Hi:

I have a 8 year old York AC unit (10 SEER) in my house. Last week when
I strated it up, there was no cold air. I had a tech come in early
this morning and he found no freon pressure in the system. He pumped
some freon and used a leak detector to determine leak (s) at the
evaporator coil. There was a lot of rusting around the leak(s) so he
said that an attempt to fix it could backfire. I asked him about the
solutions to this problem and he proposed following

Option 1) Charge the system and live through this summer - runs the
risk of recharging depending upon the rate of leak. Price estimate
$100

Option 2) There is a lot of rust around evaporator coil so replace the
evaporator coil. Since the requirements have changed, he suggested
that replacing coil will also mean replacing the condensor unit (both
13 SEER) to ensure compatability. Price estimate ~$3000 for parts and
labor.

Option 3) This evenig I called an authorized York dealer and he said
that they still can replace the 10 SEER evaporator coil for a price of
~1000 (not to exceed $1200) part and labor. They will not sell the
coil seprately (I guess warranty issues??). Since the furnace and coil
is located in the attaic, he said that this job would involve 4-6
hours of labor and following steps
a) recovery of freon from the system
b) Replacement of evaporator coil
c) leak testing and evacuation
d) Freon charge and testing
The new evaporator coil will come with 5-years warranty and if I want
to have it replaced, he will come out to take measurements. The coil
is likely to be a stock item or can be ordered and received in a
couple of days.

I am reluctant to go with option 1 of freon charge as it is a
environmental and health hazard. So far option 3 seems the best as it
is cheaper and fixes the problem that needs to be fixed. However, the
life of the condensor does bring up some questions i.e. has the low
freon pressure caused some damege? How long would a condensor unit
last? If the condensor unit breaks down, would that mean replacement
of the evaporator coil again as the new standars have jumped to 13
SEER?

I was wondering if the experts on this forum can comment on the
pricing of these options and offer advice on the options/concerns to
deal with this issue.

Thanks

Sam

Replace the evaporator unless you have reason to believe there is some
existing problem with the compressor.

The compressor should be protected against refrigerant loss.

Shop around. $1200 is way too high. Look up retail evaporator prices at
grainger.com and see how much profit they are making on a few hours work.
These guys use licensing and collusion to avoid competition and rig prices,
and then convince themselves they are worth it so they can sleep at night.

wrote:

I have a 8 year old York AC unit (10 SEER) in my house. (clipped)

Option 1) Charge the system and live through this summer - runs the
risk of recharging depending upon the rate of leak. Price estimate
$100

Option 2) There is a lot of rust around evaporator coil so replace the
evaporator coil. Since the requirements have changed, he suggested
that replacing coil will also mean replacing the condenser unit (both
13 SEER) to ensure compatibility. Price estimate ~$3000 for parts and
labor.

Option 3) This evening I called an authorized York dealer and he said
that they still can replace the 10 SEER evaporator coil for a price of
~1000 (not to exceed $1200) part and labor. They will not sell the
coil separately (I guess warranty issues?). Since the furnace and coil
is located in the attic, he said that this job would involve 4-6
hours of labor and following steps
a) recovery of freon from the system
b) Replacement of evaporator coil
c) leak testing and evacuation
d) Freon charge and testing
The new evaporator coil will come with 5-years warranty and if I want
to have it replaced, he will come out to take measurements. The coil
is likely to be a stock item or can be ordered and received in a
couple of days.

I am reluctant to go with option 1 of freon charge as it is a
environmental and health hazard. So far option 3 seems the best as it
is cheaper and fixes the problem that needs to be fixed. However, the
life of the condenser does bring up some questions i.e. has the low
freon pressure caused some damage? How long would a condensor unit
last? If the condensor unit breaks down, would that mean replacement
of the evaporator coil again as the new standards have jumped to 13
SEER? (YES)

I was wondering if the experts on this forum can comment on the
pricing of these options and offer advice on the options/concerns to
deal with this issue. Thanks Sam


Depending on a number of other factors, a 13-SEER coil with a TXV
refrigerant control would probably work.
It will hold more refrigerant and require more space.
Do NOT take my advice, ask every contractor in your area you can about
the best options!
http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_b...syste ms.html

- udarrell

--
WISDOM PRINCIPLE DIRECTED EMPOWERMENT COMMUNICATIONS -
THE REAL POLITICAL ISSUES and WISDOM BASED PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT
http://www.udarrell.com/
http://www.udarrell.com/my_pages2.htm
http://www.udarrell.com/recognizing_real_enemies.html
http://jesuschristsavior.net/Beatitudes.html
Reality Is Not An Easy Thing To Be Confronted With or to Accept!

On Wed, 16 May 2007 12:42:20 GMT, udarrell
wrote:

Do NOT take my advice, ask every contractor in your area you can about
the best options!

You say not to take your advice, but then you advise him to ask
contractors. Doesn't that create a conundrum?

http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_b...syste ms.html

wrote:


Option 2) There is a lot of rust around evaporator coil so replace the
evaporator coil. Since the requirements have changed, he suggested
that replacing coil will also mean replacing the condenser unit (both
13 SEER) to ensure compatibility. Price estimate ~$3000 for parts and
labor.

What does rust have to do with anything? Aluminum does not rust, copper
does not rust. What is rusting? Certainly not the coil. Not to say there
isn't a leak in the coil, but I've never seen a rusted aluminum or copper
coil.

I'd probably go with option #3

mm wrote:

On Wed, 16 May 2007 12:42:20 GMT, udarrell
wrote:


Do NOT take my advice, ask every contractor in your area you can about
the best options!



You say not to take your advice, but then you advise him to ask
contractors. Doesn't that create a conundrum? (Yep, Caught Me!)


Well, maybe, however, I want him to get the best advice concerning the
best options from a local contractor that he can use.
- udarrell

http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_b...syste ms.html

--
WISDOM PRINCIPLE DIRECTED EMPOWERMENT COMMUNICATIONS -
THE REAL POLITICAL ISSUES and WISDOM BASED PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT
http://www.udarrell.com/
http://www.udarrell.com/my_pages2.htm
http://www.udarrell.com/recognizing_real_enemies.html
http://jesuschristsavior.net/Beatitudes.html
Reality Is Not An Easy Thing To Be Confronted With Or Accept!

However, the
: life of the condensor does bring up some questions i.e. has the
low
: freon pressure caused some damege?
CY: Probably not.


How long would a condensor unit
: last?

CY: Typically twenty years.

If the condensor unit breaks down, would that mean replacement
: of the evaporator coil again as the new standars have jumped to
13
: SEER?

CY: yes, but that's not really likely.

:
: I was wondering if the experts on this forum can comment on the
: pricing of these options and offer advice on the
options/concerns to
: deal with this issue.

CY: Eight years is pretty young for a condensor. I'd suggest the
10 seer coil, and have the tech take the cover off the outdoor
unit and clean it with water and chemicals to get the dust out.
You aren't likely to save two grand in electric over the next few
years.

:
: Thanks
:
: Sam
: