Hello,

We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix the air
conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home inspector.

The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit larger
than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to look that
up tomorrow.)

Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky), and the
house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner on.

I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the components
better now (compared to when we bought the house.)

I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our basement),
in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil has rust on
the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty on the inside
(it is hard to get a good look though.)

Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents with the
panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign that the
evaporator coil is "dirty"?

I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big copper
intake tube does not feel very cold at all.

Having said that, I have one important question, as this pertains to
whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their job right:

1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that you should
replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace the
outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do this - they
just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the evaporator
coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I would be
justified in demanding that they replace it now?

2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil must be
carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump. Unfortunately,
neither of my units have any performance information on them, but I do
have the model numbers, and so I will try to find that information out
soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat pump is considerably larger
(physically, at least) than the old one. Assuming that the new one is
(significantly?) larger (in capacity) than the old one, and that the
existing evaporator coil was in fact matched to the old, smaller, heat
pump - does this also justify me in demanding that they (the installers)
replace the evaporator coil with a new (matched) unit?

When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would replace the
heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However, it would
seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat pump to an
old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the case, I'm also
concerned that this may affect the life of the new heat pump (being
mismatched.)

Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly on what
the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as any
suggestions on what to do next.

Thanks for any help!

Mike

Mike Mills wrote:
Hello,

We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix the
air conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home
inspector.
The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit larger
than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to look
that up tomorrow.)

Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky), and the
house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner on.

I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the components
better now (compared to when we bought the house.)

I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our
basement), in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil
has rust on the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty
on the inside (it is hard to get a good look though.)

Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents with the
panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign that the
evaporator coil is "dirty"?

I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big copper
intake tube does not feel very cold at all.

Having said that, I have one important question, as this pertains to
whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their job
right:
1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that you
should replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace
the outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do this -
they just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the
evaporator coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I
would be justified in demanding that they replace it now?

2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil must
be carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump. Unfortunately,
neither of my units have any performance information
on them, but I do have the model numbers, and so I will try to find
that information out soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat
pump is considerably larger (physically, at least) than the old one.
Assuming that the new one is (significantly?) larger (in capacity)
than the old one, and that the existing evaporator coil was in fact
matched to the old, smaller, heat pump - does this also justify me in
demanding that they (the installers) replace the evaporator coil with
a new (matched) unit?
When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would replace
the heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However, it
would seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat
pump to an old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the
case, I'm also concerned that this may affect the life of the new
heat pump (being mismatched.)

Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly on what
the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as any
suggestions on what to do next.

Thanks for any help!

Mike

You have a lot of good questions, but I don't think too many good
answers can be given on line. The physical size of a unit does not mean
much. It may be a larger capacity or not it may be a more efficient unit or
not. It is not always a good (practical money considered) idea to replace
both parts at the same time or not. While in general I would suggest that
the word Heat Pump in includes both the interior and exterior units, it
could be argued otherwise.

I suggest you need to have a competent HVAC man or woman take a good
look at what you have, do the numbers and determine where you now are and if
and what you might need to do to get where you should be. It sounds a lot
like someone did a short cut already. There is no way of doing the job
right without looking at the whole including air flow duct and fan sizing
etc.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:21:49 -0400, Mike Mills
wrote:

Hello,

We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix the air
conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home inspector.

The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit larger
than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to look that
up tomorrow.)

Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky), and the
house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner on.

I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the components
better now (compared to when we bought the house.)

I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our basement),
in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil has rust on
the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty on the inside
(it is hard to get a good look though.)

Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents with the
panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign that the
evaporator coil is "dirty"?

I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big copper
intake tube does not feel very cold at all.

Having said that, I have one important question, as this pertains to
whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their job right:

1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that you should
replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace the
outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do this - they
just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the evaporator
coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I would be
justified in demanding that they replace it now?

2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil must be
carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump. Unfortunately,
neither of my units have any performance information on them, but I do
have the model numbers, and so I will try to find that information out
soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat pump is considerably larger
(physically, at least) than the old one. Assuming that the new one is
(significantly?) larger (in capacity) than the old one, and that the
existing evaporator coil was in fact matched to the old, smaller, heat
pump - does this also justify me in demanding that they (the installers)
replace the evaporator coil with a new (matched) unit?

When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would replace the
heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However, it would
seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat pump to an
old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the case, I'm also
concerned that this may affect the life of the new heat pump (being
mismatched.)

Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly on what
the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as any
suggestions on what to do next.

Thanks for any help!

Mike

Always give the original installers the first shot at fixing their
install. It is usually free and you get to learn whether you want to
continue doing business with them.

Mike Mills wrote:
Hello,

We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix the air
conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home inspector.

The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit larger
than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to look that
up tomorrow.)

Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky), and the
house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner on.

I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the components
better now (compared to when we bought the house.)

I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our basement),
in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil has rust on
the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty on the inside
(it is hard to get a good look though.)

Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents with the
panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign that the
evaporator coil is "dirty"?

I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big copper
intake tube does not feel very cold at all.

Having said that, I have one important question, as this pertains to
whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their job right:

1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that you should
replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace the
outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do this - they
just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the evaporator
coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I would be
justified in demanding that they replace it now?

2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil must be
carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump. Unfortunately,
neither of my units have any performance information on them, but I do
have the model numbers, and so I will try to find that information out
soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat pump is considerably larger
(physically, at least) than the old one. Assuming that the new one is
(significantly?) larger (in capacity) than the old one, and that the
existing evaporator coil was in fact matched to the old, smaller, heat
pump - does this also justify me in demanding that they (the installers)
replace the evaporator coil with a new (matched) unit?

When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would replace the
heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However, it would
seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat pump to an
old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the case, I'm also
concerned that this may affect the life of the new heat pump (being
mismatched.)

Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly on what
the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as any
suggestions on what to do next.

Thanks for any help!

Mike

Just curious, how long ago is a "While back?" I don't know about heat
pumps, but I don't believe a typical AC unit can be "Properly" charged
and checked unless the the temperature is over 70 degrees. Before I get
flamed, I realize there is a capacity to which such units should be
charged, but it is only an approximation if I am correct.

From what you have stated, I would immediately contact those
responsible for the installation of the new heat pump. It sounds like
you got short changed. If the evaporator coil is clogged, that is NOT
an acceptable installation in my book.

On Mar 26, 7:20 am, Ken wrote:
Mike Mills wrote:
Hello,

We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix the air
conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home inspector.

The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit larger
than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to look that
up tomorrow.)

Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky), and the
house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner on.

I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the components
better now (compared to when we bought the house.)

I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our basement),
in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil has rust on
the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty on the inside
(it is hard to get a good look though.)

Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents with the
panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign that the
evaporator coil is "dirty"?

I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big copper
intake tube does not feel very cold at all.

Having said that, I have one important question, as this pertains to
whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their job right:

1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that you should
replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace the
outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do this - they
just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the evaporator
coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I would be
justified in demanding that they replace it now?

2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil must be
carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump. Unfortunately,
neither of my units have any performance information on them, but I do
have the model numbers, and so I will try to find that information out
soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat pump is considerably larger
(physically, at least) than the old one. Assuming that the new one is
(significantly?) larger (in capacity) than the old one, and that the
existing evaporator coil was in fact matched to the old, smaller, heat
pump - does this also justify me in demanding that they (the installers)
replace the evaporator coil with a new (matched) unit?

When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would replace the
heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However, it would
seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat pump to an
old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the case, I'm also
concerned that this may affect the life of the new heat pump (being
mismatched.)

Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly on what
the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as any
suggestions on what to do next.

Thanks for any help!

Mike

Just curious, how long ago is a "While back?" I don't know about heat
pumps, but I don't believe a typical AC unit can be "Properly" charged
and checked unless the the temperature is over 70 degrees. Before I get
flamed, I realize there is a capacity to which such units should be
charged, but it is only an approximation if I am correct.

From what you have stated, I would immediately contact those
responsible for the installation of the new heat pump. It sounds like
you got short changed. If the evaporator coil is clogged, that is NOT
an acceptable installation in my book.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


This is a good example of how not to do things when you find an
inspection defect that has to be fixed on a home purchase. You
should have negotiated a credit from the seller, based on estimates of
what it would cost to repair the unit. Then, you could have chosen
your own contractor, made sure they replaced the whole system, etc.
For example, how old is the rest of system? If it's 20 years old, you
would have been better off changing the whole works, including
evaporator and air handler. As a seller, I would not feel obligated
to do all that work. I would want to hold down the cost and agree
to only replace what is clearly defective. Meaning, I would give you
a credit for the cost of repair and then you can choose what to do.
Most likely, you'd pay some more and then replace the whole thing,
have a more efficient unit, have it done right, etc.


I agree with the advice to start with the company that did the work.
See what they say and get as much info as you can. Regarding the
system blowing more air with the blower door off, that is not
necessarily a sign of the evaporator being dirty. Any system will do
that. With the door off the blower only has to suck air right there,
while with it on, it has to pull it through the return system, which
offers much more resistance, hence less air output.

On 26 Mar 2007 06:43:38 -0700, wrote:



This is a good example of how not to do things when you find an
inspection defect that has to be fixed on a home purchase. You
should have negotiated a credit from the seller, based on estimates of
what it would cost to repair the unit. Then, you could have chosen
your own contractor, made sure they replaced the whole system, etc.

There is also the question of privity. If the seller hired the
contractor, then the buyer has no legal relationship with the
contractor and would have to sue the seller.

Also if there were a 1 year guarantee on the work, like a fence, the
seller might be able to sue the contractor but the guarantee would not
normally transfer to the buyer

For example, how old is the rest of system? If it's 20 years old, you
would have been better off changing the whole works, including
evaporator and air handler. As a seller, I would not feel obligated
to do all that work. I would want to hold down the cost and agree
to only replace what is clearly defective. Meaning, I would give you
a credit for the cost of repair and then you can choose what to do.
Most likely, you'd pay some more and then replace the whole thing,
have a more efficient unit, have it done right, etc.

On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 13:16:07 -0400, mm
wrote:

On 26 Mar 2007 06:43:38 -0700, wrote:



This is a good example of how not to do things when you find an
inspection defect that has to be fixed on a home purchase. You
should have negotiated a credit from the seller, based on estimates of
what it would cost to repair the unit. Then, you could have chosen
your own contractor, made sure they replaced the whole system, etc.

There is also the question of privity. If the seller hired the
contractor, then the buyer has no legal relationship with the
contractor and would have to sue the seller.

Also if there were a 1 year guarantee on the work, like a fence, the
seller might be able to sue the contractor but the guarantee would not
normally transfer to the buyer

For example, how old is the rest of system? If it's 20 years old, you
would have been better off changing the whole works, including
evaporator and air handler. As a seller, I would not feel obligated
to do all that work. I would want to hold down the cost and agree
to only replace what is clearly defective. Meaning, I would give you
a credit for the cost of repair and then you can choose what to do.
Most likely, you'd pay some more and then replace the whole thing,
have a more efficient unit, have it done right, etc.

I've sold several homes in my life and every single one of them had a
big 'AS IS' on the face of the contract.

There was also a clause with bold print that said 'BUYER PAYS FOR ALL
INSPECTIONS AND REPAIRS'.

deke writes:

I've sold several homes in my life and every single one of them had a
big 'AS IS' on the face of the contract.

There was also a clause with bold print that said 'BUYER PAYS FOR ALL
INSPECTIONS AND REPAIRS'.

That's one way to do it, but not the only way. It's possible to argue
about things that "ought to have been done" in the normal course of
operating and maintaining the house.

For example: we bought a house a year and some ago. We paid for a home
inspector and made the purchase conditional on dealing with any problems
he found. He found two broken windows, and the seller agreed to fix
them. There were two gas fires, but one had the gas supply turned
off so the inspector couldn't inspect it (it's against his policy to
turn on stuff that's been turned off). The seller agreed to have both
fires turned on and serviced by a local dealer's service department.
There was a huge welded structure that used to be a "breakfast nook"
lying under the rear deck, and the seller agreed to get rid of it before
closing.

On the other hand, the inspector also pointed out that the hot water
heater and roof would need replacing nearly immediately. We tried to
get the seller to give us some credit against the anticipated cost, but
they argued that since the water heater and roof didn't appear to be
leaking yet, they didn't need immediate replacement. So we bought with
those in the condition they were in, knowing we'd need to replace them
soon.

Dave

On Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:32:16 +0000 (UTC), (Dave
Martindale) wrote:

deke writes:

I've sold several homes in my life and every single one of them had a
big 'AS IS' on the face of the contract.

There was also a clause with bold print that said 'BUYER PAYS FOR ALL
INSPECTIONS AND REPAIRS'.

That's one way to do it, but not the only way. It's possible to argue
about things that "ought to have been done" in the normal course of
operating and maintaining the house.

For example: we bought a house a year and some ago. We paid for a home
inspector and made the purchase conditional on dealing with any problems
he found. He found two broken windows, and the seller agreed to fix
them. There were two gas fires, but one had the gas supply turned
off so the inspector couldn't inspect it (it's against his policy to
turn on stuff that's been turned off). The seller agreed to have both
fires turned on and serviced by a local dealer's service department.
There was a huge welded structure that used to be a "breakfast nook"
lying under the rear deck, and the seller agreed to get rid of it before
closing.

On the other hand, the inspector also pointed out that the hot water
heater and roof would need replacing nearly immediately. We tried to
get the seller to give us some credit against the anticipated cost, but
they argued that since the water heater and roof didn't appear to be
leaking yet, they didn't need immediate replacement. So we bought with
those in the condition they were in, knowing we'd need to replace them
soon.

Dave

I like the way it worked out for you. My method is probably not
legal in all other states, plus I always tried to price the house so
that there was room for the buyer to spend some money on repairs.

On Mar 26, 12:21 am, Mike Mills
wrote:
Hello,

We bought a house a while back,

since no one congratulated me when I bought a home, I'll congratulate
you!

congratulations on buying a house.

I think I'm going to report you to the Society for Prevention of
Cruelty to Parenthases.

As to your questions. yes, it sounds like the evaporator coil is
dirty. The air flow difference with the cover off is a
signifigant test.

The performance is hidden in the model number, most have the BTU
rating as part of their model number.

Depending how long ago was the home sale and the other work done,
you may be out of warranty. But you'll have to try to find out.

The large line is the return line. The small line supplies the
refrigerant to the evaporator. And, yes, the large line should
get cold. Definitely should get cold if the air flow through the
evaporator is reduced.

Different units have different physical size for the same BTU
rating.

--

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

"Mike Mills" wrote in message
...
: Hello,
:
: We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix
the air
: conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home
inspector.
:
: The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit
larger
: than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
: information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to
look that
: up tomorrow.)
:
: Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky),
and the
: house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner
on.
:
: I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the
components
: better now (compared to when we bought the house.)
:
: I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our
basement),
: in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil has
rust on
: the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty on the
inside
: (it is hard to get a good look though.)
:
: Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents
with the
: panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign
that the
: evaporator coil is "dirty"?
:
: I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big
copper
: intake tube does not feel very cold at all.
:
: Having said that, I have one important question, as this
pertains to
: whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their
job right:
:
: 1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that
you should
: replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace
the
: outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do
this - they
: just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the
evaporator
: coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I would
be
: justified in demanding that they replace it now?
:
: 2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil
must be
: carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump.
Unfortunately,
: neither of my units have any performance information on them,
but I do
: have the model numbers, and so I will try to find that
information out
: soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat pump is
considerably larger
: (physically, at least) than the old one. Assuming that the new
one is
: (significantly?) larger (in capacity) than the old one, and
that the
: existing evaporator coil was in fact matched to the old,
smaller, heat
: pump - does this also justify me in demanding that they (the
installers)
: replace the evaporator coil with a new (matched) unit?
:
: When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
: heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would
replace the
: heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However,
it would
: seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat
pump to an
: old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the case, I'm
also
: concerned that this may affect the life of the new heat pump
(being
: mismatched.)
:
: Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly
on what
: the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as
any
: suggestions on what to do next.
:
: Thanks for any help!
:
: Mike

On Mar 28, 6:40 am, "Stormin Mormon" cayoung61-
wrote:
I think I'm going to report you to the Society for Prevention of
Cruelty to Parenthases.

As to your questions. yes, it sounds like the evaporator coil is
dirty. The air flow difference with the cover off is a
signifigant test.



With the cover off, the air is still flowing through the same
evaporator, dirty or not. What it's not
flowing through is the return air duct. It's much harder to pull air
through return
ducts, than it is to pull air from the wide open air handler with the
door off. That's
why air flow increases and it's normal.






The performance is hidden in the model number, most have the BTU
rating as part of their model number.

Depending how long ago was the home sale and the other work done,
you may be out of warranty. But you'll have to try to find out.

The large line is the return line. The small line supplies the
refrigerant to the evaporator. And, yes, the large line should
get cold. Definitely should get cold if the air flow through the
evaporator is reduced.

Different units have different physical size for the same BTU
rating.

--

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

"Mike Mills" wrote in message

...
: Hello,
:
: We bought a house a while back, and part of the deal was to fix
the air
: conditioning unit (heat pump), on the advice of our home
inspector.
:
: The outside unit was replaced, and it is physically quite a bit
larger
: than the previous heat pump. (I couldn't find any performance
: information on the stickers, just part numbers, and I plan to
look that
: up tomorrow.)
:
: Fast forward to now: Spring has arrived (Northern Kentucky),
and the
: house is in the low to mid-80's inside with the air conditioner
on.
:
: I've been doing some homework, and think I understand the
components
: better now (compared to when we bought the house.)
:
: I took the panel off of the air handler unit (located in our
basement),
: in order to have a look at the evaporator coil. The coil has
rust on
: the copper tubing, and it looks like the fins are dirty on the
inside
: (it is hard to get a good look though.)
:
: Notably, the air blows considerably harder through our vents
with the
: panel off of the air handler - I assume that this is a sign
that the
: evaporator coil is "dirty"?
:
: I also wonder if there might be a refrigerant leak, as the big
copper
: intake tube does not feel very cold at all.
:
: Having said that, I have one important question, as this
pertains to
: whether the people who installed the new heat pump did their
job right:
:
: 1. Everything I've read in the last couple of days says that
you should
: replace the evaporator coil unit at the same time you replace
the
: outdoor condenser / heat pump. The installers did NOT do
this - they
: just replaced the heat pump. SHOULD they have replaced the
evaporator
: coil? Is there a strong enough reason to do this that I would
be
: justified in demanding that they replace it now?
:
: 2. I've also read that it is important that the evaporator coil
must be
: carefully matched in size to the condenser / heat pump.
Unfortunately,
: neither of my units have any performance information on them,
but I do
: have the model numbers, and so I will try to find that
information out
: soon. But, I can tell you that the new heat pump is
considerably larger
: (physically, at least) than the old one. Assuming that the new
one is
: (significantly?) larger (in capacity) than the old one, and
that the
: existing evaporator coil was in fact matched to the old,
smaller, heat
: pump - does this also justify me in demanding that they (the
installers)
: replace the evaporator coil with a new (matched) unit?
:
: When we bought the house, I didn't understand how the whole
: heating/cooling system really worked. They said they would
replace the
: heat pump, as the old one was making strange sounds. However,
it would
: seem to be a bit negligent to blindly hook up a larger heat
pump to an
: old (rusted & dirty) evaporator coil. If this is the case, I'm
also
: concerned that this may affect the life of the new heat pump
(being
: mismatched.)
:
: Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on this, particularly
on what
: the installers _should_ have done (if different), as well as
any
: suggestions on what to do next.
:
: Thanks for any help!
:
: Mike

you cant really get an accurate freon charge if the evap coil is
clogged.clean it and go from there.

http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm