Replace air conditioning?
The air conditioner in my house went out. I called up the local HVAC company, and they found that the coils had a leak in them.
They have quoted me somewhere between $1400-1800 to replace the coils on a trane system — is this reasonable?
I talked to a guy at the shop, and he suggested that I replace the whole unit. His logic was that the unit is 12 years old, and after 2010, with the phase out of R-22, if another part goes bad, such as the compressor, then I will have to replace the coil and compressor, since the coils will not be compatible with the new freon. The cost of the new system would be much higher than the fix of the coils.
The new coils not being compatible with the new freon seems fishy to me, however, I'm not a HVAC professional. Is this guy giving good advice, or is he considered with the all mightly dollar?
Thanks!
Why not have the leak repaired? It may be a simple matter. It sounds like they're trying to make the sale. Any tech worth his/her salt should be able to find and repair the leak in a couple of hours, unless it's on the indoor (evaporator) coil, which may take a while longer, as they'll need to pull the duct apart to access it. He is right about the coils not being compatable though. R410A (Puron) runs at much higher pressures than R22, necessitating a heavier tubing in the coils to prevent the hazard of bursting. If you do decide to replace the entire system, I wouldn't be too eager to convert to the new R410A, …….new blends are a dime a dozen, and they don't have a replacement for R22 that works as well yet. There are issues with all of the blends, and R22 is still the standard. R22 parts will be available for many years to come. If you need R22 parts 15-20 years from now, no problem. They tried the same type of scares when they stopped making R12 years ago. The replacement refrigerants will be compatable with R22 components.
I may be biased because I do this stuff for a living, (21 years now), but if it was me, I'd find and braze the leak, charge her up and let her rip. Hope this helps.
Why does the fuse in air conditioning unit keep blowing?
while he may be right about coil compatibility the cost he quoted you about the coil change is high get a second opinion . and there is an available r22 replacement that a good tech will use in the future when r22 is gone. my opinion is he wants money. call another company and get a second opinion
References :
HVAC tech
I would replace the whole unit. New units are usually more efficient. When you fix something a sold as your unit other things usually go wrong. I am on my 3rd unit IN 40 years
References :
Your efficiency is considered to be diminished by 50% after
six years. The R-22 is used in automotive a/c and not in your house unit. But the cost of the service will likely be about as much as the replacement of the coils. I'd go for the new unit.
References :
Why not have the leak repaired? It may be a simple matter. It sounds like they're trying to make the sale. Any tech worth his/her salt should be able to find and repair the leak in a couple of hours, unless it's on the indoor (evaporator) coil, which may take a while longer, as they'll need to pull the duct apart to access it. He is right about the coils not being compatable though. R410A (Puron) runs at much higher pressures than R22, necessitating a heavier tubing in the coils to prevent the hazard of bursting. If you do decide to replace the entire system, I wouldn't be too eager to convert to the new R410A, …….new blends are a dime a dozen, and they don't have a replacement for R22 that works as well yet. There are issues with all of the blends, and R22 is still the standard. R22 parts will be available for many years to come. If you need R22 parts 15-20 years from now, no problem. They tried the same type of scares when they stopped making R12 years ago. The replacement refrigerants will be compatable with R22 components.
I may be biased because I do this stuff for a living, (21 years now), but if it was me, I'd find and braze the leak, charge her up and let her rip. Hope this helps.
References :