a/c help

[finishthehat]

We've got a five-ton, ten-year-old central a/c unit here in a muggy, hot part of the country. (2,400 s/f house.)

All of a sudden it's not working that well -- set the thermostat for 72, say, and by the end of the afternoon the indoor temperature is 80 (according to the thermostat; it actually feels cooler than that).

We haven't had any major problems with it in the two years or so we've been in the house. We had a (pretty reputable) service guy come by, and he says the thing is simply old, and it can no longer keep up with the effort it takes to cool down the house. There's some leakage, he says, but sealing it won't do all that much.

Does this sound right? And if I have to replace the thing, what am I looking at, in terms of total cost, time and pain-in-the-assedness?

 

[KG]

It could just be your thermostat going bad. They are simple to replace.

 

[TigerVols]

Sounds very right; sadly, I speak from experience.

My 7 year old system is on the brink. Had two different firms come out and both gave the same diagnosis: needs a new compressor ($1,400) but should probably go ahead and get a 15-rated unit that cools quicker, more efficiently and with much less energy use. Cost: 12,000 bucks. Ugh.

Call SEARS Home Improvement (800 4 My Home) and they'll come out and give your system the once-over. I can't recommend them enough.

 

[finishthehat]

Sounds very right; sadly, I speak from experience.

My 7 year old system is on the brink. Had two different firms come out and both gave the same diagnosis: needs a new compressor ($1,400) but should probably go ahead and get a 15-rated unit that cools quicker, more efficiently and with much less energy use. Cost: 12,000 bucks. Ugh.

Call SEARS Home Improvement (800 4 My Home) and they'll come out and give your system the once-over. I can't recommend them enough.

Yeah, this guy said replacing it would be in the ballpark of $12,000 or so.

Thanks.

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

GOD GOOD! $12,000! ****, I'm never owning a house. I'm doomed to apartment life forever.

 

[Flip Wilson]

We replaced a heating/AC unit a couple of years ago, and it was about $4,500.

 

[BTExpress]

Replaced my entire unit (indoor and outdoor) a few weeks ago for $3,200.

 

[Platyrhynchos]

Ten years isn't all that old for an a/c unit.
I'd try changing the filter and recharging the freon before thinking about a replacement.

 

[finishthehat]

Ten years isn't all that old for an a/c unit.
I'd try changing the filter and recharging the freon before thinking about a replacement.

Not the filter, and I don't think it's the freon. We've got someone else coming out tomorrow for a second opinion.

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

12-grand???? wouldn't it be easier to go to HomeDepot/Loews/localelectronicstore and get a couple of small ones for 2 or 3 different rooms and put a ceiling fan in the kitchen. A LOT less money.

 

[EStreetJoe]

I guess I lucked out. The heating/AC system in the house I just bought is 20 years old and knock on wood the AC portion is still running great. Hopefully the same will hold true for the heating system come the winter.

 

[KG]

I guess I lucked out. The heating/AC system in the house I just bought is 20 years old and knock on wood the AC portion is still running great. Hopefully the same will hold true for the heating system come the winter.

I'd start saving for a new one of both though. The cost to run a new one is much less. I rent, so I don't have much of a choice. I'm not going to ask my landlord to replace the furnace, because he's already giving me an outstanding rate and doesn't flip out if the rent check doesn't arrive precisely on time.

I feel totally blessed to have him as a landlord, so even when he offered to have the furnace replaced instead of fixing it since it's been in the house since probably the 70's (it was only a $30 part to fix it) we told him not to worry about it. There's no reason for him to put that much into it when we don't need it.

Here's my tip for the winter (assuming you have a gas furnace). I have three of these http://www.nextag.com/Holmes-HEATER-SWIRL-GRILL-545365353/prices-html --one in the bedroom, one in the living room and one in the kitchen. They don't raise my electric bill enough to notice and last year, the first year I had them, I hardly had to even use the furnace. They really do work that well. If you're going to use the high setting it will roast you out of a small room.

They're safe too. If they fall over they turn off, but even if they didn't, you can put your hand on the front without burning it. They're cheaper and easier to find now than they probably will be when it gets cold. The price on the link is kind of high though. I believe I spent about $25 for mine at Wal-Mart.

 

[Lone_Star_Speed]

I spent a cumulative total of three years installing HVAC systems. Twelve grand sounds like a lot, but the newer units are much more energy efficient than the ones being made even ten years ago. You'll make up the cost of the new system with the savings on your electric bill. Plus look into what kind of tax break you can get for having a new system put in. My brother bought a house last year and all the ductwork needed to be replaced. He bought the new ductwork and I installed it for him over a couple of days. I know he was saying that he was able to get some sort of tax write off out of it. That may have been something that was going on last year only.
I also highly recommend installing thermostats that are programmable. That'll help you save some bucks too. You can set it to a warmer temp during the day when people likely aren't at home and program it so that it'll be whatever temp you want at a certain time. If you set it to stay at 82 during the day but want it to be 75 when you get home shortly after 5:30 the system will kick on just before 5:30 so that it will be 75 at 5:30. Most programmable thermostats have a M-F program setting and separate Saturday and Sunday settings. Some of the higher priced ones have settings for each individual day.

 

[EStreetJoe]

If my heating or AC system does die, hopefully it happens before mid-June 2008. As part of the closing we got the sellers to include a home warranty, so all service calls are $55, no matter the cost of the parts needed to do the job. If the technician determines that it needs to be replaced, it's still just $55.

 

[finishthehat]

Happy ending (and thanks for the help, everyone):

My wife's editor gave us the number for the a/c company he uses. They've been in business 20 years and haven't advertised in 19 because word-of-mouth does the job. The guys get paid hourly, no commissions, so they don't try to upsell you.

The guy came and spent an hour and a half checking every last thing out, even after he found the probable cause early in the search.

A line in part of the outside unit was blocked with dirt. He cleaned it out and everything's humming now. Total cost: $145.

Quite the relief. And for what it's worth, he said that for installing a totally new system in our house, twelve grand is probably a little high but isn't all that out of line.

 

[txsportsscribe]

If my heating or AC system does die, hopefully it happens before mid-June 2008. As part of the closing we got the sellers to include a home warranty, so all service calls are $55, no matter the cost of the parts needed to do the job. If the technician determines that it needs to be replaced, it's still just $55.

uh, you can buy another home warranty when the current one runs out. very good investment.

 

[EStreetJoe]

If my heating or AC system does die, hopefully it happens before mid-June 2008. As part of the closing we got the sellers to include a home warranty, so all service calls are $55, no matter the cost of the parts needed to do the job. If the technician determines that it needs to be replaced, it's still just $55.

uh, you can buy another home warranty when the current one runs out. very good investment.

I know I can renew it when the current one expires. The wife & I just need to decide if we're going to renew or not.