I have a Trane air conditioner that was installed in 2007. I did not buy the extended warranty. I have had it checked every spring ... and until last year there was no problem.

In April a technician came out and checked it -- spent a long time with it and also tried very hard to sell me on letting the company clean my dryer vents. I declined.

In June the a/c started running long periods and dripping water... the drain pipes were not clogged... the man who came out and diagnosed the problem said a valve was bad and that the refrigerant was over filled. He had to order the valve - and it took several days. He said the part rarely failed. Someone on this board told me later that "over-filling" could cause it to fail. Anyway, it has been working o.k. since then - until last week. (It costs me $1069 to fix). Last week it was hot and humid (Florida) and I turned it on... it started dripping water again, same as before. I turned it off -- the next day it was cold again and I used it to heat the house.

Yesterday I called the company and asked them to send someone out to check it (after making sure the part they put in was still under warranty). I asked the name of the techie coming out and when I found out it was the one who started this string of events I asked her not to send him. Went to the grocery store and he was working on an a/c one street over -- I recognized him. Anyway, my question is -- how long should a Trane last and when does it become unwise to fix it -- appreciate help with this. Thanks.