built in '01). It crapped out today. I don't want it patched up as it's already past its usable lifespan anyway. I have a home warranty (agreed when buying the house against my better judgment). Called them today and they submitted an order to a local contractor. That contractor told me it will take 1-2 WEEKS to replace it, if it needs replacement. That sounds a little crazy. Does that sound right? I'm not going to happy if I can't sleep in my own bed for up to the next two weeks!! If they only agree to fix it, I'll be looking at replacing it out of own pocket anyway.

Also, what would a decent estimate be to fully replace the system. It's a 2,100 sq. ft. home, and single story. No idea if it's all inclusive with the furnace or not. It's a gas furnace.

ANY input would be very appreciated. Thanks!!

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Eric618

I recently bought a house here in Avondale with the original AC unit (home was built in '01). It crapped out today. I don't want it patched up as it's already past its usable lifespan anyway. I have a home warranty (agreed when buying the house against my better judgment). Called them today and they submitted an order to a local contractor. That contractor told me it will take 1-2 WEEKS to replace it, if it needs replacement. That sounds a little crazy. Does that sound right? I'm not going to happy if I can't sleep in my own bed for up to the next two weeks!! If they only agree to fix it, I'll be looking at replacing it out of own pocket anyway.

Also, what would a decent estimate be to fully replace the system. It's a 2,100 sq. ft. home, and single story. No idea if it's all inclusive with the furnace or not. It's a gas furnace.

ANY input would be very appreciated. Thanks!!

Sounds about right, even longer if it's on the roof.

Could you get it patched up now to get it to chug for another month or so, then replace in the winter when you don't need it?

[Eric618]

That's not the answer I was hoping to hear. The condenser is on the ground, thankfully! I guess whatever I do will be at least partially up to what answers I get tomorrow when it's looked at.

Thanks for offering your thoughts.

[Zippyman]

The actual replacement of the unit can usually be done in one day - "package" units that sit on the roof can be done in 1/2 day. I think the issue you're running into might be contractor scheduling - they're all running around like madmen this time of year. If it's not leaking refrigerant, a condenser-fan or a capacitor might get you some cold air in just a couple hours.

Honestly, I'd ignore the warranty & try to get it cooling now. You can fight with the warranty company later & sue them in small claims court if they're idiots (and they often are).

[Java Jolt]

When air-conditioners break down in the summertime it's not too unheard of to wait two weeks or more for a replacement because it's the high-demand season.

If the OP signed an agreement with the contractor for a new system, why couldn't the contractor install temporary units for the time being?

When my system needed replacing a few years ago I was provided with temporaries that were vented through the windows so I could live in my house and be halfway comfortable until installation of the central system could be done.

If the contractor won't offer this simple act of kindness maybe the OP should search for a different contractor.

[Suzatlarge]

It sounds like the contractor has been hired by the home warranty company. I note that the OP said "That contractor told me it will take 1-2 WEEKS to replace it, if it needs replacement."

I can totally see the warranty company's contractor saying, no replacement needed, we'll just tinker with this one. Because it keeps the warranty company's costs down, keeps the old unit ticking over until the warranty period's done and they are off the hook, and keeps the contractor in the warranty company's good graces so he will keep getting their business.

I suggest that the OP see if he can get another AC company to pay a home visit and assess his old AC unit, and give their opinion of what repairs are needed, and if it's not repairable, what the replacement costs are. If a reputable company has pronounced it DOA, the OP will have a card to play if the warranty company's guy says a repair is feasible. And if repairs are really feasible, the OP will already have some info on what another AC company thinks needs to be done.

If I were the OP and had no warranty, I'd probably opt to replace the old AC unit vs. throwing any money at repairs. But there is a warranty so the OP can probably get the repairs free if it's repairable.

The warranty company's obligations are probably along the lines of repairing the AC unit if it's repairable. I doubt they are liable for replacing the AC unit just because the OP thinks that's a better idea.

I know the unit's already past its original life expectancy, but if it can be fixed and keep running for another several months, I would expect the warranty company to choose that vs. a replacement. The OP won't get a new unit in that case, but will also not be paying for the repairs (unless there's some deductible which is another situation), and will have some time to shop for a new unit. I'm thinking the OP could probably get a better deal on a new AC later on, i.e., not in the scorching middle of summer.

Just my opinion. I'm often wrong.

[ScottsdaleMark]

I've always gotten repairs done the same or next day and have had new units put in within a day or two, but, I'm paying as a customer and not going through a warranty company. I get the sense warranty customers are always at the back of the queue. Maybe the reimbursement rate is lower for the HVAC companies or the warranty companies are slow to pay or something, but I've consistently heard the longest "wait" times for various things for people going through their warranties.

[Eric618]

The tech came to the house this morning. 4:30 in the morning!! Lol. He was in and out in less than 30 minutes. He replaced the capacitor and it fired right up. It was $65 total. I didn't ask what it would have been if I didn't have the warranty company.

I'm glad it's fixed, but I'd also like the damn thing to just die so I can replace it and hope for the best with the warranty company. My one year is up with the in December. Come wwintertim, assuming it lasts till then, I may just replace the whole thing out of pocket. My electric bill last month was $450! That 15-year-old unit isn't doing my wallet any favors on a monthly basis!

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Eric618

The tech came to the house this morning. 4:30 in the morning!! Lol. He was in and out in less than 30 minutes. He replaced the capacitor and it fired right up. It was $65 total. I didn't ask what it would have been if I didn't have the warranty company.

I'm glad it's fixed, but I'd also like the damn thing to just die so I can replace it and hope for the best with the warranty company. My one year is up with the in December. Come wwintertim, assuming it lasts till then, I may just replace the whole thing out of pocket. My electric bill last month was $450! That 15-year-old unit isn't doing my wallet any favors on a monthly basis!

Glad to hear you're good to go, we just had Parker and Sons out to replace our unit. They wanted to do it next day but we waited 2 days later because of work schedules. We do not have a home warranty but I've always found that the turnaround time and cost estimates provided to me under warranties never seem to add up. I don't buy them any longer as I didn't ever see value in it. I was always provided pricing and timing that didn't add up.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Eric618

The tech came to the house this morning. 4:30 in the morning!! Lol. He was in and out in less than 30 minutes. He replaced the capacitor and it fired right up. It was $65 total. I didn't ask what it would have been if I didn't have the warranty company.

I'm glad it's fixed, but I'd also like the damn thing to just die so I can replace it and hope for the best with the warranty company. My one year is up with the in December. Come wwintertim, assuming it lasts till then, I may just replace the whole thing out of pocket. My electric bill last month was $450! That 15-year-old unit isn't doing my wallet any favors on a monthly basis!

At least it sounds like the service person the warranty company chose is trying. Capacitors are usually about $150~ish including labor, so the cost was definitely nothing to complain about. One thing to keep in mind, while a $450 summer bill sounds high, it's hard to get a winter bill under $100 at my place(with basically no heat or a/c use at all), and summer kilowatts cost a lot more than winter kilowatts.

Step 1 is make sure you're on the correct billing plan, (most likely a time-of-use plan) - step 2 is to evaluate the insulation in the home - many older homes have r-19 in the attic & bumping that to r-40 *will* help with comfort & cost & won't cost much. (A six-inch "topper" of blown cellulose installed would likely cost about a grand). Step 3 is looking at the ductwork & return setup really hard (the average older home leaks 15%+ of your cooled air into the attic & wastes it + the average older home in Phoenix has insufficient return-air capacity - which leads to "hot rooms" & short-cycling of the unit). Step 4 is replacing the unit & I'd strongly recommend looking only at new units with "two-stage" copeland scroll compressors. Two-stage compressors are often only available in 15 seer or higher systems, the seer rating doesn't apply to us here in the desert, but the two-stage compressor does. Best-case, in the summer you're probably looking at a summer bill that nudges on $300~ish, but you can most likely have a lower set-point for that money.

With a $450~ish summer bill on that sq footage, i'd expect something is going on. The indoor coil could be plugged with lint, the refrigerant charge could be wrong, you could have a poorly-insulated attic with leaky ducts, or the compressor could be on its last legs. Most likely, you've got a little bit of each happening. Just replacing the unit might save you $75 a month, but fixing everything might save you an additional $75, and increase the comfort in the home year-round measurably.