Evaporator coil leak
So I bought a 20 year old house last year thinking the ac would have problems with it being a 20 year old house. AC was not cooling, so we called out a guy. He said we would have to replace the whole unit (older, r22? unit) because the compressor was bad so we called our home warranty company. They sent out their own guy and said, ok we'll replace the outside unit, but you have to have the evaporator coils cleaned first. So we get our regular ac company to come out to clean them and he said there was a leak in the unit and if he cleaned it, he would probably cause more leaks. He said the evaporator coil unit would have to be replaced. We call the home warranty guy who was coming out to replace the outside unit and he said, no, you don't have a leak, it will always detect a leak because your compressor is bad. So I have one guy telling me I have a leak and another telling me I don't. Who to believe? Today's units use a different refrigerant and require a larger indoor coil. You shouldn't allow any company to just replace the condenser. It might be possible to get a modern unit to operate on a 20 year old coil, at the expense of cooling capacity, efficiency, and lifespan. What kind of testing did they do? Were gauges put on the system to check the refrigerant charge? Did the one who claimed that there's a leak actually do a leak test with a sniffer, dye, or soap? If refrigerant pressure/temperature readings were noted on the invoice(s), post them. no, you don't have a leak, it will always detect a leak because your compressor is bad. Read more: Evaporator coil leak That's total nonsense! I wouldn't use a home warranty contractor - if you can, cash out and find your own contractor. I wish we could choose to replace the entire unit because that's what I want and that's what I think should be done, but unfortunately, with home warranty companies, it's take it or leave it. My ac guy said they would probably replace it with a r22 unit (I didn't know they made those anymore) so they wouldn't have to pay for the more expensive option of replacing the whole thing. I'm not exactly sure what he used to detect a leak since it would be all over my head anyways. I know I heard a wild beeping a few seconds after I turned on the ac when he asked me to. I don't really trust the home warranty contractor just on the basis that he is a home warranty contractor, but I also don't have the funds to pay for a new $15000 unit that my guy recommended. I say let the home warranty company replace the unit, the when if it leaks again, let them come and replace the next part or whole system on their dime. You have the warranty, use it. Leave it to a warranty company to replace a compressor and keep the 20 year old evaporator. Unfortunately since they are providing the repair it's their call. I like tomf's idea but it could lead to a lot of downtime. I'm not sure where your guy got that 15,000.00 price. That sounds a tad high. I wonder if it makes sense to have the warranty company spring for the compressor and you pick up the freight on a new evap coil. I don't k now how much you have into the warranty system. A r-22 unit on a 20 year old coil might be the cheapest option upfront, but it will end up costing you more down the road. The extra cost of changing the coil too isn't that high to begin with; can't be more than a few hundred bucks. R-22 is being phased out and is getting expensive - so you'll be in trouble if it springs a leak down the road. (...and with an old coil, it will!) Mating an old 8-10 seer condenser to an old coil is simply a terrible idea. Read this http://www.racca-florida.org/AlabamaStudy.pdf A new condenser and indoor coil shouldn't cost you anything near 15 grand. (I didn't know they made those anymore) There's a loophole in the law that the manufacturers probably lobbied for. It's illegal to ship units with r22 in them, so they're charged with nitrogen at the factory. On site, installer lets out the nitrogen and fills it with r22. Meant... Mating a new 13 seer condenser to an old 8-10 seer coil is simply a terrible idea. Read this http://www.racca-florida.org/AlabamaStudy.pdf Do it correctly or pay the price later. Home warranty companies are a joke, IMO.
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