According to the man who performed my A/C summer checkup on my 2007 Trane, there is a Freon leak to the outside that that can’t be patched or repaired. He claims I need a new unit - around $10K with todays prices, shipping problems, labor, etc etc. I am suspicious that this little old lady is being scammed/gouged although the company is popular in my neighborhood. I know - I can get a second $$opinion, but I want your input first please.
My google search rather supports his finding re “older” Tranes.
Thank you for your comments.
15 years for an AC sounds about right. Will it just be the outside unit or will the inside air handler need replacement too? $10K sounds like it is both. The good thing about it is that your new unit is likely to use less electricity than your old one. It won’t pay for its self but you should notice it on your bill. That is especially true if the leak has been slowly getting worse over time. This happened to us. Our AC was having to work harder and harder until finally it just couldn’t keep up and seemed to be running constantly. The new unit was both more efficient and ran properly. We had a big drop in our utility bill.
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Regarding my previous post about air conditioner, I forgot to not that my house is small, 1258 sq ft, one story, and that I live in Texas where is gets really hot although I keep the thermostat around 78 in the summer. Might be relevant.
There is no leak that can’t be fixed, the question is whether or not it makes dollars and sense to do so. Leak search/repair tickets at our offices (30 and 40 ton Liebert DS/DSE, generally) typically run a couple grand because of the labor hours involved in locating the leak, and then the refrigerant recharge after it’s fixed (especially the small handful of Deluxe System/3 units still around, which use R-22). Finding the leak on what’s probably a 2 ton residential unit would take far less time, but if it’s in an inconvenient spot (say halfway down a fin tube) or it’s using R-22, then replacement will cost a little more up front, but be well worth it long term.
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If you had a 1989 Ford that would not go over 44 mph and the mechanic said the engine had lost compression in 3 cylinders and it can not be repaired, would you take the same position (doubting the opinion your don’t like the implication of) as you have with your AC?
If yes, sorry to bore you with this long post.
There are a lot of technical issues stemming from serious climate damage from a type of freon that virtually every country in the world agreed to ban the manufacture of decades ago which say unless you expect to die in the next couple of years – spend effort at decided who the best local AC company is in your city.
For a long time just about all the experts have said the most important HVAC variable is the local installer/contract. Obviously there are differences between the bottom of the line Carrier unit and the best Rheem product.
Given the age of your equipment, you really need to throw the whole thing out – furnace (heating unit) compressor, air handler (fan and filter box), etc.
To be fair - I am sure somebody can do something to your current equipment that will make it cool again and the cost will be less than $10K. Might be $1,000 – if you find the system needs more work in 3 months how will you feel?
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The compressor on my Trane unit locked up and needed to be replaced. My AC guy said he could replace the compressor for about $1,000. It would have a 1year warranty. Or I could by a more efficient unit (heat pump/ac) and have a 10year warranty. I replaced the unit. No regrets.
gcr
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Gee whiz, sorry to read all these posts! Glad we live in Vermont!
We have a home that has two floors, but the lower one rarely is used because we live on the first (upper/ground level) floor (about 1600 sq. ft).
We have had 2 window AC units for several years that work fine for the whole floor. One is in our bedroom and the other is in the dining room window at the other end of the house. Between them, they do fine – and cost maybe $150 each years ago.
$10,000 for AC makes me shudder! Sorry for all of you!
Vermonter
If your ac uses the old banned Freon, its only a matter of time as it is no longer made. All there is is recovered and recycled Freon. Cost can become prohibitive. Leak will be costly.
If your unit uses new Freon, replacement of compressor or outside unit is possible.
If old Freon, pressure of new Freon is different. So must replace both A-frame in furnace and outside unit.
Service life varies widely with climate. 25 to 30 years is not uncommon in NJ where temps over 90 are rare. In St. Louis, 20 to 25 years. 90s are normal for July and August. 100s happen but rarely.
They do say new units dont last as long as the older ones that were more sturdy and less electronic.
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When my 22 year old unit quit working 6ish years ago, I elected to replace it because I knew the freon would bite me in the butt at some point. Replaced the 22 year old furnace at the same time. It I remember correctly, it was about $8700 for both then. The company had done annual maintenance on both the furnace and AC and never tried to upsell me on anything so I trusted them. The also offered financing at zero percent interest for five years which I took advantage of.
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Feron 22 was banned for production or import into the USA in 2010.
That’s what I was thinking: banned freon.
Our A/C a few years ago leaked out all the freon. The unit used a banned freon, and was not compatible with the currently accepted freon, so they had to replace the unit.
there is a Freon leak to the outside that that can’t be patched or repaired.
Hey Joes Girl. I’m not an A/C guy but can offer some experiences. If the leak is coming from an aluminum tube on the A/C unit my understanding is you can’t solder to aluminum in order to make a repair.
I had my A/C replaced in 2017 with a Ruud system. It developed a leak in the coil in the attic. No problem since the coil was under warranty. Cool the part was covered but the labor to replace it was $950. That after paying $6,900 to begin with. What they didn’t tell me was that Ruud has a history of bad coils.
Right now it’s 98*F outside so in my mind the $950 was money well spent.
Regards,
ImAGolfer