On Nov 20, 9:48 am, trbo20 wrote:
The compressor in my 13-year old Lenox heat pump died yesterday
through an internal short. The repair guy told me that I could expect
to pay from $1700 to $1800 for a new one.

While I'm no HVAC guy, I do understand basic mechanics, and I know
that there is nothing either technologically or mechanically wondrous
about compressors. I can't get my head around why this part should
cost more than a replacement car engine or a nice riding lawn mower.

I had a good read on the technician. He was very candid and frank in
our discussion and he took the time to show me what his
troubleshooting steps were. He helped me explore possible
alternatives to save a buck, but he could not tell me why a new
compressor cost so much.

Am I being severely up-charged by the reseller, or is this the going
rate. If this is the going rate, then could anyone tell me why
they're so expensive? If it helps, the repair guy said my unit was a
4-tonner. I don't really know what that means, but I assume it
indicates the general size.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

This is a follow-up to my original post.

The HVAC guys are down in my basement right now pulling out my old
system and installing the new one. When they pulled the cover off
the
unit, the technician noticed right away that the previous installer
rigged the evaporator coil with a side intake.

The way he had it going, only one half of the coil ever saw any use.
This is evident by the amount of dust that collected on one side of
the coil. That means my compressor had to work twice as hard to heat
and cool my home over the last 10 years which is probably why it
failed when it did. Frankly, I'm surprised it even lasted that long.

This experience reinforces what in the alt.HAVC group said about
finding the right
guys for the job. I can only wonder how many dollars the previous
home owner wasted heating and cooling this place because the HVAC
guys
that put this system in either weren't qualified to do their jobs or
just didn't care.

Thanks everyone for all of your input.