"WandererFan" wrote in message
...
Had a tech out to look over my 20 yr old central a/c today. He said
the fluid level was "border line", but that he was not allowed to top
up the system as it used the old type of fluid (R22?). He said if
the system couldn't keep up with the load it would have to be
replaced.

Since we are probably leaving this house in the next year or so, I'm
not enthusiastic about a new a/c plant. A new, more efficient setup
would not pay us back in time.

A bit of googling seems to indicate that R22 is still going to be
around until 2015 or 2020 and that its use in existing equipment is
still ok.

Was the tech correct, or just trying to earn a commission?

TIA,
Chris

I'm not up on the latest regulations so I won't comment. But there may be
other considerations worth thinking about.

True, you won't get a payback on a new, more efficient unit, but the sale
next year may go a lot easier if you can show how this nice new unit is
expected to be trouble free for the new buyer.

Meantime, what is the real condition of the old unit? Will you get the
summer out of it? I'd hate to be pressed to do something mid-August when it
is 110 degrees and this thing craps out. That is a great unknown so it
comes down to what will you pay for peace of mind? Or are you a risk taker?

If I was buying a house and it came down to making a choice between to
likeable houses, the one with a new AC and furnace would get the nod, or I'd
lowball the price to the other guy.