Replace A/C Heat pump compressor or entire outside unit

[AE2]

The compressor in my A/C heat pump has failed. Serviceman says its locked up. The unit is 9 years old 12 seer and the compressor itself is under warranty. Brand is Rudd or Ruud, (don't remember right now). He has given me prices to repair. Compressor replacement is quoted at 1040.76. His labor is $495, R22 is 472.50, filter/dryer is $48 and freight is $25.

He has also given a price for a new outside unit of $3947.50. That includes an American Standard/Trane 13 seer unit, new evap coil, thermostat, pad and flush the lines.

Replacement compressor has 1yr parts and labor warranty
New unit has 10yr parts and 5yr labor

I'm hoping you guys can give me your opinions so I can make a decision based on more than the cost.

 

[Bruce4310TX]

buy it off the internet and replace it yourself and have someone service it.

 

[ishiboo]

buy it off the internet and replace it yourself and have someone service it.

You will likely have no warranty if you go this route.

 

[BD1]

How many tons ??
Sounds to me you gotta get more estimates. $472.50 for about 7 or 8 pounds of freon ? WOW ! The name plate at condenser should say the amount of freon in compressor and if you have the manual it should give the amount per line size and footage.

looks like you got $2000.00 to repair. if the reversing valve goes after repair, more big bucks gone. if the evap coil or piping developes a leak, there goes more money.
is the refrigerant piping easily accessible ?? Are there any fittings on it ? I would get a price on replacing the piping too. In my area it is not recommended to reuse piping that was a R 22 system and then go to 410 A. Check what the manufacture says on the new equipment in regards to reusing existing piping.
i would replace. Check with utility company on rebates.

 

[AE2]

I don't know how many tons it is, the data tag isn't the easiest to read. They guys says it takes 13lbs of coolant and that's why its so high. The piping is pretty easy to get to and I don't think there are any fittings in it. He said the piping is fine because he would flush it with something and he has never had any issues afterwards. I'm going to call around. The guy I talked to installed it in 2003 and his name was on the sticker so that's how I found him. He is a one man show and leaves a lot to be desired just get a hold of him and getting him to show up. I checked for rebates this morning online but they expired Feb 28. I'm sure some more will start shortly.

 

[brihvac]

The compressor in my A/C heat pump has failed. Serviceman says its locked up. The unit is 9 years old 12 seer and the compressor itself is under warranty. Brand is Rudd or Ruud, (don't remember right now). He has given me prices to repair. Compressor replacement is quoted at 1040.76. His labor is $495, R22 is 472.50, filter/dryer is $48 and freight is $25.

He has also given a price for a new outside unit of $3947.50. That includes an American Standard/Trane 13 seer unit, new evap coil, thermostat, pad and flush the lines.

Replacement compressor has 1yr parts and labor warranty
New unit has 10yr parts and 5yr labor

I'm hoping you guys can give me your opinions so I can make a decision based on more than the cost.

Labor and shipping seem ok. However, he is charging you $48 for a $15. dryer and he is also charging you for a full 30lb bottle of 22 when he is only gonna need about 5lbs give or take. (13lbs? I doubt it being a 12 seer, even if it was 5 ton with a long line set, thats a lot)I also change the capacitor when I do it. It is an easy job for a professional, but I do not suggest you do it yourself if you dont know what you are doing. Wish you were local, would do it for half. Easy job that will take about an hour or so. Longest part is pulling a vaccum.
He seems to be inflating his repair price to get you to go with a new unit.

 

[AE2]

I'm going to get a couple more quotes. The data tag doesn't have anything for a charge so the 13lb is what he said. Model says 360, so I believe that means 3 ton. I won't be doing it myself, I'm handy but not that handy.
Ruud UPMC-036JAZ

 

[philjafo]

The price he quoted you for the Freon is lower then I would have charged, r22 is becoming obsolete and in the coming years will only get more expensive and eventually unavailable. A new compressor should get you a lot of years of service however that 1 year warranty would only cover the compressor, and there are other parts that can fail. A whole new unit the warranty covers the whole thing, I would also recommend getting the highest efficiency unit you can get too. You pay for the equipment once but you pay for the electricity it uses every month http://www.hvacopcost.com/

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

Please do yourself a favor and check your warranty. It might be covered if it is only seven years old. Get several more quotes!!!

 

[BD1]

''The price he quoted you for the Freon is lower then I would have charged, r22 is becoming obsolete and in the coming years will only get more expensive and eventually unavailable.''

Actually there are replacements out already for R-22. It is completely compatible .No need to buy at outrageous prices. Your location may vary.
http://www2.dupont.com/ISCEON/en_US/products/ISCEON_MO99.html

 

[purevil115]

Did he try to put a hard start kit on the compressor. Sometimes you can use these to get by till you can decide if this doesnt work I would prolly replace the whole outside unit. Some people get lucky with new compressors but everything else is 10 years old and after taking it apart sometimes its just a down hill battle. Depends on condition of the outside unit now.

 

[AE2]

Someone else asked about a hard start and he didn't do that. I think we are leaning towards a new unit as well. We haven't lived here long but I'm planning on staying a while, so I think that is a better choice.

 

[pop pop]

You're going to have to make an educated guess on the condition of the housing/coils/fan etc. If after 7 years they are still in good condition, my recommendation would be replace the compressor - as long as he will pull the vacuum to 50 microns or so and hold it for a half hour, longer if it is cold. If you get the 30 minute turn around, he'll leave contaminants in the system that will bit you within the next 24 months. This should cost $1K to $1.3K and last for another 5 -10 years. By then you'll be ready for the newest and greatest new system - total replacement.

 

[purevil115]

Id try the hard start kit before anything Ive used a bunch of them to prolong older units on its last leg. I agree with pop pop though if replaced correct it should be fine but just depends on the unit itself if its worth it. Ive seen super new units in horrid shape cause of wet leaves, dogs peeing and stuff like that. Some old units people would cover with plastic during winter and they would be all rusted out inside and out.

 

[Todd.Brock]

My thread details the specifics, but a 15 SEER (up to) 2.5 ton is 4600 for Trane, 2800 for Carrier, 3000 for Goodman and 2750 ish for York. I am going with the Carrier. Now just deciding on extra insulation for the condenser that would increase cost 150 or so. Good luck.... Estimates take a decent amount of time. I had 4 and could get a feel for the guys pretty early on.

 

[James-W]

It is my understanding that a central air-conditioner and/or a heat pump lifespan is about 13 years if properly maintained, less than that if it isn't properly maintained. The opening poster said the heat pump is 9 years old. This means the unit is roughly two thirds of the way thru its normal lifetime.

So even if you spend the money to get it repaired and it is working just fine again, the number of years it can reasonably be expected to last will be significantly less than what you would expect from a new heat pump.

Therefore, and quite obviously, I don't speak for everyone when I say this, but if it were me I would hesitate spending a lot of money to repair it. Maybe I am a little weird but I would rather take the money I would spend on repairing this heat pump and use it for a down-payment on a new heat pump that is more efficient and will have a decent warranty. By doing this he will save money on energy costs to operate the unit, the new heat pump will most likely be quieter than the old one, and he will have a decent warranty with the new one.

 

[AE2]

Thanks for all the feedback. I am going to try and find a hard start kit tomorrow and give that a work. They look to be $25 and sound like a cheap way to get started.

 

[JimL]

''The price he quoted you for the Freon is lower then I would have charged, r22 is becoming obsolete and in the coming years will only get more expensive and eventually unavailable.''

Actually there are replacements out already for R-22. It is completely compatible .No need to buy at outrageous prices. Your location may vary.
http://www2.dupont.com/ISCEON/en_US/products/ISCEON_MO99.html

And the replacements are a pain in the *** to use.....

 

[AE2]

I found a local supply house that carried the hard start kit in stock. $11.83 including tax. Installed very quickly and the compressor started. It ran for quite some time, but the output air never got warm in heat pump mode. Was advised to try in AC mode on a warmer day to see if it would just need some coolant. While testing the unit out, it tripped the breaker for the third time. I ended up going with a service company a friend works for to replace the compressor. They are not local and its still cheaper than the original quote. The major difference is, I trust these guys.

 

[pop pop]

The installer has more to do with how long it will last than the equipment. That said, a great mechanic has problems keeping a Yugo on the road.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I got 28 years out of my Carrier system I installed, had compressor failure at about 12 years. One of he internal springs broke inside the compressor housing and causing loud noise and so I replaced it. After 28 years changed both inside and outside unit and they were a whole lot harder to change at my age 60 then when I was 30 and now the basement is finished out. Other system had compressor go out at 9 years, got replacement free and replaced it. After 20 years the evaporator drain pan built in the coils rusted through and had to replace the whole inside unit, and of course they are now a different size than original which required remaking some of the duct work. Did not change the outside unit as it was still working good. Stuck with 22 and bought a couple of extra bottles several years ago before it went out of sight on price. I went to A/C training on replacement for R22 and there was not a drop in replacement for R22. All are blends and all required changing oil and dryers and some even required changing expansion valves. Glad I got enough R22 to last the rest of my life on my systems.

 

[Borisward]

I think you need to get new unit as for this you get warranty and repair for your future and it is sure that you don't need to worry about your ac unit for many years. I have recently installed mine from This Cool Company,Tri-County AC and now i am satisfied as they provide a very nice installation service and moreover they assured me that they fix my problems even at holidays,night and weekends

 

[Handy Andy]

When I replaced my AC Unit a few years ago I got a good deal online and was able to do most of the install myself, with some help from my father. Installing the Goodman was not that hard to install....just needed help figuring out the right breakers to install.

 

[joel63]

I found a local supply house that carried the hard start kit in stock. $11.83 including tax. Installed very quickly and the compressor started. It ran for quite some time, but the output air never got warm in heat pump mode. Was advised to try in AC mode on a warmer day to see if it would just need some coolant. While testing the unit out, it tripped the breaker for the third time. I ended up going with a service company a friend works for to replace the compressor. They are not local and its still cheaper than the original quote. The major difference is, I trust these guys.

You have a very difficult decision to make.
Costs for a/c equipment and servicing are insane.
In your situation, there many factors to consider that anything you do now, as far as a repair, boils down to a **** shoot.
One last question: was/ did the compressor get hot when it ran with the hard start kit, if so it doesn't bode well for the compressor.
Good luck

 

[LS6 Tommy]

buy it off the internet and replace it yourself and have someone service it.

You will likely have no warranty if you go this route.

Not to mention he can't legally buy the compressor or work on the system if he's not EPA certified.

If you're looking to replace & opt to move from 22 to 410a, EVERYTHING needs to be replaced- the condensing unit, evaporator coil, metering device & line set.

Tommy

 

[6768rogues]

Also check with your utility company. Some have rebate or incentive programs to help pay for upgrades to more efficient equipment. Our utility bills in NYS have an additional small fee included that funds such programs.