Hi folks!

No-nothing type here, trying not to get hoodwinked by the AC guys coming out
tomorrow. Any help in understanding the issues at hand is much appreciated.

The unit is a RUUD Acheiver 10 "SCRO11 Inside" is what one of the labels
says. We bought the house ten years ago, and the inspector said the unit was
about 2 years old at that time. The house has 2200 square feet, well
insulated, all finished.

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just not
very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the manufacturer
suggests, but have been good about changing filters under the house.

We don't want to replace the system yet, if we can avoid it.

Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to expect?

Thanks.

"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...
Hi folks!

No-nothing type here,

aughghghgh! I meant "know-nothing."

Yes, I are leterate.

lol

The blower motor runs and the Unit is fitted with a Copeland
Scroll compressor. That is not enough information to
diagnose a fault.

"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...
Hi folks!

No-nothing type here, trying not to get hoodwinked by the AC guys coming
out tomorrow. Any help in understanding the issues at hand is much
appreciated.

The unit is a RUUD Acheiver 10 "SCRO11 Inside" is what one of the labels
says. We bought the house ten years ago, and the inspector said the unit
was about 2 years old at that time. The house has 2200 square feet, well
insulated, all finished.

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under the
house.

We don't want to replace the system yet, if we can avoid it.

Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to expect?

Thanks.

"Telstra" wrote in message
...
The blower motor runs and the Unit is fitted with a Copeland
Scroll compressor. That is not enough information to
diagnose a fault.

Thanks. I was looking more for an array of possible problems/fixes.
Questions like,
if anyone had a similar unit of a similar age with similar problem, did
coolant
solve the problem, or did they have to replace it, that sort of thing.

Our RUUD blows one of the fuses on the outside disconnect almost every year
upon initial startup. Make sure they don't charge you an arm and a leg and
just replace a fuse.


s


"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...
Hi folks!

No-nothing type here, trying not to get hoodwinked by the AC guys coming
out tomorrow. Any help in understanding the issues at hand is much
appreciated.

The unit is a RUUD Acheiver 10 "SCRO11 Inside" is what one of the labels
says. We bought the house ten years ago, and the inspector said the unit
was about 2 years old at that time. The house has 2200 square feet, well
insulated, all finished.

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under the
house.

We don't want to replace the system yet, if we can avoid it.

Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to expect?

Thanks.

I don't have experience yet, but I will on Thursday.

We had a guy come in a couple of weeks ago to clean the system. Well, he
couldn't clean our closet AC unit (5000 ton) RUUD because it needs to be
pulled out to be cleaned. He quoted $900+. Forget that.

Found a RUUD dealer. They'll charge $378 to pull and clean the evaporator
coils. That's more like it.

If you've never had the inside coils (evaporator coils) cleaned, do it.

I suspect that's our problem here. I mean it works but it only cools the
house 10 degrees, not 20 like we were used to. The other guy said that it
has tons of dust and hair in it and mold (which I dare not tell the others
in the house).

So perhaps with a good cleaning and getting a really THICK THICK filter
for the intake (like 6-8 inches thick, instead of the little paper one
that you get at the stores), it'll solve this problem.

I'll let you know. Pop me an email in a few days and remind me and I'll
post my findings to the group.

Kenneth Udut of Naples, FL
http://spock.com/Kenneth-Udut
http://free.naplesplus.us

cybercat wrote:

Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to expect?

Thanks.

"S. Barker" wrote in message
...
Our RUUD blows one of the fuses on the outside disconnect almost every
year upon initial startup. Make sure they don't charge you an arm and a
leg and just replace a fuse.



Now this is helpful, thank you! When it blows a fuse, what happens? Does the
fan stop
running, or does it stop cooling, or what?

"cybercat" wrote

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under the
house.

12 years old right? It may need coolant but I cant recall if thats just
before they changed the type or not. If it predates the new stuff, you will
want to check prices for replacement as you may not be able to get the old
style much longer at all.

(Kenneth Udut of Naples, FL USA) wrote in
news:7eaa47cc4ce736a43b9ff018183d1c50$1@naplesnerd s.com:

I don't have experience yet, but I will on Thursday.

We had a guy come in a couple of weeks ago to clean the system. Well,
he couldn't clean our closet AC unit (5000 ton) RUUD because it needs
to be pulled out to be cleaned. He quoted $900+. Forget that.

Found a RUUD dealer. They'll charge $378 to pull and clean the
evaporator coils. That's more like it.

If you've never had the inside coils (evaporator coils) cleaned, do
it.

I suspect that's our problem here. I mean it works but it only cools
the house 10 degrees, not 20 like we were used to. The other guy said
that it has tons of dust and hair in it and mold (which I dare not
tell the others in the house).

So perhaps with a good cleaning and getting a really THICK THICK
filter for the intake (like 6-8 inches thick, instead of the little
paper one that you get at the stores), it'll solve this problem.

I'll let you know. Pop me an email in a few days and remind me and
I'll post my findings to the group.

Kenneth Udut of Naples, FL
http://spock.com/Kenneth-Udut
http://free.naplesplus.us

cybercat wrote:

Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to
expect?

Thanks.






5000 ton...how many BTU's is that? Rooms in your house must be pretty big
if a closet hosts that unit :-)

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"cybercat" wrote

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under
the house.

12 years old right? It may need coolant but I cant recall if thats just
before they changed the type or not. If it predates the new stuff, you
will want to check prices for replacement as you may not be able to get
the old style much longer at all.


Thanks! I will do that. I had no idea about them changing types. I guess you
can't
add coolant to the new type?

"Kenneth Udut of Naples, FL USA" wrote in message
news:7eaa47cc4ce736a43b9ff018183d1c50$1@naplesnerd s.com...
I don't have experience yet, but I will on Thursday.

We had a guy come in a couple of weeks ago to clean the system. Well, he
couldn't clean our closet AC unit (5000 ton) RUUD because it needs to be
pulled out to be cleaned. He quoted $900+. Forget that.

Found a RUUD dealer. They'll charge $378 to pull and clean the evaporator
coils. That's more like it.

If you've never had the inside coils (evaporator coils) cleaned, do it.

I suspect that's our problem here. I mean it works but it only cools the
house 10 degrees, not 20 like we were used to. The other guy said that it
has tons of dust and hair in it and mold (which I dare not tell the others
in the house).

So perhaps with a good cleaning and getting a really THICK THICK filter
for the intake (like 6-8 inches thick, instead of the little paper one
that you get at the stores), it'll solve this problem.

I'll let you know. Pop me an email in a few days and remind me and I'll
post my findings to the group.

Kenneth Udut of Naples, FL
http://spock.com/Kenneth-Udut
http://free.naplesplus.us


Kenneth, thank you! I will email you to remind you.

the indoor fan still operates, but the outdoor (condensing unit) does not
run and no cooling.

s

"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...

"S. Barker" wrote in message
...
Our RUUD blows one of the fuses on the outside disconnect almost every
year upon initial startup. Make sure they don't charge you an arm and a
leg and just replace a fuse.



Now this is helpful, thank you! When it blows a fuse, what happens? Does
the fan stop
running, or does it stop cooling, or what?

home units have changed refrigerants, (not coolant) but the old r-22 is
still used and still available. Beware of misinformation.

s


"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"cybercat" wrote

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under
the house.

12 years old right? It may need coolant but I cant recall if thats just
before they changed the type or not. If it predates the new stuff, you
will want to check prices for replacement as you may not be able to get
the old style much longer at all.


Thanks! I will do that. I had no idea about them changing types. I guess
you can't
add coolant to the new type?

"cybercat" wrote

before they changed the type or not. If it predates the new stuff, you
will want to check prices for replacement as you may not be able to get
the old style much longer at all.

Thanks! I will do that. I had no idea about them changing types. I guess
you can't add coolant to the new type?

Not exactly. It's that you can't add the new coolant to the old type
machines. Freon and some shift. I am sorry that i can't recall the dates
of the shift but if they tell you to replace the unit as it has older
coolant type, I'd start checking prices right away.

Here's the upside of that *if* it comes to that. Check energystar ratings.
If you get a unit that is so rated, your electrical bills will be less in
summer and you can file it as an energy improvement on the following year's
taxes. You dont get a total write off for the cost on adding such an
'upgrade' but a portion of it comes back so you may get as much as 20% of
the cost back? Will depend on your circumstances and wages etc.

Now, sometimes they can adapt a unit built for the older coolant, but it
seldom works as well as intended or as well as one built for the new stuff.
It also can (sometimes) cost as much as 50% of the price of a new unit to
adapt an old one. When you think about the lifecycle of an AC system and
your's being 12 years (12 right?) this may not be a very good deal
financially.

Now lets take best and worst case at same time. Older coolant but you guy
can supply it. If you do not have a true leak, go for it as you'll be good
a few more years. Check prices of new units but wait as they are getting
more and more efficient as we typo to one another.

"S. Barker" wrote

home units have changed refrigerants, (not coolant) but the old r-22 is
still used and still available. Beware of misinformation.

My bad if i used the wrong term. Can you explain the difference between
refigerant and coolant? All I know is in *my area* the old stuff is barely
obtainable. My system though is far older than hers.

I am checking prices as sometime in the not too distant future, we will need
to replace the AC portion. It's actually older than such units were rated
for at the time.

On May 6, 7:44*pm, "S. Barker" wrote:
Our RUUD blows one of the fuses on the outside disconnect almost every year
upon initial startup. *Make sure they don't charge you an arm and a leg and
just replace a fuse.

s

"cybercat" wrote in message

. com...



Hi folks!

No-nothing type here, trying not to get hoodwinked by the AC guys coming
out tomorrow. Any help in understanding the issues at hand is much
appreciated.

The unit is a RUUD Acheiver 10 "SCRO11 Inside" is what one of the labels
says. We bought the house ten years ago, and the inspector said the unit
was about 2 years old at that time. The house has 2200 square feet, well
insulated, all finished.

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under the
house.

We don't want to replace the system yet, if we can avoid it.

Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to expect?

Thanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If it does nothing see if it is getting power first.

The Unit has an Auto re-set Low presure control and loss
of refrigerant charge would cause it to continually stop and
start or short cycle.
It also has a manual re-set High pressure control and loss
of the condenser fan would cause this to stop and lock out
the Unit.
The Unit is 12 years old and if you think of it as a car is it
worth replacing defective parts or is a new model a better
investment. Older models use Refrigerant R22 which is due
to be phased out. New models use Puron ( R410A ). It's a
matter of paying your money and making your Choice

"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"cybercat" wrote

Last year the thing stopped cooling. The fan blows fine, but it is just
not very cool. We have NOT had the thing serviced yearly as the
manufacturer suggests, but have been good about changing filters under
the house.

12 years old right? It may need coolant but I cant recall if thats just
before they changed the type or not. If it predates the new stuff, you
will want to check prices for replacement as you may not be able to get
the old style much longer at all.


Thanks! I will do that. I had no idea about them changing types. I guess
you can't
add coolant to the new type?

refrigerant is used in a/c systems. and is called things like r-12, r-22,
r-134a, r-410 ect. sometimes wrongly called freon.

coolant is used in internal combustion engines to cool them. called things
like antifreeze, ethelyene glycol, etc.

steve


"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"S. Barker" wrote

home units have changed refrigerants, (not coolant) but the old r-22 is
still used and still available. Beware of misinformation.

My bad if i used the wrong term. Can you explain the difference between
refigerant and coolant? All I know is in *my area* the old stuff is
barely obtainable. My system though is far older than hers.

I am checking prices as sometime in the not too distant future, we will
need to replace the AC portion. It's actually older than such units were
rated for at the time.

"Telstra" wrote in message
...
The Unit has an Auto re-set Low presure control and loss
of refrigerant charge would cause it to continually stop and
start or short cycle.
It also has a manual re-set High pressure control and loss
of the condenser fan would cause this to stop and lock out
the Unit.
The Unit is 12 years old and if you think of it as a car is it
worth replacing defective parts or is a new model a better
investment. Older models use Refrigerant R22 which is due
to be phased out. New models use Puron ( R410A ). It's a
matter of paying your money and making your Choice


Thanks, very good information. I know we need a new one, I
would just like to put off the expense for a little bit.

"ransley" wrote:

If it does nothing see if it is getting power first.

It does everything but cool!

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"cybercat" wrote

before they changed the type or not. If it predates the new stuff, you
will want to check prices for replacement as you may not be able to get
the old style much longer at all.

Thanks! I will do that. I had no idea about them changing types. I guess
you can't add coolant to the new type?

Not exactly. It's that you can't add the new coolant to the old type
machines. Freon and some shift.

Ahh, I see.


I am sorry that i can't recall the dates of the shift but if they tell you
to replace the unit as it has older coolant type, I'd start checking prices
right away.

I will do that.



Here's the upside of that *if* it comes to that. Check energystar
ratings. If you get a unit that is so rated, your electrical bills will be
less in summer and you can file it as an energy improvement on the
following year's taxes. You dont get a total write off for the cost on
adding such an 'upgrade' but a portion of it comes back so you may get as
much as 20% of the cost back? Will depend on your circumstances and wages
etc.

We want a new unit, there are just other things I would like to do with the
house fund at the moment.



Now lets take best and worst case at same time. Older coolant but you guy
can supply it. If you do not have a true leak, go for it as you'll be
good a few more years. Check prices of new units but wait as they are
getting more and more efficient as we typo to one another.

Yes, this is what we want to do. Just do what it takes to get another year
or
two out of this one, give us time to do the research and such.

Thanks so much. I will report on the outcome after the guys come tomorrow.

"Steve B." wrote in message
...
On Tue, 6 May 2008 18:29:22 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:



Do any of you have any experience that might help me know what to expect?

Thanks.


At this point no-one here has any clue what the actual problem is.
Could be as simple as a bad contactor. Could be as complex as a dead
compressor. If you aren't comfortable with what the A/C repair guy
says it is post back here and let us know what he said and maybe
someone can point you in the right direction. Don't be afraid to get
a second opinion if the repair costs seems out of line.

Also realize that your system isn't a spring chicken. If something
major has gone wrong this would be a good time to look at replacing
it.


Thank you, Steve. Will do.

"Steve B." wrote

Also realize that your system isn't a spring chicken. If something
major has gone wrong this would be a good time to look at replacing
it.

Same here, and thanks for the clarification on the terms. I just know I get
warned that the older stuff my unit has, is phasing out and getting hard to
get.

If it helps, my unit I gather shouldnt run at all now. It's 20 years old.
1988 unit install of a older style unit (kinda like buying a 2007 car right
now off a dealer). It's had decent maintenance and repair but is I gather
older than most units of it's generation lasted.

"cybercat" wrote
in message . com...

We want a new unit, there are just other things I would like to do with
the
house fund at the moment.

I'm in the same boat. Mine is 1988 stuff and though well maintained, it
cant last much longer. It's also not very energy efficient compared to more
modern units.

The heat portion of it was replaced about 1995 and works fine. The rest is
the origional still.
Looking about, the life cycle of this type of unit, was for 15 years so we
are on borrowed time grin.

Now lets take best and worst case at same time. Older coolant but you
guy can supply it. If you do not have a true leak, go for it as you'll
be good a few more years. Check prices of new units but wait as they are
getting more and more efficient as we typo to one another.

Yes, this is what we want to do. Just do what it takes to get another year
or
two out of this one, give us time to do the research and such.

And Steve explianed I used the wrong term. Sorry, it's refridgerant.
Apparently still in production but all I can say is I get warned each time
that mine is getting hard to obtain in my area. This from repair guys, not
ones who make money selling new systems. There are also parts issues with
my older unit but so far they have been able to get what is needed.

The AC unit is one of the things my husband deals with so I'm not totally up
on it.

Thanks so much. I will report on the outcome after the guys come tomorrow.

Waiting patiently and hoping for good news! With your unit being only 12
years old, you may be lucky like me and be able to keep it running another 8
or more. If it helps any, ours is an upper end Sears unit and as part of
the purchase contract had annual maintenance for the first 10 years I
believe. Unfortunately that didnt transfer to us when we bought the house
so we've had to use various contractors.

We don't know if it had refridgerant added while we were away overseas, but
we had it done once when when we bought the house and again about 6 years
later just before we left. That would mean if it doesnt cool well this
year, it's time for another addition most likely (will have been 7 years).

"cshenk" wrote

Waiting patiently and hoping for good news!

The AC guy just left. As soon as he saw the unit, he said, "I can tell you
what the problem is, it is out of freon." I said, "Oh, good, then you can
just fill it up!" He said, "No, that's not good, because I can fill it up
but it will just leak out again."

He could not tell me how long it would take to leak out again. He could tell
me that a new system, with new ductwork is going to run something like $7K
to 9K.

I told him we would have to take our chances and hope the freon would last
for a while.

He sold me on a $150 per year maintenance plan for both heating and cooling,
with one check in the spring that includes coil cleaning every year. Then a
check of the furnace etc. for winter. With this maintenance plan, we got a
small discount on freon.

Here is what the invoice looks like:

Qty and Service Non HSP HSP

Diagnostic: $99.00 $47.00
HSP agreement $0 $149.00
Gas surcharge $10.00 $0
1 lb R-22 (1st pound) $ 91.00 $77.00
4 Additional lbs R-22 $108.00 $88.00
2 Cleaning coils $162.00 $0
Total $470.00 $361.00

So we paid $361 and this includes a heating check next fall.

Under Work Performed:

Performed service. cool check on system checked volts, amps, coils, motors,
filter, T-stat, Electrical, Refrigerant, Capacitors, superheat, temperature
drop, Diagnostic system, very low refrigerant. Added 5.04 lbs of R.-22.
Diagnose no other problems at this time.

Technician recommends: System upgrade due to age and efficiency. Very highly
recommend replacing system. Leak search test $35 per 1/4 hour."

Hmmm. Anybody know what the leak search results mean? Did I just pay $361
for a week of cool air?

By the way, the unit is beautiful now, he did a great job cleaning it inside
and out. It looks new.

What say you experts?

"cybercat" wrote

The AC guy just left. As soon as he saw the unit, he said, "I can tell you
what the problem is, it is out of freon." I said, "Oh, good, then you can
just fill it up!" He said, "No, that's not good, because I can fill it up
but it will just leak out again."

Grin, see where my 'freon' comment came in?

He could not tell me how long it would take to leak out again. He could
tell me that a new system, with new ductwork is going to run something
like $7K to 9K.

New duct work shouldnt be needed I would assume.

I told him we would have to take our chances and hope the freon would last
for a while.

Good call. Looking below you arent out much money with that route if it
doesnt work and may be like me, 6 years later you need it again g

Technician recommends: System upgrade due to age and efficiency. Very
highly recommend replacing system. Leak search test $35 per 1/4 hour."

If it starts failing in 2 weeks, try that?

What say you experts?

Dunno! I'm not an expert here on this one!

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"cybercat" wrote

The AC guy just left. As soon as he saw the unit, he said, "I can tell
you what the problem is, it is out of freon." I said, "Oh, good, then you
can just fill it up!" He said, "No, that's not good, because I can fill
it up but it will just leak out again."

Grin, see where my 'freon' comment came in?

Yes, I noted that!


He could not tell me how long it would take to leak out again. He could
tell me that a new system, with new ductwork is going to run something
like $7K to 9K.

New duct work shouldnt be needed I would assume.

He thinks so, and this house is old. I think the duct work runs 4K or so.


I told him we would have to take our chances and hope the freon would
last for a while.

Good call. Looking below you arent out much money with that route if it
doesnt work and may be like me, 6 years later you need it again g

Hey, I missed that! You added freon (R-22) and did not need it again for
six years???



Technician recommends: System upgrade due to age and efficiency. Very
highly recommend replacing system. Leak search test $35 per 1/4 hour."

If it starts failing in 2 weeks, try that?

What say you experts?

Dunno! I'm not an expert here on this one!


I want to know what that Leak search test result means. If we had to fill
this thing
once or twice a year that might be okay, but more is not.

i say even if you need a new outdoor unit, refrigerant lines, and the inside
coil, You DON't need new ducts. And the three items imentioned should run
you about 3k installed. Been there, done that 4 times.

s


"cybercat" wrote in message
. com...

"cshenk" wrote

Waiting patiently and hoping for good news!

The AC guy just left. As soon as he saw the unit, he said, "I can tell you
what the problem is, it is out of freon." I said, "Oh, good, then you can
just fill it up!" He said, "No, that's not good, because I can fill it up
but it will just leak out again."

He could not tell me how long it would take to leak out again. He could
tell me that a new system, with new ductwork is going to run something
like $7K to 9K.

I told him we would have to take our chances and hope the freon would last
for a while.

He sold me on a $150 per year maintenance plan for both heating and
cooling, with one check in the spring that includes coil cleaning every
year. Then a check of the furnace etc. for winter. With this maintenance
plan, we got a small discount on freon.

Here is what the invoice looks like:

Qty and Service Non HSP HSP

Diagnostic: $99.00 $47.00
HSP agreement $0 $149.00
Gas surcharge $10.00 $0
1 lb R-22 (1st pound) $ 91.00 $77.00
4 Additional lbs R-22 $108.00 $88.00
2 Cleaning coils $162.00 $0
Total $470.00 $361.00

So we paid $361 and this includes a heating check next fall.

Under Work Performed:

Performed service. cool check on system checked volts, amps, coils,
motors, filter, T-stat, Electrical, Refrigerant, Capacitors, superheat,
temperature drop, Diagnostic system, very low refrigerant. Added 5.04 lbs
of R.-22. Diagnose no other problems at this time.

Technician recommends: System upgrade due to age and efficiency. Very
highly recommend replacing system. Leak search test $35 per 1/4 hour."

Hmmm. Anybody know what the leak search results mean? Did I just pay $361
for a week of cool air?

By the way, the unit is beautiful now, he did a great job cleaning it
inside and out. It looks new.

What say you experts?

"cybercat" wrote
"cshenk" wrote in message

The AC guy just left. As soon as he saw the unit, he said, "I can tell
you what the problem is, it is out of freon." I said, "Oh, good, then
you can just fill it up!" He said, "No, that's not good, because I can
fill it up but it will just leak out again."

Grin, see where my 'freon' comment came in?

Yes, I noted that!

I figured it out. Freon is generic name for the refridgerant R-22. Must
come in other types.

Steve, (since you read the thread figure you will see this) is there an
older version of this which is phased out now? I know you listed ones still
in production, just was wondering if my system uses something older that
really is gone. Then again, could be some city ordinance or something I'm
tripping over here? (Norfolk VA area).

He could not tell me how long it would take to leak out again. He could
tell me that a new system, with new ductwork is going to run something
like $7K to 9K.

New duct work shouldnt be needed I would assume.

He thinks so, and this house is old. I think the duct work runs 4K or so.

I had to have duct work done when the subfloor ducting went wonkers on us
and had to be backfilled. Since I had some overhead anyways, it was more a
rewrap and extend it sort of job. I think 2,000$ or so worth?

I told him we would have to take our chances and hope the freon would
last for a while.

Good call. Looking below you arent out much money with that route if it
doesnt work and may be like me, 6 years later you need it again g

Hey, I missed that! You added freon (R-22) and did not need it again for
six years???

Yup. We cant say for sure if it was refilled while we were away. I suspect
not, but not sure.

Technician recommends: System upgrade due to age and efficiency. Very
highly recommend replacing system. Leak search test $35 per 1/4 hour."

If it starts failing in 2 weeks, try that?

What say you experts?

Dunno! I'm not an expert here on this one!


I want to know what that Leak search test result means. If we had to fill
this thing
once or twice a year that might be okay, but more is not.

Call them and ask for the results? Or are they just still pending? You may
(like me) have a small slow leak. Good policy you got there I might add!

ACTUALLY "freon" was a brand name registered by dupont for r-12.

And no, i have no idea about discontinued products before r-12. But it does
seem they experimented with some ammonia type products on automotive
applications.

steve


"cshenk" wrote in message
news

I figured it out. Freon is generic name for the refridgerant R-22. Must
come in other types.

Steve, (since you read the thread figure you will see this) is there an
older version of this which is phased out now? I know you listed ones
still in production, just was wondering if my system uses something older
that really is gone. Then again, could be some city ordinance or
something I'm tripping over here? (Norfolk VA area).

S. Barker wrote:

ACTUALLY "freon" was a brand name registered by dupont for r-12.

And no, i have no idea about discontinued products before r-12. But it does
seem they experimented with some ammonia type products on automotive
applications.

steve


Read the (condensed) history he
http://refrigerants.dupont.com/Suva/...ory/index.html

Jim






"cshenk" wrote in message
news
I figured it out. Freon is generic name for the refridgerant R-22. Must
come in other types.

Steve, (since you read the thread figure you will see this) is there an
older version of this which is phased out now? I know you listed ones
still in production, just was wondering if my system uses something older
that really is gone. Then again, could be some city ordinance or
something I'm tripping over here? (Norfolk VA area).

"cybercat" wrote in
. com:


"cshenk" wrote

Waiting patiently and hoping for good news!

The AC guy just left. As soon as he saw the unit, he said, "I can tell
you what the problem is, it is out of freon." I said, "Oh, good, then
you can just fill it up!" He said, "No, that's not good, because I can
fill it up but it will just leak out again."

He could not tell me how long it would take to leak out again. He
could tell me that a new system, with new ductwork is going to run
something like $7K to 9K.

I told him we would have to take our chances and hope the freon would
last for a while.

He sold me on a $150 per year maintenance plan for both heating and
cooling, with one check in the spring that includes coil cleaning
every year. Then a check of the furnace etc. for winter. With this
maintenance plan, we got a small discount on freon.

Here is what the invoice looks like:

Qty and Service Non HSP HSP

Diagnostic: $99.00 $47.00
HSP agreement $0 $149.00
Gas surcharge $10.00 $0
1 lb R-22 (1st pound) $ 91.00 $77.00
4 Additional lbs R-22 $108.00 $88.00
2 Cleaning coils $162.00 $0
Total $470.00 $361.00

So we paid $361 and this includes a heating check next fall.

Under Work Performed:

Performed service. cool check on system checked volts, amps, coils,
motors, filter, T-stat, Electrical, Refrigerant, Capacitors,
superheat, temperature drop, Diagnostic system, very low refrigerant.
Added 5.04 lbs of R.-22. Diagnose no other problems at this time.

Technician recommends: System upgrade due to age and efficiency. Very
highly recommend replacing system. Leak search test $35 per 1/4 hour."

Hmmm. Anybody know what the leak search results mean? Did I just pay
$361 for a week of cool air?

By the way, the unit is beautiful now, he did a great job cleaning it
inside and out. It looks new.

What say you experts?



As far as the ductwork, it could be a soaking and it could be necessary.
If it was a poorly designed airflow (turbulence, turns causing air
friction, back pressure) it could indeed benefit a lot in the form of
higher effeciency/less unit work.

How do you know? Someone you have an established relationship with and
trust and/or multiple opinions and/or take a chance with the old
ductwork. For some they skip duct suggestion and it works out just fine.
I guess the ones that it doesn't work out for don't advertise it much.