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I need someone with knowledge of home central AC.

SteveSS

SteveSS

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In the fall our AC unit was not cooling off very well. We have central air and the main unit is drum-shaped outside the house. I thought may it needed to be recharged. We built this house 20 years ago.

A tech told me we need all kinds of fixes including the wall thermostat totaling $10,000.



Really???????


Help!
 
Gonna have to do a lot better explaining than that, keep in mind that is a Sealed system So a recharge is never a fix! What did they say it needed, what kind of refrigerant is used. If it’s 20 years old Probaly not worth fixing and it’s time to upgrade the condenser and coil.
 
You let a thief in your home, IMO. $10K for repairs????
 
i would not use whomever you called.
word of mouth is a great source.
t'stats, are usually 'thrown' into the deal.
yes, i do hvac. large, really big systems.
havent done residential for years.
20 years old, past it's projected life span.
doesnt matter if it's round, square, or drum shaped
with proper repairs, could last another 20.
a new system will not see 20.
just because it's r22 (jah?) doesnt make it a 'must change'
r22 is a better refrigerant than any of the new crap on the maket
10k, does sound expen$ive.
sealed system. you have a leak. depending where it's at, could be repairable
basic furnace, condensing unit, coil, runs 2k or less.
a couple of brands sell to homeowners on line
you're a car guy. it isnt that difficult to install.
 
My entire system was replaced and I was out of pocket 1500.00 The homeowners insurance paid for it. Mine was struck by lightning.:D
Fried the board on the unit outside, inside the furnace as well as smoked my thermostat. Burned a hole through the board into the touch screen. The total cost was like 4500.00 10k is retarded money. Unless you have a 5 ton system feeding a mansion. My house is small 1200 square feet.
 
If you need a compressor and you have a 20 year old system with R22 you may not be able to find one. They don't make them any more.
 
I hope for $10k his list of 'fixes' is a new evaporator, lineset and condenser...
 
$10K for repairs??? I sell and install new central A/C systems for $3,200-$4,000. Tomorrow I’m doing a complete system including thermostat, ductwork,gas furnace and A/C installed for $7,150.
That being said, if its 20 years old I wouldn’t put to much into repairing it.
 
Last edited:
I had a new 5 ton system put in about 4 years ago had them do all new ducts and registers to cost me under $5000
 
What they said. If it is R22 you are screwed. $1000 will be just for the Freon. And if it leaks again it will be another $1000. What the govt did to allow manufacturers to sell R22 units way past when it was phased out still ticks me off on my system I replaced. I got a quote for 10k to replace mine last year in the middle of the COVID thing. It was a $6k job. I bought one from an internet site and installed it myself. $4000 and top of the line.
 
metaldad said:
i would not use whomever you called.
word of mouth is a great source.
t'stats, are usually 'thrown' into the deal.
yes, i do hvac. large, really big systems.
havent done residential for years.
20 years old, past it's projected life span.
doesnt matter if it's round, square, or drum shaped
with proper repairs, could last another 20.
a new system will not see 20.
just because it's r22 (jah?) doesnt make it a 'must change'
r22 is a better refrigerant than any of the new crap on the maket
10k, does sound expen$ive.
sealed system. you have a leak. depending where it's at, could be repairable
basic furnace, condensing unit, coil, runs 2k or less.
a couple of brands sell to homeowners on line
you're a car guy. it isnt that difficult to install.
Click to expand...

Wow, $10k? I work for a large plumbing, heating, and waterworks wholesale distributor and METALDAD is correct, depending on if average 2.5, 3 ton unit condenser and A-coil, under $2k to contractors
Contractor avg mark up on parts 15 to 25%, + labor
 
I had a complete new system installed last year. 4 Ton AC seer 18 and 400,000 BTU gas heater. All Trane.
Total cost was just under $5,000. I’m just north of Houston, Tx
I called about 9 companies and finally received a reasonable price.
 
Under Pressure said:
Wow, $10k? I work for a large plumbing, heating, and waterworks wholesale distributor and METALDAD is correct, depending on if average 2.5, 3 ton unit condenser and A-coil, under $2k to contractors
Contractor avg mark up on parts 15 to 25%, + labor
Click to expand...

agree. Part of the problem is in my area there is a HUGE building boom since COVID and contractors are getting anything they want for any housing related work. The quotes I got it was clear they were marking up their labor 2x to 3x what it normally was. The price of installing a pool has gone up 50% in the last 9 months in Tucson
 
JimKueneman said:
What they said. If it is R22 you are screwed. $1000 will be just for the Freon. And if it leaks again it will be another $1000. What the govt did to allow manufacturers to sell R22 units way past when it was phased out still ticks me off on my system I replaced. I got a quote for 10k to replace mine last year in the middle of the COVID thing. It was a $6k job. I bought one from an internet site and installed it myself. $4000 and top of the line.
Click to expand...

I charge $47/lb for r22, probably holds less than 5 lbs.
Also should note most units bought on internet carry no warranty.
 
Pikser said:
I had a complete new system installed last year. 4 Ton AC seer 18 and 400,000 BTU gas heater. All Trane.
Total cost was just under $5,000. I’m just north of Houston, Tx
I called about 9 companies and finally received a reasonable price.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing the 400,000 btu heat is a typo... that's enough for over 10,000 square feet!
 
Methinks something is rotten in Denmark...or Colorado Springs in this case.
 
dla4567 said:
I charge $47/lb for r22, probably holds less than 5 lbs.
Also should note most units bought on internet carry no warranty.
Click to expand...
I’m glad there are decent HVAC people out there. I live out in the middle of nowhere and limited on the number of places that will come out this far. I could not find one and I tried. It was the last resort doing it myself. I was willing to spend a fair price but could not find anyone to do it for that. For a $6k savings I can buy a lot of parts in the unlikely event it needs them.
 
JimKueneman said:
I’m glad there are decent HVAC people out there. I live out in the middle of nowhere and limited on the number of places that will come out this far. I could not find one and I tried. It was the last resort doing it myself. I was willing to spend a fair price but could not find anyone to do it for that. For a $6 savings I can buy a lot of parts in the unlikely event it needs them.
Click to expand...
I agree.
I also believe about 80% of the people doing hvac work shouldn’t be. Either crooks or incompetent.
 
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