A/C repair and replacement

[GSTim]

Just went to check if the inside fan would come on when it call for cooling and not starting now. That's what I remembered from before. You can hear a buzzing like it wants to start but it's not running. Does the inside fan have any control over the outside system?

 

[GSTim]

Thinking this might be over my level of wanting to mess with it.😁

 

[Mahnken]

Just went to check if the inside fan would come on when it call for cooling and not starting now. That's what I remembered from before. You can hear a buzzing like it wants to start but it's not running. Does the inside fan have any control over the outside system?

It shouldn't. Seems odd that the indoor fan would go bad and the outdoor unit wouldn't be running at the same time. Hard to imagine two storage problems happening at the same time

 

[jmanic]

He diagnosed my system as stolen refrigerant. Not a leak.

Is this really a thing, or was he just tired of dealing with you?
I just can’t imagine this, but stolen catalytics don’t make sense to me either.
Then again I’ve been working since I was 12.

 

[Patrick]

Is this really a thing, or was he just tired of dealing with you?
I just can’t imagine this, but stolen catalytics don’t make sense to me either.
Then again I’ve been working since I was 12.

It's a thing. They put locking caps on the ports now. I have two systems. One was empty, the other was extremely low. He put 300psi of nitrogen in for two days and the needle didn't move more than the temp.change predicted..

 

[Bike N Gear]

Scratch that, inside fan does come on with Fan Only. Changed batteries and still nothing outside. I had already changed the cap outside

Who did you use that would actually work on an old unit without wanting to replace the whole thing?

Both First Choice and Izzy's would do the repair for about a grand but we decided to replace the whole system since it is 25 years old. The annual band aid fixes were getting tiring. Of course we ended up choosing a higher end more efficient unit and did the furnace too so we spent more than really necessary. Now we wait for the second zone to go, again.

We used Sam's Air Control after getting quotes from 4 companies. Weren't the cheapest, but they went the mile to get this done.

 

[GSTim]

Both First Choice and Izzy's would do the repair for about a grand but we decided to replace the whole system since it is 25 years old. The annual band aid fixes were getting tiring. Of course we ended up choosing a higher end more efficient unit and did the furnace too so we spent more than really necessary. Now we wait for the second zone to go, again.

We used Sam's Air Control after getting quotes from 4 companies. Weren't the cheapest, but they went the mile to get this done.

I hate to ask, but what are the rough numbers on a new AC system?

 

[Mahnken]

I hate to ask, but what are the rough numbers on a new AC system?

My brother-in-law got a 5 ton furnace/AC done for 12k through Atlantic City electric. 0% financing, 10 year warranty.
I got my 5 ton done at cost and it came in around 8k. I also had to replace about 50' of copper lineset which cost quite a lot in material alone.

Edit, this was a little over a year ago.

 

[GSTim]

My brother-in-law got a 5 ton furnace/AC done for 12k through Atlantic City electric. 0% financing, 10 year warranty.
I got my 5 ton done at cost and it came in around 8k. I also had to replace about 50' of copper lineset which cost quite a lot in material alone.

Edit, this was a little over a year ago.

Thanks, my AC is completely separate from the furnace. Furnace is gas hot water baseboard and the AC is forced air unit located in the attic.

 

[Mahnken]

Thanks, my AC is completely separate from the furnace. Furnace is gas hot water baseboard and the AC is forced air unit located in the attic.

Gotcha. I'd guess that would be maybe a couple grand less.

 

[Bike N Gear]

I hate to ask, but what are the rough numbers on a new AC system?

My brother-in-law got a 5 ton furnace/AC done for 12k through Atlantic City electric. 0% financing, 10 year warranty.
I got my 5 ton done at cost and it came in around 8k. I also had to replace about 50' of copper lineset which cost quite a lot in material alone.

Edit, this was a little over a year ago.

Gotcha. I'd guess that would be maybe a couple grand less.

Either I live in a more expensive hood or prices have gone way up. New 2 ton unit without a new furnace ranged from $6k-8.5k. With a furnace too ranged from $8.5 to 13k. We had 4 companies each give various estimates for good, better, best. We ended up with a higher efficiency setup and 10 year parts and labor warranty, so hopefully we're covered till we're out of here.

Oh, and since my wife saves everything she pulled out some estimates from about 15 years ago where we were quoted about $2k for a 2 ton unit.