My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside. The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no longer be
resting on anything solid real soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did it not
fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it mean there
is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below is yielding due
to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida sandy soil high water
table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just lift
and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very rigid
connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day have the form
done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at least to cure. I will
have to wait a while to put the compressor on again...do I get a concrete
repair place to fix this or the AC place to fix this?

Thanks,

MC

"miamicuse" wrote in
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with
steel rod. I believe the pad is original so that will put it back to
1980 when the house was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8 inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside
edges, chunks of concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted
steel rods inside. The compressor has four legs and it's bolted to
the pad with concrete screws. Of course with the pad failing two of
the compressor legs will no longer be resting on anything solid real
soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did
it not fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it
mean there is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below
is yielding due to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida
sandy soil high water table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very
rigid connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day
have the form done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at
least to cure. I will have to wait a while to put the compressor on
again...do I get a concrete repair place to fix this or the AC place
to fix this?

Thanks,

MC





Bolted to pad??? How big is the damn thing? High "balsy" crime rate?

If you want to avoid the concrete redo, can you just slip a 4x4 metal
plate between the compressor and pad? Maybe that's too "ugly" for you
though.

Call a HVAC firm, they should have the tools and equipment. Some new
AC pads are made out of plastic, and work very well. While looking a
lot like concrete.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"miamicuse" wrote in message
news My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod.
I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks
of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside.
The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete
screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no
longer be
resting on anything solid real soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did
it not
fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it mean
there
is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below is
yielding due
to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida sandy soil high
water
table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift
and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very rigid
connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day have
the form
done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at least to cure.
I will
have to wait a while to put the compressor on again...do I get a
concrete
repair place to fix this or the AC place to fix this?

Thanks,

MC

You could make it easy, get two trex or composit deck boards, one person
lifts a side of the compressor, the other person slides in a board. My
pads are all plastic.

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"miamicuse" wrote in
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with
steel rod. I believe the pad is original so that will put it back to
1980 when the house was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8 inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside
edges, chunks of concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted
steel rods inside. The compressor has four legs and it's bolted to
the pad with concrete screws. Of course with the pad failing two of
the compressor legs will no longer be resting on anything solid real
soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did
it not fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it
mean there is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below
is yielding due to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida
sandy soil high water table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very
rigid connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day
have the form done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at
least to cure. I will have to wait a while to put the compressor on
again...do I get a concrete repair place to fix this or the AC place
to fix this?

Thanks,

MC





Bolted to pad??? How big is the damn thing? High "balsy" crime rate?

If you want to avoid the concrete redo, can you just slip a 4x4 metal
plate between the compressor and pad? Maybe that's too "ugly" for you
though.

Thanks for the reply.

I am not sure. The compressor hums and vibrate when it is on. Here is a
pic of the compressor and the pad:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000355.JPG

the model:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000360.JPG

MC

In order to explain the situation better here are some pictures:

The compressor resting on the pad:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000355.JPG

Edges of the pad falling off and a big crack all the way across the front
behind the legs.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000358.JPG

One of the legs resting on the concrete pad where another chuck is about to
come off:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000357.JPG

Model and make of the compressor:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000360.JPG

LENNOX HS27-036-1P

Any thoughts? A plastic pad?

MC


"miamicuse" wrote in message
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The
pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside. The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no longer
be
resting on anything solid real soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did it
not
fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it mean there
is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below is yielding
due
to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida sandy soil high water
table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift
and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very rigid
connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day have the
form
done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at least to cure. I
will
have to wait a while to put the compressor on again...do I get a concrete
repair place to fix this or the AC place to fix this?

Thanks,

MC

Good concrete should last a hundred years, but not all are good. My A/C pad
was poured in the 1970s and is still good. Slide something under it that is
strong enough and gently pry up and slip some blocks of wood, bricks or what
have you under to hold it an inch or more above while you remove and replace
the pad.

"miamicuse" wrote in message
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The
pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside. The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no longer
be
resting on anything solid real soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did it
not
fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it mean there
is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below is yielding
due
to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida sandy soil high water
table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift
and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very rigid
connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day have the
form
done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at least to cure. I
will
have to wait a while to put the compressor on again...do I get a concrete
repair place to fix this or the AC place to fix this?

Thanks,

MC

Get a 4'x4'x3/4" piece of marine grade plywood, paint with several coats of
outdoor polyurethane, then slip under the AC unit.

"miamicuse" wrote in message
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The
pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside. The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no longer
be
resting on anything solid real soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did it
not
fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it mean there
is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below is yielding
due
to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida sandy soil high water
table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift
and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very rigid
connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day have the
form
done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at least to cure. I
will
have to wait a while to put the compressor on again...do I get a concrete
repair place to fix this or the AC place to fix this?

Thanks,

MC

On Fri, 8 Sep 2006 21:45:10 -0400, "miamicuse"
wrote:

My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
snip

Thanks,

MC

Maybe you can wait until the A/C unit needs to be replaced? If need
be you can slide a 4x4 sheet of 3/4" thick external ply under the
unit.

My AC unit, installed 1977, has a
precast pad under it. The AC unit is a
Carrier round unit and the pad is also
round. Maybe you can get a precast
pad and slide it under the unit. Or,
they do have 2' x 2' precast patio block
that are only 1 1/4" thick or there
abouts. Four of these might work.

Phisherman wrote:
On Fri, 8 Sep 2006 21:45:10 -0400, "miamicuse"
wrote:

My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
snip

Thanks,

MC

Maybe you can wait until the A/C unit needs to be replaced? If need
be you can slide a 4x4 sheet of 3/4" thick external ply under the
unit.

miamicuse wrote:
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with
steel rod. I believe the pad is original so that will put it back to
1980 when the house was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8 inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside
edges, chunks of concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted
steel rods inside. The compressor has four legs and it's bolted to
the pad with concrete screws. Of course with the pad failing two of
the compressor legs will no longer be resting on anything solid real
soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did
it not fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does
it mean there is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil
below is yielding due to a sink hole (house is in coastal south
Florida sandy soil high water table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot
just lift and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has
very rigid connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a
day have the form done and the concrete poured, then a few more days
at least to cure. I will have to wait a while to put the compressor
on again...do I get a concrete repair place to fix this or the AC
place to fix this?

You don't "pour" AC pads. They come already poured, much like a huge
stepping-stone.

The "legs" you mention aren't legs (I don't think). They seem to be small
brackets to keep the unit from "walking" off the pad. The entire bottom of
the unit is resting on the concrete pad. In other words, the "legs" support
nothing.

Here's what you COULD do:
1. Cut the bolts/screws holding down the "legs."
2. Get a couple of 2x4s under the unit and raise the unit an inch or two.
3. Somehow manage to get the old block out.
4. Slide in a new, plastic, base.
5. Lower the AC unit back in place.
6. Use angle brackets to re-secure the AC unit.

Here's what *I* would do.
1. Ignore the whole thing.

On Fri, 8 Sep 2006 21:45:10 -0400, "miamicuse"
wrote:

My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside. The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no longer be
resting on anything solid real soon.

Mine isn't bolted to the pad at all. I wish it were, becuase it keeps
moving maybe an eighth or fourteenth of an inch every year. Now it is
about 2 or 3 inches from where it was 27 years ago. (Maybe it moved
slower then and more quickly now. I don't know, and I'm not going to
mark it to find out.)

I'm afraid to put it back because I don't want to bend the pipes. But
it's only because I'm compulsive that I want to put it back at all.
It works fine.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation.

Do you?

But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did it not
fail after 8 years or 12 years?

People always ask questions like that. Why did my tv break now? The
question and answer are above my pay grade.

If it waited 20 years, does it mean there
is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below is yielding due
to a sink hole

That might account for a crack, but not for crumbling, afaik.

(house is in coastal south Florida sandy soil high water
table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just lift
and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very rigid
connections into the house's attic.

Right. That's why I'd consider doing nothing until you need a new
compressor, now matter how long that is. I'm serious.

Or, since I mentioned how compulsive I am, I might make a wood form,
and pour cement under the compressor, just to fill up the empty space
where it crumbled away. Same height as current height or if you go a
quarter inch higher than the base, no problem. You won't lift the
compressor, and when you need a new compressor, you can replace the
pad then, if yours is still breaking or not flat after your patch.

Al's idea sounds pretty good too.

IIUC only the parts beyond the steel reinforcing are falling off.
Even if it's worse than that, the bulk of the cement pad will be there
another 40 years. There is no special reason to think there is a sink
hole. Cement cracks and crumbles some times. The AC isn't going to
fall to the center of the earth -- it won't fall farther down at all
--, and if perchance it does, you can fix it then. I wouldn't go
looking for trouble.

After looking at your picture, I agree with myself even more. I would
remove the chunks that are an inch away, that have fallen off
completely.

And maybe paint the base, if you think that would make it nicer, and
before that you could put some kind of spackle in the crack, but
unless you want to make it pretty for guests, I'd just remove those
totally loose pieces.


A new pad will take a day have the form
done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at least to cure. I will
have to wait a while to put the compressor on again...do I get a concrete
repair place to fix this or the AC place to fix this?

Thanks,

MC

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"miamicuse" wrote in
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with
steel rod. I believe the pad is original so that will put it back to
1980 when the house was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8 inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside
edges, chunks of concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted
steel rods inside. The compressor has four legs and it's bolted to
the pad with concrete screws. Of course with the pad failing two of
the compressor legs will no longer be resting on anything solid real
soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did
it not fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does it
mean there is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil below
is yielding due to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida
sandy soil high water table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot just
lift and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very
rigid connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day
have the form done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at
least to cure. I will have to wait a while to put the compressor on
again...do I get a concrete repair place to fix this or the AC place
to fix this?

Thanks,

MC





Bolted to pad??? How big is the damn thing? High "balsy" crime rate?

If you want to avoid the concrete redo, can you just slip a 4x4 metal
plate between the compressor and pad? Maybe that's too "ugly" for you
though.

Thanks for the reply.

I am not sure. The compressor hums and vibrate when it is on. Here is a
pic of the compressor and the pad:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000355.JPG

the model:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000360.JPG

MC


Interesting. His 20 year old Lennox has a date code that says it was made
11/96. That's 10 years old. The serial number which he attempted to blank
out is 5896K46054.

"miamicuse" wrote in message
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The
pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.



If the AC is from 1980, you're about due for a new one. Average life of an
AC unit is 15 years.

In article ,
mm wrote:

I'd consider doing nothing until you need a new
compressor, now matter how long that is.

That was my thought from the beginning. Now, having seen the photos, WAITING
makes even more sense. The pad doesn't look THAT bad. I'd leave it alone.
--

JR

You will be looking at a bunch of money to have an a/c company
disconnect the unit and move it off, then reconect it. How old is the
unit? I would figure out a way to do a patch job as others have
suggested and wait till the unit has to be replaced. If you do have it
done, and later it has to be replaced, you just wasted that money. We
use precast concrete slabs, as well as some that are like fiberglass
over foam. We use the precast ones where the ground is uneven and the
slab has to be partially elevated with bricks or blocks, and use the
others where the ground is level, or we can place the lightweight ones
over an existing slab if it is sound, but not high enough to meet code.
I used one of the plastic ones like Stormin mentioned when I instaled my
parents unit in 1995, and it is holding up fine. Got no idea why yours
is failing. If you really wanted to, you could probably raise your unit
just enough to get the old slab out, level the ground under it and
install a precast slab. You could get 2 pieces of angle iron long enough
to extend about a foot past either side of the unit, put one flat edge
under the legs with the other edge facing up and carefully raise it and
block it about an inch above the slab. If you are careful the copper
lines should have enough slack in them to move that much without any
problems. Good luck Larry BTW, I just bought a 36x36 precast slab a
couple of weeks ago. According to the counterman at the supply house, it
weighed 108 lb`It cost $20.48. Of course that price was wholesale, so
you may have to pay somewhat more retail, but it still should not be
terribly costly.

On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 18:43:40 -0400, "HeatMan"
wrote:


"miamicuse" wrote in message
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The
pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.



If the AC is from 1980, you're about due for a new one. Average life of an
AC unit is 15 years.

Mine is 27 years old and still doing fine. The guy who had the house
first was from Louisiana, and always complaining that Baltimore was
too cold. I don't think that, but I still only use the AC 3 weeks a
year or less. I know age is a factor in itself, but lack of use must
make a big difference too.

"HeyBub" wrote in message
...
miamicuse wrote:
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with
steel rod. I believe the pad is original so that will put it back to
1980 when the house was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8 inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside
edges, chunks of concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted
steel rods inside. The compressor has four legs and it's bolted to
the pad with concrete screws. Of course with the pad failing two of
the compressor legs will no longer be resting on anything solid real
soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why did
it not fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does
it mean there is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil
below is yielding due to a sink hole (house is in coastal south
Florida sandy soil high water table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot
just lift and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has
very rigid connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a
day have the form done and the concrete poured, then a few more days
at least to cure. I will have to wait a while to put the compressor
on again...do I get a concrete repair place to fix this or the AC
place to fix this?

You don't "pour" AC pads. They come already poured, much like a huge
stepping-stone.

The "legs" you mention aren't legs (I don't think). They seem to be small
brackets to keep the unit from "walking" off the pad. The entire bottom of
the unit is resting on the concrete pad. In other words, the "legs"
support
nothing.

Here's what you COULD do:
1. Cut the bolts/screws holding down the "legs."
2. Get a couple of 2x4s under the unit and raise the unit an inch or two.
3. Somehow manage to get the old block out.
4. Slide in a new, plastic, base.
5. Lower the AC unit back in place.
6. Use angle brackets to re-secure the AC unit.

Here's what *I* would do.
1. Ignore the whole thing.



The legs are indeed supporting the weight of the compressor. See this
pictu

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000358.JPG

Thanks,

MC

"HeatMan" wrote in message
. ..

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"miamicuse" wrote in
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The pad is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with
steel rod. I believe the pad is original so that will put it back
to
1980 when the house was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started
about 8 inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside
edges, chunks of concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted
steel rods inside. The compressor has four legs and it's bolted to
the pad with concrete screws. Of course with the pad failing two of
the compressor legs will no longer be resting on anything solid real
soon.

Obviously I need to remedy this situation. But I have two
questions:

(1) Is it normal for a pad to fail like this after 20 years? Why
did
it not fail after 8 years or 12 years? If it waited 20 years, does
it
mean there is some other factor involved? Like perhaps the soil
below
is yielding due to a sink hole (house is in coastal south Florida
sandy soil high water table) or sewer line leak?

(2) If I replace the pad how would I go about doing it? I cannot
just
lift and move the compressor aside which is very heavy and has very
rigid connections into the house's attic. A new pad will take a day
have the form done and the concrete poured, then a few more days at
least to cure. I will have to wait a while to put the compressor on
again...do I get a concrete repair place to fix this or the AC place
to fix this?

Thanks,

MC





Bolted to pad??? How big is the damn thing? High "balsy" crime rate?

If you want to avoid the concrete redo, can you just slip a 4x4 metal
plate between the compressor and pad? Maybe that's too "ugly" for you
though.

Thanks for the reply.

I am not sure. The compressor hums and vibrate when it is on. Here is
a
pic of the compressor and the pad:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000355.JPG

the model:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000360.JPG

MC


Interesting. His 20 year old Lennox has a date code that says it was made
11/96. That's 10 years old. The serial number which he attempted to
blank
out is 5896K46054.



The pad is original, the AC was replaced a little over 10 years ago when I
purchased the property.

MC

miamicuse wrote:
((Snipped))


The pad is original, the AC was replaced a little over 10 years ago when I
purchased the property.

MC


To answer some of your questions: Pouring a pad
is fairly common. Bolting a large compressor may
be common but smaller ones like 2-3 tons often are
not bolted (certainly mine isn't and most of the
ones in my subdivision that I can see simply sit
on the pad. Sure a pad can fail after 20 years,
especially if there is a lot of vibration. If
your machine shakes badly then something isn't
balanced. Failure with steel reinforced concrete
is probably do to the shaking.

The simplest solution is to simply get 1/8" to
1/4" thick metal 4" wide and long enough to extend
from one foot to the next (across the broken
edge). Simply unbolt, mark the bolt holes on the
two straps, drill the bolt holes, lift one end of
the AC(a 2x4 and a pivot point should do it), slip
the metal in place under the legs and rebolt.

If you don't want to lift the AC any higher than
the thickness of the metal straps, use a 6" wide
strap and cut a slot from one edge to the middle
the strap so it can slide under the legs.

Then get the AC fixed so it doesn't vibrate so much.

Also looks a bit too close to the house. Not enough space between the
unit and the wall.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...

Maybe you can wait until the A/C unit needs to be replaced? If need
be you can slide a 4x4 sheet of 3/4" thick external ply under the
unit.

Well, they shouldn't be. There should be depressions in the bottom of
the AC which act as feet.

Might be part of the problem?

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...


The "legs" you mention aren't legs (I don't think). They seem to be
small
brackets to keep the unit from "walking" off the pad. The entire
bottom of
the unit is resting on the concrete pad. In other words, the "legs"
support
nothing.


The legs are indeed supporting the weight of the compressor. See this
pictu

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...6/P1000358.JPG

Thanks,

MC

Ensure ALL surfaces of the ply are coated with finish.

On Sat, 09 Sep 2006 18:29:41 GMT, "Jeff" wrote:

Get a 4'x4'x3/4" piece of marine grade plywood, paint with several coats of
outdoor polyurethane, then slip under the AC unit.

all concrete cracks (eventually)

concrete is its hardest at around 100 years of age

consider using Quickrete Concrete Resurfacer on your existing base to repair
it, about $25 a bag
http://www.quickrete.com/catalog/Con...esurfacer.html
the resurfacer adheres to concrete something like 3 times better than
concrete adheres to itself to itself, and due to the polymers in it, it
resists water better than concrete (water seems to be the reason for the
spalling of your base)

trowel it on, instruction on how to use concrete resurfacer
http://www.quickrete.com/diy/ResurfacingConcrete.html

I'm with those suggesting doing nothing. It doesn't look that bad to
me. Is there any indication that the unit is loose/moving on the base?
As long as the base is stable, not moving, the unit is level, I would
probably leave it alone.

If you want to fool with it, then I'd consider using some Trex decking
material to completely cover the concrete. The way the unit is sitting
on legs, it would be easy to slip that under it. I'd use construction
adhesive to fasten the Trex to the concrete, then use screws to fasten
the unit to the Trex. You might have to shorten the brackets unless
there is enough give in the tubing to allow the unit to come up the
thickness of the Trex.

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 18:43:40 -0400, "HeatMan"
wrote:


"miamicuse" wrote in message
news
My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad.
The
pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the
house
was built.



If the AC is from 1980, you're about due for a new one. Average life of
an
AC unit is 15 years.

Mine is 27 years old and still doing fine. The guy who had the house
first was from Louisiana, and always complaining that Baltimore was
too cold. I don't think that, but I still only use the AC 3 weeks a
year or less. I know age is a factor in itself, but lack of use must
make a big difference too.

27 years old and costing you a ton of money to operate, if you live in the
South. Since you don't, that's fine.

Around here, anything over 20 years is ancient.

On Fri, 8 Sep 2006 21:45:10 -0400, "miamicuse"
wrote:

My central AC compressor unit is outdoor resting on a concrete pad. The pad
is 48"x48" in size and 4" thick and it is reinforced with steel rod. I
believe the pad is original so that will put it back to 1980 when the house
was built.

Recently the concrete pad started to fail. First a crack started about 8
inches from one edge, then more cracks along the outside edges, chunks of
concrete started to fall off exposing the rusted steel rods inside. The
compressor has four legs and it's bolted to the pad with concrete screws.
Of course with the pad failing two of the compressor legs will no longer be
resting on anything solid real soon.

btW, DOESN'T lifting the compressor eveen a half inch risk causeing a
leak in the pipes?

I think I'm bend-shy, because when I was 21, I twisted a copper water
pipe 10 degrees, just below a faucet, and a couple months later it
started to leak.

Another time, a friend had a metal shower stall out and was letting
the pipes move back and forth a couple inches at 4 feet high, and one
snapped, sending water all over the bathroom.

Is it 100 percent safe to lift the compressor even a half inch, that
is, no risk of causing a leak?

mm-- from looking at the OP's pictures, it looks like the lines have
plenty of slack the way they are run up to the attic, so the unit could
most likely be lifted up to an inch or so without much risk of damage--
IF done very carefully. Most residential a/c lines are soft copper with
silver soldered joints, whereas a lot of plumbing is rigid copper with
soft soldered joints. I have leveled a bunch of a/c units and(knock on
wood) have yet to cause a leak. Larry

On Sun, 10 Sep 2006 22:29:42 -0500, (lp13-30) wrote:

mm-- from looking at the OP's pictures, it looks like the lines have
plenty of slack the way they are run up to the attic, so the unit could
most likely be lifted up to an inch or so without much risk of damage--
IF done very carefully. Most residential a/c lines are soft copper with
silver soldered joints, whereas a lot of plumbing is rigid copper with
soft soldered joints. I have leveled a bunch of a/c units and(knock on
wood) have yet to cause a leak. Larry

That's encouraging. My AC pipes run only a foot to the wall. Do you
think that would be enough space to flex also? (I don't know why I
ask, since I'm still going to be too afraid to move it back two inches
at the end away from the house. Someday the thing will break, and the
installer can straighten it out when he replaces it.)

OTOH, sometimes I have reckless moments and I may get overwhelmed by
the desire to straighten it out.

BTW, I should have said that the shower pipe that snapped was iron.