On Thu 28 Aug 2008 12:40:28p, phil scott told us...

5 ton condensing unit new if its low end model will wholesale for 1200
dollars or more... it its high efficiency, seer 12 or 14 a lot
higher....

Our system is right in the middle, seer 13.

did you see the guy solder in a new drier? thats a grey or blue
thing, generally 3 or 4" in diameter, 6 to 10" long... located either
inside the condensing unit, or outside in the small copper line.

Yes, he did install a new drier inside the condensing unit. The housing of
our unit is fairly large with easy access panels. It didn't seem as though
he had much trouble working with it. He also replaced a contactor switch
and a couple of solenoids, although he said the old ones were probably
okay, he wanted to be sure we didn't have a problem. All parts were
covered by the warranty.

Your tech guy sounded at least reasonably competent to me... however
those driers (they remove acid contamination also) are critical to the
compressor lasting more than a few years, the ones inside the unit are
often hard to replace so are not replaced..not good. Its also not
good to just add a drier on the outside and leave the old one in
place ..but its not fatal and would still give you good acid
protection.

If he did not replace the old drier, he owes you one.. a new drier is
industry std protocol for compressor replacement even if there was no
acid or other problem. You can usually see the inside drier by
looking down through the fan cowling opening.




Next time get a warranty that includes labor if you can... or skip
the warranty all together. *I dont buy them myself.

The company who originally installed the system did the replacement. *I
n
discussion with the tech who did the work, I learned that they offer a
maintenance plan for $225/year that includes two inspections/services
per year, and also includes labor for any work that needs to be
performed.
*
That would include labor for replacing the compressor. *We have taken t
he
maintenance plan for the future.

given its a replacement compressor thats a good deal...they keep
bringing up green flags with
me, thats not entirely usual these days.

but make sure you got a new drier. (if any doubt look for dust on the
old drier)

We're good. Thanks, Phil. You brought up some good points. I'm glad we
had a good service tech.

Phil scott



--
Wayne Boatwright

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