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i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:26 pm
by aaangel
i know i can trust y'all. my ac unit is 7 yrs old. and the technician from comfort expert says i need to replace the whole thing???? am i getting rip off?
anyone done business with these guys? i have a meeting w/ their engineer this friday.
also i have air and heat hospital coming for a second opinion.
anyone you would like to recommend. please i need help.
thanks guys!
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:33 pm
by RPB
get your second opinion
I was prepared to replace a 20 year old unit, got the fan motor replaced and works like a charm, $200.00
Compressors are more expensive, but replacing a whole car or air unit because one part goes out?
At my church we did replace a fan motor, then decided to replace the whole outside unit because we got a deal on a new energy efficient one, but the new fan motor could have lasted 20 more years and compressor was fine
Get a second or third opinion ... and if they all say the same thing, (condenser/compressor/evaporator/fan motor, whatever) might be time.
I'm not an AC guy ... I just know how to adjust a thermostat. (But I have repaired/replaced parts in Air/Heat units as an Apartment Maint guy in the 70s)
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:34 pm
by The Annoyed Man
Triple J Heat & Air. I know the owners pretty well, and they're going to be doing our system for us. Their quote was pretty reasonable:
http://triplejheatandair.com/.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, 03LightningRocks owns an HVAC company.
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:34 pm
by urnoodle
Last summer I ran into the same issue and mine was about the same age. I had a huge hole in the coil that could no longer be patched. I had the coil and the outside condensor replaced. The company I used was Air Patrol. I had another company come out and they gave me a ridiculous price. So I looked on Angie's List. They had fantastic reviews so I decided to use them and they were excellent!! They worked up every price level for me and allowed me to choose without pressure. The man who quoted me the price even taught me how A/C works. I've recommended them to my neighbors and I haven't heard one complaint. I believe they work all over the metroplex.
Edit: The guys name is Shawn Gazor 214-261-0034 if you would like to call.
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:35 pm
by speedsix
...20 years experience using Wolverton on job after job...they're in Duncanville...good people...
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:41 pm
by aaangel
thanks guys i know i can count on y'all. yeah the technician sounded a little too rehearsed about telling me that these "home builder" systems are the worse kind and that i'm lucky that it lasted 7 yrs. i'll definitely give those guys a call. for a 3rd, 4th, 5th......
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 10:06 pm
by The Annoyed Man
aaangel wrote:thanks guys i know i can count on y'all. yeah the technician sounded a little too rehearsed about telling me that these "home builder" systems are the worse kind and that i'm lucky that it lasted 7 yrs. i'll definitely give those guys a call. for a 3rd, 4th, 5th......
My house's system was installed when the house was built..............in
1984. We're going to change it out soon.
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 10:43 pm
by sookandy
I had the same type of deal. Mine went out and it was a cheap fix. They kept telling me they wouldn't fix it. And it needed to be replaced. Ya maybe so but too pushy. I used Jim Wilson and sons last fall. Got a new system well below what I had anticipated. They fixed the old one so it would work while my new one was on back order and didn't charge for the repairs to the old one.
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 11:04 pm
by aaangel
The Annoyed Man wrote:aaangel wrote:thanks guys i know i can count on y'all. yeah the technician sounded a little too rehearsed about telling me that these "home builder" systems are the worse kind and that i'm lucky that it lasted 7 yrs. i'll definitely give those guys a call. for a 3rd, 4th, 5th......
My house's system was installed when the house was built..............in
1984. We're going to change it out soon.
thanks TAM, i'll give triple J a call tomorrow.
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:40 am
by RPBrown
I am the commercial manager for Tempo but we have a residential department and give second opinions as well as quotes if needed. 7 years is not very old. With proper maintenance they should last for 12-15 years. Most systems within the last 10 years have a 10 year warranty on the compressor which is the most expensive single part in the system.
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:28 am
by E.Marquez
our 10 year old Train was on it's last legs while I was gone this last trip, leaking at the compressor, over all working poorly ($$$$$ heating and cooling our home). We decided on a new High SEER unit as a replacement, correcting the repairs needed and a better more efficient unit as well. After much research, finding good and bad for all major brands, and much of the blame laid on the install work done..
We went with a LENNOX XP21 series Split system Heat Pump.
Post install, we have one full season cycle,,,for winter (house kept at a very comfy 78 or higher) and summer (house kept at 70~73 ) we are seeing a 45% decrease in electricity usage. No other changes in the way we run the house, those numbers are slightly off, as I was not home for most of that year,,, and thus the garage and all it's machines, tooling ect was not run much..but no other upgrades until just two months ago when we changed out one of the water heaters for a new unit.. time will tell if that adds to the savings.
Bottom line.. for us, NOT repairing yet again a 10 year old unit was a better deal
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 8:39 am
by aaangel
yeah i was ripped last saturday. $402 for the whole "check up" and then he tells me that i need to change the whole unit!
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 9:56 am
by 92f-fan
the energy savings on a unit that is more than 8 or 10 years old will be significant
Ive used
http://planoair.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They are owned and operated by a member here
not sure if they will go all the way to GP - but you could at least get a 3rd opinion
Tell Lizzy you are a gun nut. She will understand
Re: i need a new ac/heating unit..... HELP!
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:36 pm
by The Annoyed Man
SRO1911 wrote:Before going to welding full time, I did property maintenance for both single family rentals and apartments. I am HVAC licensed and still keep a few customers on the side. I have one apartment complex that still uses units from 78/79/80. A quality unit will have no set life span provided it is properly maintained. HVAC is one of the biggest rips I know of - even worse than plumbing.
Most 'service calls" could be completed in under 15 minutes. Those 200-400 fan motors cost me 45 dollars each and take an average of 10 minutes to change when I am on my own, capacitors that most techs throw a 50+ dollar price tag on run 1-5 dollars each, less of you buy in bulk.
Biggest rip of all - - - thinking you need to call a tech for everything. The only time you need a license is when there is a service that will possibly release Freon. Anyone can change a fan motor, capacitor, contactor, etc. it is not hard and with a few very simple precautions it is perfectly safe. Typically the only tools you may need would be a couple nut drivers, wire plier, screwdriver, maybe a crescent if you are removing an outside fan.
All of the parts are available to the homeowner - prices range from insane at the big box stores to same as we pay a the supply house.
The problem for our system is that the mother board and a few other critical components are no longer manufactured. The last time the board when out, the guy we hired (very reputable in Grapevine) found a replacement for it, but was surprised that he found it and told us that as more time goes by, parts availability is going to be harder and harder to find. The unit is nearly 30 years old, so even if parts availability was not a problem, there is no doubt that a modern unit would be more efficient and environmentally friendly. I see changing it as an investment in the value of my home, and the opportunity for paying lower utility bills.