"Eric" wrote in message
g.com...
Just wondering if there's a rule-of-thumb on replacing vs. repairing
central A/C units?

My home in MA is 8 years old, and has a (rather cheesy looking) "Concord"
system installed when it was built. Last night it stopped cooling - the
inside & outside fans run, but no compressor sound, warm air, and the
lights dim every 30 seconds or so like the thermal overload is cycling. I
shut it down last night and tried again in the AM with same symptoms.

So I guess the real question is, if it comes down to replacing outside
unit + inside coil vs. just replacing the compressor (do people even do
this any more?), what's the best choice? I assume the newer units are
more efficient, but how long would it take to recoup an additional $1000
or $1500 cost?

Eric

At 8 years, it is well worth repairing. Could be a simple fix for a couple
of hundred as opposed to a few thousand for a new system. As for the
additional cost of energy efficiency, just run the numbers. $1500 may not
take all that long over the 15 year life of the system., especially at MA
electric rates.