any hvac specialists on the forum?
polycounter lvl 18
our ac unit died, its a 1.5 ton carrier, 2002 model it blows fuses, put new fuses in it blows them,
called a guy out today he decreed it was the compressor (which is what i guessed it would be)
he claimed that our house should be using a 2 ton unit (2 bedroom townhouse) and gave us these following options
1. his recomendation a new 2 ton unit indoor and outdoor unit with a 10 year waranty the new pureon (or something) since they dont do freon systems anymore this system will set us back an estimated 4400 bucks
2. second option repair the unit we have which is estimated at 1400 bucks an has a 1 year waranty on parts they put in.
3. aparently for somereason he has a new 1.5 ton (same size we have now) but it has no waranty coverage on it. he says its never been used. he will install it for 600 bucks, and give us a 3 month personal waranty on it.
we are deeply strapped for cash and even tho its ricky the 600 one is most likely the only option we can currentlty afford.
anyone on here replace a ac unit recently? any advices?
called a guy out today he decreed it was the compressor (which is what i guessed it would be)
he claimed that our house should be using a 2 ton unit (2 bedroom townhouse) and gave us these following options
1. his recomendation a new 2 ton unit indoor and outdoor unit with a 10 year waranty the new pureon (or something) since they dont do freon systems anymore this system will set us back an estimated 4400 bucks
2. second option repair the unit we have which is estimated at 1400 bucks an has a 1 year waranty on parts they put in.
3. aparently for somereason he has a new 1.5 ton (same size we have now) but it has no waranty coverage on it. he says its never been used. he will install it for 600 bucks, and give us a 3 month personal waranty on it.
we are deeply strapped for cash and even tho its ricky the 600 one is most likely the only option we can currentlty afford.
anyone on here replace a ac unit recently? any advices?
Replies
He's probably diagnosed it correctly. The motor probably died, thus blowing the fuse/breaker. And, if it's not old, then it may be undersized (causing the motor to run too often, and die). But, if it's an old unit, you probably are fine with the size you have.
Get a second estimate though. Where do you live? Is it NECESSARY to have AC, rather than just strategically placing some fans?
and its the compressor that has died aparently thats a bigger deal than the motor.
it cost 40 bucks just to have them come look and do an estimate. we are toying at geting a second opinion, but that will be another 40 or such.
but ac makes life so much easier on those hot days
The $600 unit is probably one that got sold to someone who changed their minds and the company had to eat the cost on it, or maybe was misordered. If you can live without the warranty it's not a bad option, providing the guys doing the work know what they're doing. Regardless, I'd personally sleep better at night with a second opinion, $40 or no.
Honestly? As much as I hated doing it, even though my old unit was like 20 years old, it was well worth the money. First of all, I got a tax write-off for home improvement. Second, my electric bill went WAY down with an energy efficient unit in place.
It depends a lot on your area as far as what size unit. Here in the Valley you need a much larger AC unit to cool the same sized house as you would back east in KY.
The house I grew up in had a Central air unit that was like 2 tons and it was for a 5 bedroom 2 story house, but the house I rented out here used a 2ton that could barely keep up just cooling the house to 75-80 and it was 1/4 the size of my parents house.
But I'd get a second opinion, from a BBB approved A/C tech/installer. or if you're in the right part of the country go with what artifice said about old and grumpy hardware store owner, hell even patron. Ace hardware out here is where all the older guys with actual knowledge get together so you might give one of them a shot.
Get someone from BBB.
i would LOVE to spend 4k on a nice new system that would keep the house nice and chill, but fact is i've been unemployed over a year, an the girlfriend is a school teacher so she does not make a lot of money. we just no way could scrape that cash together,
i got a guy from another comapny comin out to do another estimate this monring. see what he has to say, thats another 40 bucks
The warranty's been good for us to have. We switched to a national company since then (American home shield) and have gotten our furnace unit replaced. Just getting the furnace replaced for the cost of the service call ($55) more than made up for the past 3 years of the warranty cost.