It's 98 outside and the A/C just went belly up!

May 21, 2008 9:16 AM

Our home A/C unit is dying. What next? The other day we came home and our house was 86 inside even though we had the therm set for 75. We called our normal a/c guy and and he came out and said that the main unit which normally holds 6 pounds of freon, only had 2 in it. He suspects a leak in the main coil.

According to him we could replace that for about 900$ but the kicker is that the a/c unit is 22 years old and he believes it has little life left in it. His opinion was that we could spend 900$ now and see how much longer it goes but that it would be better to spend the full 5500 now for the new 4ton unit. He claims the new unit would also be 30% more efficient and give us 15-25 years without problem. He is suggesting a Goodman.

I don't doubt that the unit is old and creaking. It makes the wierdest noises all day. But up to now it has worked. Not to mention that last year during a storm we lost one leg of electric coming in and it nearly burned out the motor with all the restarting on the single leg of power. However, I'd rather not drop 5k on something I don't have to.

Is there another way to do this? Is it just better to do it? We're totally neophytes in this area and need any and all advice. Thanks.

posted by damiano99 to home & garden (8 comments total)

Replace it.

Check with your utility to see if there are any upgrade assistance programs. I
am not familiar with the Goodman brand but anything mainstream should be
an improvement.

Also you might take this opportunity to make sure the size is correct for
you home. You don't want to be either too small or large for your home's
square footage.

And if you have the time, get a couple of estimates from other vendors. It's
always educational to hear the different pitches and after the first one, you
can ask some really good questions of the 2nd guy! It might also be useful
to go the big box stores (Lowe's & Home Depot) and hear what they have
to say.

You might also visit http://www.doe.gov/energyefficiency/homes.htm for
some info on efficiency. Be sure to follow the 'ENGERGY STAR' link. Good stuff
on heating & cooling there.

Good luck.

SandPine
posted by sandpine at 9:44 AM on May 21, 2008

22 years old is pretty geriatric for an air conditioner, which is probably why he's reluctant to repair. You might ask him if there's a chance the leak can be patched. That works in some cases, depending on where the leak is located, it's a pretty straightforward repair, and it should only cost you two or three hours of labor. If he does have to replace the coil, $900 is probably about right.

The stats he quoted you about a replacement unit are correct - 15-25 years is a reasonable life expectancy for a current model, and even a bottom-of-the-line unit would be 30% more efficient than a standard mid-80's air conditioner. (Mostly because a federal law mandating 30% improved efficiency went into effect in 2006.)

On preview: Goodman is actually the cheapo line of the major US brands, and have a reputation for being a touch less reliable than some of the others. On the other hand, they're currently trying to fight that reputation by offering some really excellent factory warranties.
posted by ormondsacker at 10:01 AM on May 21, 2008

Five g's sounds like a lot for a straight replacement. Might want to get a couple estimates.
posted by electroboy at 10:14 AM on May 21, 2008

HVAC is the family business, which I managed for a short time and worked a little in the field as go-fur, coil cleaner, etc. In this situation, we would - every time - recommend the new unit.

Now, I understand you don't want to throw down 5k. But, the unit is 22 years old, which is a little past the expected use lifespan. The coil replacement cost he's giving you seems on the level, but consider this - you're already spending 20% of the cost of replacement on the coil - a coil that comes AS IS, putting you on the hook for further repair costs anywhere from next week to next year that will not be covered by any sort of warranty, to say nothing of the fact that a unit built 22 years ago is MASSIVELY less efficient than modern units and uses a much more expensive (R-22) freon. Besides, you already said you're about to lose a motor (100-200 for a 1/3 HP not counting labor) which will probably lead to a blown compressor (~1000 dollars).

Goodman is not a good brand, at least not in my experience. The warranty might be worthwhile, but you could probably do better in the branding department for that cost, especially if you shop around. Which, I encourage you to do. (We did 95% commercial work, and so I have a strong bias against residential service companies)

So, to summarize, from a long-term prospective I recommend the change out. You are already spending a sizable chunk of the cost, and are very likely to have at least another 2k worth of repair work done in the next 12 months as well. Furthermore, the new unit will be covered by a pretty generous warranty, and over the long term you can expect substantial savings on utilities from the more efficient unit.
posted by absalom at 10:27 AM on May 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Actually, to clarify, on small unit like that the compressor would probably be closer to 500 dollars, but my overall point about cost of current and future repair vs. cost of replacement still stand.
posted by absalom at 10:32 AM on May 21, 2008

Recently we had the same choice - coil or unit. We chose coil, and it turned out that there were more problems than just that. Not only did we pay for the coil, we paid for the new unit, too. I'd buy the unit and just get it over with.
posted by Addlepated at 10:41 AM on May 21, 2008

22 years old? Definitely replace it. I just got through replacing my entire system that was only 10-15 years old, and am already noticing a distinct improvement in power efficiency (e.g., lower electric bills).

Given that Houston hit a high of 95 yesterday, I think we got it done just in time.
posted by mrbill at 12:20 PM on May 21, 2008

NEW UNIT.

It will pay for itself in the long run with lower power bills.
posted by BobFrapples at 1:20 PM on May 21, 2008