need an new ac unit

catfishman

Active Member
#1
okay, so my ac unit went out the other day. we have the home protection plan, which is not all its cracked up to be, from what i have heard. anyway the company that they use sent out a guy yesterday, and met with my wife, i had to work. the good thing, he said we will need a new unit, the old one is a trane 1987 i think. he said they would install a goodman 13 seer, my furnace is a goodman, but the home protection plan only pays $10 per pound on freon, i only see that in there list on the paperwork, but the repairmen said it will be 2 weeks to get it in, unless i might want to upgrade. anyway he said the home protection plan will only be paying for the unit, i have not heard from them yet, probably monday. any input so i know what to look for or ask would be appreciated. i know there are a couple hvac guys on here. thanks in advance
 

MikeBear

Active Member
#4
WOW! If I could get my central air replaced for FREE, but I had to pay for just the freon, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

That's a killer deal. I always figured those home protection plans were scams all the way. I think you should post the name of the one you use. That's good advertising from an actual person that they aren't dodging responsibility.
 
#5
What did they say was wrong with it? New A/C units come pre charged. I'm guessing that they are saying the unit will be free and you will be paying for the installation.
 
#6
Under federal law they have to recover your freon with a recovery unit. I think I'd want my old freon put back in my new system. They try that crap all the time.
 
#7
Under federal law they have to recover your freon with a recovery unit. I think I'd want my old freon put back in my new system. They try that crap all the time.
His old unit would have R-22 refrigerant. New units are R-410A. You can't use R-22 in a R-410A system. Also, if his old unit had a compressor burn out you can't re-use the old refrigerant anyways. But that shouldn't matter since new units come pre charged for about 25 feet of line set.
 
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#8
Well I will say you MUST get more information to assure that you are getting it done right.
First off the R-22 Freon has to be removed as well as the outdoor condenser and the indoor Refrigerant evaporator coil. And preferable the Freon line set should go too but there is a new flush kit available that will clean out the lines under pressure. I have used this clean out just once. About the replacement of the unit nothing bad about the Goodman equipment I have used some in the past. I am sure that you must match your Goodman outdoor condenser with an approved matching indoor evaporator to maintain the Goodman warranty.
Now about the Freon issue it is a recent change but some manufactures are sending out dry units no Freon charge only a holding nitrogen charge.
I would fight the insurance company about the cost of installation labor and make sure if they realize the replacement was running before and because they must follow the law and check to make sure the job is inspected by your city or county.
Now I charge $40.00 a pound for the R-410A Freon and again your unit was running and should be made whole under their contract. Get hard nose with them now.
Let me know if I can help in any way
Steve :scooter:
 
#10
the company is american home shield, i only have it for 1 year, well until march now. anytime you put in a claim, it is a service fee of $75. my wife hinted around to the repairman that it would have been nice to get a new unit, with all the other bad crap that has happened lately, he said only way you get a new unit is if he found a leak in the coil, which it was. he told her my old unit took 7lbs of freon, which the american home shield pays $10 per lb, we would pay the other $55. i would think r410 would be cheaper. it has to be installed by then, i will have more details probably monday.
 
#12
i have doing research online, they say r22 by 2020 will no longer be able to used at all. the tech made it sound like we were responsible for the install, i am not sure yet, waiting on a call, but it wont be this weekend
 
#13
Hello catfishman : They price of a 25 pound cylinder today is about $300.00 to $350.00 and it must be installed by a certified installer. As for what Newoldstock says he is living in his own little world up in another country and it does not apply to you or your project.
I would think that the people at American home shield are not keeping up with the cost of Freon today. And today if a condenser comes charged with 410-A it should be adequate for the two units and 15 feet of properly sized Freon lines and then Freon can be added or removed as needed to complete the charge. Make 100% sure that your furnace fan is super clean and that the air flow is checked when they charge the system.
Steve :scooter:
 
#14
Hello catfishman : They price of a 25 pound cylinder today is about $300.00 to $350.00 and it must be installed by a certified installer. As for what Newoldstock says he is living in his own little world up in another country and it does not apply to you or your project.
I would think that the people at American home shield are not keeping up with the cost of Freon today. And today if a condenser comes charged with 410-A it should be adequate for the two units and 15 feet of properly sized Freon lines and then Freon can be added or removed as needed to complete the charge. Make 100% sure that your furnace fan is super clean and that the air flow is checked when they charge the system.
Steve :scooter:
Right about that Mr Durham.

Hopefuly you get the cool back on soon Catfishman.
Nothing worse than too hot or too cold and the confort is broken...
 

JTG

Active Member
#15
While I can appreciate your frustration, this may not be entirely a bad day. Since the R-22 phase down in about 2010, the HVAC industry has been aggressively promoting new equipment over repairing the old. Wholesalers have been reducing inventories of R-22 parts. And with lack of R-22 parts sales, replacement parts prices tend to rise. There is a very good chance your current unit was probably operating well below manufacturer’s specs due to age. On the bright side the new unit was manufactured with energy efficiency as the driving force. Therefore the money you will save in electricity in the first year should cover any out of pocket expenses. Most utilities are offering rebates from $100.00 to $500.00 for upgrading and new equipment comes with extended manufacturer warranties. This means you should be in great shape going forward.
 
#17
Rebate chase it is a one sided affair it is connected to only the top tier of equipment and that is fair because it is to conserve energy. Here in Oregon as I am sure most states follow the same guidelines because their programs are fed funded. A 13 S.E.E.R. air conditioner will not be eligible for any rebates they start at about 15+ S.E.E.R. The main attraction for rebates is the furnace and they start at about 95.5 % efficiency and must have a DC Drive variable speed fan motor. All the other cash back cons are just distributor and manufactures bate to upsell you. The biggest change in the HVAC industry is the tightening up of warranty loop holes and now longer do they offer life time parts warranties
Just a bit of information homeowners should know.
Steve :scooter:
 
#19
ok here is what i found out, they wwant to replace the unit, and a coil, but it will still use r22, american home shield said the government want those units used up. i would have to pay $300 for the freon. now if i want to upgrade, i can get a unit that uses r410, i, would have to pay the difference, i dont know what that is cause the hvac company was closed by the time ahs called.
 
#20
I do know that there were companies out there that bought up lots of old stock and made a notch for just having equipment at the minimum 13 S.E.E.R. and above levels.
I guess it is wait and see what they want for the $10A unit.
Steve :scooter:
 
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