My air conditioner is a Trane. It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. service call every year - no problems until
now. It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- so I cut it off. A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

On Jun 11, 8:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

You can buy a whole new high efficiency R410 cased coil
for a 5 ton unit for $700. Assuming it failed, and leaked,
you'd also need to refill with R410. The rest would be
labor. So, $1200 could be a fair price. But we don't know
the details. But at 5 years, it should not have failed in the
first place. Did you read your warranty?

The compressor unit cost could be $1300 to $1800 or
more, again depending on the size and efficiency.
Probably not worth changing that out. Again, what's the
warranty on that? If it's working and still covered, I
probably would not get a new one. The real question
here is what failed
and why. Two main possibilities are it was defective or
incorrectly installed.

Sounds like you should open the phone book, and call two or three local (to
you) companies out to look at it. My gut sense is that the Trane guy isn't
looking after your best interests.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Dottie" wrote in message
...
My air conditioner is a Trane. It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. service call every year - no problems until
now. It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- so I cut it off. A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

On Jun 11, 11:27*am, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:









My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. *A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. *Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. *At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

Thank you! And I will ask to keep the old one. I could sure see a
lot of copper in there and my neighbor makes frequent trips to the
recycling center that buys old metal. She can help me with the copper.

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:08:55 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Jun 11, 8:57Â*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

You can buy a whole new high efficiency R410 cased coil
for a 5 ton unit for $700. Assuming it failed, and leaked,
you'd also need to refill with R410. The rest would be
labor. So, $1200 could be a fair price. But we don't know
the details. But at 5 years, it should not have failed in the
first place. Did you read your warranty?

The compressor unit cost could be $1300 to $1800 or
more, again depending on the size and efficiency.
Probably not worth changing that out. Again, what's the
warranty on that? If it's working and still covered, I
probably would not get a new one. The real question
here is what failed
and why. Two main possibilities are it was defective or
incorrectly installed.
Was it the "a" coil or the thermal expansion valve (TXV)? Some units
have them, some don't - but from the OP's description it sounds like
the valve.
A Danfoss TR6 TXV should cost you between $65 and $90 for the
"aftermarket" unit. Most good OEM TXVs are made by Danfoss.

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

On Jun 11, 7:57Â*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.
If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

On Jun 11, 1:53*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "









wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. *A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. *Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. *At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.

On Jun 12, 7:51*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 11, 1:53*pm, wrote:









On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. *A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. *Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. *At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. *The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. *Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. *I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. *I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. *The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? *The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. *I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.


I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement. And the new part will not come with a warranty either. At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake. That seems like a lot to spend on
something that may or may not work.

Two or three days ago, I suggested to chat with your friends, see who they
hire for AC work. Then, call two or three other companies to come out for
estimates. The advice stands.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Dottie" wrote in message news:7ddba299-76a3-4b19-91d2-

I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement. And the new part will not come with a warranty either. At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake. That seems like a lot to spend on
something that may or may not work.

On Jun 11, 1:50*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:08:55 -0700 (PDT), "





wrote:
On Jun 11, 8:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

You can buy a whole new high efficiency R410 cased coil
for a 5 ton unit for $700. *Assuming it failed, and leaked,
you'd also need to refill with R410. *The rest would be
labor. *So, $1200 could be a fair price. *But we don't know
the details. *But at 5 years, it should not have failed in the
first place. * Did you read your warranty?

The compressor unit cost could be $1300 to $1800 or
more, again depending on the size and efficiency.
Probably not worth changing that out. *Again, what's the
warranty on that? *If it's working and still covered, I
probably would not get a new one. *The real question
here is what failed
and why. *Two main possibilities are it was defective or
incorrectly installed.

*Was it the "a" coil or the thermal expansion valve *(TXV)? Some units
have them, some don't - but from the OP's description it sounds like
the valve.
A Danfoss TR6 TXV should cost you between $65 and $90 for the
"aftermarket" unit. Most good OEM TXVs are made by Danfoss.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I missed the part about the failure being the part that
regulates the freon. You're right, that would suggest it's
the TXV valve, not the coils. If that's what it is, then the
repair cost is ridiculous. And if the TXV valve failed that
soon, it's probably because the unit wasn't installed
correctly, ie they got crud in the system when brazing.

On Jun 12, 8:10*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 12, 7:51*am, Dottie wrote:





On Jun 11, 1:53*pm, wrote:

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. *A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. *Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. *At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. *The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. *Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. *I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. *I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. *The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? *The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. *I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.

I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement.

I would not be listening to them as to what is or isn't coverd.
You should have a copy of the warranty that you can read
yourself. Or go to Trane's website, find a similar system and
see what is covered. Call Trane.

As others have pointed out, if it's a TXV valve, this repair
price is 2X what it should be. The valve is under $100.
The rest is some refrigerant, labor, etc. And if the TXV valve failed
at 5 years, the most likely cause is due to how it was installed.
To do the install properly, you have to flow nitrogen while
brazing. Same thing with removing and installing this TXV
valve. But the nitrogen costs a few bucks and half-assed
guys will skip it. The result is you get oxidation crud inside
the copper pipes, which later clogs the TXV valve. Make sure
whoever is going to do this repair uses nitrogen while
brazing. Just asking them that, they'll at least know you
have your eyes open and will be less likely to try to scam
you.





*And the new part will not come with a warranty either. *At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake.

If you go with these guys, from what I've heard so far,
it will be a big mistake.

I think someone should suggest to the OP,
to chat with friends, see who they hire for
AC work, and get two or three more estimates.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

wrote in message
...
A Danfoss TR6 TXV should cost you between $65 and $90 for the
"aftermarket" unit. Most good OEM TXVs are made by Danfoss.



I missed the part about the failure being the part that
regulates the freon. You're right, that would suggest it's
the TXV valve, not the coils. If that's what it is, then the
repair cost is ridiculous. And if the TXV valve failed that
soon, it's probably because the unit wasn't installed
correctly, ie they got crud in the system when brazing.

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:51:43 -0700 (PDT), Dottie
wrote:

On Jun 11, 1:53Â*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "









wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57Â*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. Â*A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. Â*Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. Â*At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

Â* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.
Ask them about warranty - it should be covered for 5 years. If it
is not, get a quote from someone else to have the TXV replaced. It
does NOT need to be a Trane part. It should be about a $650 or $700
job including the part.

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 05:10:02 -0700 (PDT), Dottie
wrote:

On Jun 12, 7:51Â*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 11, 1:53Â*pm, wrote:









On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57Â*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. Â*A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. Â*Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. Â*At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

Â* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. Â*The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. Â*Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. Â*I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. Â*I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. Â*The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? Â*The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. Â*I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.


I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement. And the new part will not come with a warranty either. At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake. That seems like a lot to spend on
something that may or may not work.
Call Trane and ask them about the warranty. Sounds to me like
there's some friggin' in the riggin'.

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 06:28:01 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Jun 12, 8:10Â*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 12, 7:51Â*am, Dottie wrote:





On Jun 11, 1:53Â*pm, wrote:

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57Â*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. Â*A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. Â*Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. Â*At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

Â* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. Â*The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. Â*Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. Â*I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. Â*I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. Â*The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? Â*The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. Â*I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.

I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement.

I would not be listening to them as to what is or isn't coverd.
You should have a copy of the warranty that you can read
yourself. Or go to Trane's website, find a similar system and
see what is covered. Call Trane.

As others have pointed out, if it's a TXV valve, this repair
price is 2X what it should be. The valve is under $100.
The rest is some refrigerant, labor, etc. And if the TXV valve failed
at 5 years, the most likely cause is due to how it was installed.
To do the install properly, you have to flow nitrogen while
brazing. Same thing with removing and installing this TXV
valve. But the nitrogen costs a few bucks and half-assed
guys will skip it. The result is you get oxidation crud inside
the copper pipes, which later clogs the TXV valve. Make sure
whoever is going to do this repair uses nitrogen while
brazing. Just asking them that, they'll at least know you
have your eyes open and will be less likely to try to scam
you.





Â*And the new part will not come with a warranty either. Â*At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake.

If you go with these guys, from what I've heard so far,
it will be a big mistake.
A good tech can braze it without nitrogen using SilPhos 15 if he
sets up the joints properly - which a GOOD tech WILL do.

That said, using nitrogen (or argon, or even CO2) never hurts. It's
called "back gassing" - which is REQUIRED with welding stainless
steel.

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:42:26 -0400, wrote:

friggin' in the riggin'.

LOL. Been years since I heard this.

On Jun 12, 6:15*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:42:26 -0400, wrote:
friggin' in the riggin'.

LOL. Been years since I heard this.


I stopped to talk to a man down the street today - he was having his a/
c serviced by a different company. I told him I was having
reservations about investing $1100 in a five year old unit -- He said
he knew something about a/c units. (He is retired from the county and
used to work with the people who inspected them I think) ... anyway,
he explained that there was a difference between my Trane and his
Trane. His was less expensive because I had the heat pump kind and he
had a different one. And he said that the price I was being charged
was in line with what everybody would pay to fix that part. Made me
feel a little better.... it's 94 degrees in the house most days and I
am getting really down about this. He thought it was worth fixing and
said if there had been a problem with installation it would have shown
up before now. Anyway, with any luck the service people should show
up by 11 a.m. today.

On Jun 12, 5:45*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 06:28:01 -0700 (PDT), "





wrote:
On Jun 12, 8:10*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 12, 7:51*am, Dottie wrote:

On Jun 11, 1:53*pm, wrote:

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off.. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.

On Jun 12, 5:41*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:51:43 -0700 (PDT), Dottie
wrote:





On Jun 11, 1:53*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon)..
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. *A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. *Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. *At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. *The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. *Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. *I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. *I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. *The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? *The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. *I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.

* Ask them about warranty - it should be covered for 5 years. If *it
is not, get a quote from someone else to have the TXV replaced. It
does NOT need to be a Trane part. *It should be about a $650 or $700
job including the part.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Assuming it is the TXV valve, I agree that it sure looks
way over priced to me too. The TXV valve is under $100.
The rest is refrigerant and labor. No way I can see it
coming up to $1100. The $700 seems generous.

I don't know why she doesn't just get another company
or two out there for estimates. I think that's one thing
we've all agreed on here from the start.

Might be able to pump the system down, isolate, and replace the filter drier
right before the TXV. Shouldn't take all that much work.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

wrote in message
...

Assuming it is the TXV valve, I agree that it sure looks
way over priced to me too. The TXV valve is under $100.
The rest is refrigerant and labor. No way I can see it
coming up to $1100. The $700 seems generous.

I don't know why she doesn't just get another company
or two out there for estimates. I think that's one thing
we've all agreed on here from the start.

On Jun 13, 9:36*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Might be able to pump the system down, isolate, and replace the filter drier
right before the TXV. Shouldn't take all that much work.

The filter/dryer is another item on the parts list that
should be replaced too. Forgot about that. But
they are cheap too, $30?







Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

wrote in message

...

Assuming it is the TXV valve, I agree that it sure looks
way over priced to me too. *The TXV valve is under $100.
The rest is refrigerant and labor. *No way I can see it
coming up to $1100. *The $700 seems generous.

I don't know why she doesn't just get another company
or two out there for estimates. *I think that's one thing
we've all agreed on here from the start.

Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. service call every year - no problems until
now. It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- so I cut it off. A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

It may be too late for you, but others might be interested in my experience.

My 10-year old Trane went belly-up during Hurricane Yikes three years ago -
we suspect rapid cycling on/off of the power caused by the storm.

Anyway, my son has a neighbor who's tuned in to the immigrant Hispanic
community. The neighbor put me on to a chap from Guatamala that does a/c
work for an a/c company during the day and moonlights at night. He, in turn,
was acquainted with one of his countrymen who makes a market in used
compressor units (retrieved from replaced or (I guess) burned down homes).

So, he brings over a two-year old RUDD unit, replaces the kaput Trane,
evacuates the system, and recharges everything.

This takes about 45 minutes starting at 8:00pm.

I give him $750 cash.

That was three years ago and everything is still working swell.

I guess the trick is finding that entry point to the underground economy.

On Jun 13, 10:04*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

It may be too late for you, but others might be interested in my experience.

My 10-year old Trane went belly-up during Hurricane Yikes three years ago -
we suspect rapid cycling on/off of the power caused by the storm.

Anyway, my son has a neighbor who's tuned in to the immigrant Hispanic
community. The neighbor put me on to a chap from Guatamala that does a/c
work for an a/c company during the day and moonlights at night. He, in turn,
was acquainted with one of his countrymen who makes a market in used
compressor units (retrieved from replaced or (I guess) burned down homes)..

So, he brings over a two-year old RUDD unit, replaces the kaput Trane,
evacuates the system, and recharges everything.

This takes about 45 minutes starting at 8:00pm.

I give him $750 cash.

That was three years ago and everything is still working swell.

I guess the trick is finding that entry point to the underground economy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think the other trick is being very lucky. I wonder
how many of these types of repairs go south? And
when there's $750 involved, not sure I'd play those
odds. I'd also wonder where that 2 year old working
compressor came from. Unless a lot of houses
burn down in TX, I'd bet a lot of them come from
guys stealing AC units. It's a major problem around
the country.

Yes, and worth every penny. Be nice if the filter were fairly close to the
TXV.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

wrote in message
...
On Jun 13, 9:36 am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Might be able to pump the system down, isolate, and replace the filter
drier
right before the TXV. Shouldn't take all that much work.

The filter/dryer is another item on the parts list that
should be replaced too. Forgot about that. But
they are cheap too, $30?

On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 06:30:02 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Jun 12, 5:45Â*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 06:28:01 -0700 (PDT), "





wrote:
On Jun 12, 8:10Â*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 12, 7:51Â*am, Dottie wrote:

On Jun 11, 1:53Â*pm, wrote:

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57Â*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. Â*A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. Â*Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. Â*At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

Â* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. Â*The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. Â*Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. Â*I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty. Â*I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. Â*The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? Â*The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. Â*I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.

I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement.

I would not be listening to them as to what is or isn't coverd.
You should have a copy of the warranty that you can read
yourself. Â*Or go to Trane's website, find a similar system and
see what is covered. Â*Call Trane.

As others have pointed out, if it's a TXV valve, this repair
price is 2X what it should be. Â*The valve is under $100.
The rest is some refrigerant, labor, etc. And if the TXV valve failed
at 5 years, the most likely cause is due to how it was installed.
To do the install properly, you have to flow nitrogen while
brazing. Â*Same thing with removing and installing this TXV
valve. Â*But the nitrogen costs a few bucks and half-assed
guys will skip it. Â*The result is you get oxidation crud inside
the copper pipes, which later clogs the TXV valve. Make sure
whoever is going to do this repair uses nitrogen while
brazing. Â*Just asking them that, they'll at least know you
have your eyes open and will be less likely to try to scam
you.

Â*And the new part will not come with a warranty either. Â*At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake.

If you go with these guys, from what I've heard so far,
it will be a big mistake.

Â* A good tech can braze it without nitrogen using SilPhos 15 if he
sets up the joints properly - which a GOOD tech WILL do.



BS. Take a piece of copper pipe and heat it up
to brazing temps. Take a look at all the black
oxidation crap that winds up inside. And that's
where it stays, insider the brand new system.
Until some of it eventually screws the whole thing
up and results in a huge repair bill on a system
just a few years old. That gunk winding up in
the TXV valve is a classic symptom.

When you flow nitrogen, it stays perfectly clean
because no oxidation can take place. Pros do
it. The hacks that want to save a few bucks and
don't care what happens, don't.



That said,

That said means you shouldn't be giving advice
on repairing an AC.




Trader, you are an asshole.

On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:09:51 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Jun 13, 10:04Â*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. Â*It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. Â*service call every year - no problems until
now. Â*It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. Â*I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- Â*so I cut it off. Â*A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). Â*It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. Â*The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. Â*Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. Â*The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. Â*Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. Â*The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. Â*I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

It may be too late for you, but others might be interested in my experience.

My 10-year old Trane went belly-up during Hurricane Yikes three years ago -
we suspect rapid cycling on/off of the power caused by the storm.

Anyway, my son has a neighbor who's tuned in to the immigrant Hispanic
community. The neighbor put me on to a chap from Guatamala that does a/c
work for an a/c company during the day and moonlights at night. He, in turn,
was acquainted with one of his countrymen who makes a market in used
compressor units (retrieved from replaced or (I guess) burned down homes).

So, he brings over a two-year old RUDD unit, replaces the kaput Trane,
evacuates the system, and recharges everything.

This takes about 45 minutes starting at 8:00pm.

I give him $750 cash.

That was three years ago and everything is still working swell.

I guess the trick is finding that entry point to the underground economy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think the other trick is being very lucky. I wonder
how many of these types of repairs go south? And
when there's $750 involved, not sure I'd play those
odds. I'd also wonder where that 2 year old working
compressor came from. Unless a lot of houses
burn down in TX, I'd bet a lot of them come from
guys stealing AC units. It's a major problem around
the country.
I got one from the neighbours when they put a new furnace and AC unit
in shortly after the previous owner put a new AC in.
I installed it myself and had my nephew, an AC/Refrigeration mechanic
recharge it for me.

I had a elderly friend call trying to buy my leftover window AC units
as their whole housse air had stopped working and it was 100 degrees
inside their home. I was curious and went over to take a look.

the AC guy had said they needed a new unit. the real trouble? the air
filter was totally clogged; I had a compressor with me to blow out
dirty machines I repaired. Saved Ooodles of time cost zero.

So I blew out the filter Which gt the AC working immediately..

I called the company with the bad diagnose and told them what was
really wrong Told them I was reporting them but gave them the
benefit of the doubt........

I fix machines and occasionally over look something simle but never do
it intentionally for profit.

A couple months later another friend reported the same sort of issue
with that company, they had suggest buying a used AC. probably scammed
by another victim.

the 2nd person reported it to a tv station who did a investigative
report.

this and some other HVAC companies, stealing was their business
model. it got shown on tv and their business went bust. i think they
got proscuted, but lost interest and got swamped at work and never
followed up.

The OP should check their filters and call for a couple more estimates
to assure its not a scam.

call at least one company who has been in business forever, 50 years
at least.

companies who rip people off dont last that long

wrote:

I think the other trick is being very lucky. I wonder
how many of these types of repairs go south? And
when there's $750 involved, not sure I'd play those
odds. I'd also wonder where that 2 year old working
compressor came from. Unless a lot of houses
burn down in TX, I'd bet a lot of them come from
guys stealing AC units. It's a major problem around
the country.

Your first point is a good one. I had used the same repairman before. He
knew I carry a gun everywhere and he knew I knew where he lived and worked.
He had a proper incentive, if he needed one, to do a righteous job.

As to your second point, I admit to being conflicted.

IF the unit was stolen, then the original homeowner's insurance would have
paid for the replacement. In my case, the insurance company declined to
replace my defunct unit, so I guess everything averaged out.

On Jun 13, 7:29*pm, wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 06:30:02 -0700 (PDT), "





wrote:
On Jun 12, 5:45*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 06:28:01 -0700 (PDT), "

wrote:
On Jun 12, 8:10*am, Dottie wrote:
On Jun 12, 7:51*am, Dottie wrote:

On Jun 11, 1:53*pm, wrote:

On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:27:55 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
On Jun 11, 7:57*am, Dottie wrote:
My air conditioner is a Trane. *It was installed in August 2007 and we
have had a routine maint. *service call every year - no problems until
now. *It stopped working sometime Saturday P.M. *I noticed that it was
running constantly but the house was warm -- *so I cut it off. *A man
came yesterday afternoon and the problem is in the part that sits
indoors (as opposed to the compressor which is outside). *It will cost
$1200 to fix....parts and labor. *The temp here was 94 in the house
with the windows opened - and I'm not brave enough to have them open
at night. *Anyway, we only paid a little over $5,000 for the a/c when
new. *The service dept is going to call me today and set a time to
come out and work on it - providing they can get the part without a
problem. *Question -- when is it more economically smarter to just buy
a new a/c and not try to fix the old one. *The part (I was shown) is a
copper part that looks o.k. - it just stopped regulating the freon).
One thing that did tick me off -- the service man who came out was
more interested in selling me a service agreement that would take a
discount off future service calls and parts and include routine
checkups. *I have no idea if I will stay here (recent widow) after the
market improves but I am thinking about trying to get smaller place,
less upkeep, and really don't want a three year service agreement.
Just wondering what you'll thought.

The inside unit assembly is called the A-Coil, the outside unit is the
compressor. *A replacement A-coil assembly and labor to install it and
then to recharge the system with new Freon for $1200 does not seem out
of line. *Ask the installer to leave the old A-Coil. *At the price of
copper these days, you might make some serious $$ if you try to sell
it yourself as scrap metal.

* If it is just a bad TXV about $650 and a competent repairman should
do the job. No need to replace the whole "A" coil for a bad TXV -
which should have a 5 year warranty from Trane, meaning you should
have 3 month's warranty left.

The valve that controls the freon is the problem. *The company I
bought it from and use for service - said there was a problem finding
the part. *Anyway, the price for part and labor is going to be $1104.
Nothing was said about warranty. *I did not buy an extended warranty
-- but I know that certain parts are covered by a 10-yr. warranty.. *I
checked the original contract and the date is Nov. 5, 2007. *The girl
I talked to didn't mention the warranty so I assumed it wasn't covered
-- should I call back and ask? *The last two times I have had dealings
with these people they were far more interested in selling me a
service agreement contract than in fixing the a/c. *I am sure I am at
the bottom of the list since I told them I didn't want an extended
service agreement.

I called the girl back and she said that because I did not buy an
extended warranty from Trane the part is not covered by the original
agreement.

I would not be listening to them as to what is or isn't coverd.
You should have a copy of the warranty that you can read
yourself. *Or go to Trane's website, find a similar system and
see what is covered. *Call Trane.

As others have pointed out, if it's a TXV valve, this repair
price is 2X what it should be. *The valve is under $100.
The rest is some refrigerant, labor, etc. And if the TXV valve failed
at 5 years, the most likely cause is due to how it was installed.
To do the install properly, you have to flow nitrogen while
brazing. *Same thing with removing and installing this TXV
valve. *But the nitrogen costs a few bucks and half-assed
guys will skip it. *The result is you get oxidation crud inside
the copper pipes, which later clogs the TXV valve. Make sure
whoever is going to do this repair uses nitrogen while
brazing. *Just asking them that, they'll at least know you
have your eyes open and will be less likely to try to scam
you.

*And the new part will not come with a warranty either. *At
this point I am sitting here in 90 degree weather wondering if I am
about to make an expensive mistake.

If you go with these guys, from what I've heard so far,
it will be a big mistake.

* A good tech can braze it without nitrogen using SilPhos 15 if he
sets up the joints properly - which a GOOD tech WILL do.

BS. *Take a piece of copper pipe and heat it up
to brazing temps. *Take a look at all the black
oxidation crap that winds up inside. *And that's
where it stays, insider the brand new system.
Until some of it eventually screws the whole thing
up and results in a huge repair bill on a system
just a few years old. * That gunk winding up in
the TXV valve is a classic symptom.

When you flow nitrogen, it stays perfectly clean
because no oxidation can take place. *Pros do
it. *The hacks that want to save a few bucks and
don't care what happens, don't.

That said,

That said means you shouldn't be giving advice
on repairing an AC.

Trader, you are an asshole.



- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Why? Because you don't know what you're talking about?
The issue is simple. I pointed out that you
need to flow nitrogen when brazing AC lines. You claimed
that was unneccesay. Which unfortunately is WRONG.
If you don't flow nitrogen, the copper oxidizes inside the
AC lines, forming black junk that contaminates the
system. It can wind up in the TXV valve causing it
to fail with the type of problem the OP is apparently
having in a system that's only a few years old.

On Sat, 16 Jun 2012 05:42:57 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:





Why? Because you don't know what you're talking about?
The issue is simple. I pointed out that you
need to flow nitrogen when brazing AC lines. You claimed
that was unneccesay. Which unfortunately is WRONG.
If you don't flow nitrogen, the copper oxidizes inside the
AC lines, forming black junk that contaminates the
system. It can wind up in the TXV valve causing it
to fail with the type of problem the OP is apparently
having in a system that's only a few years old.

Many years ago, I supervised a department of a major HVAC company that
made all the coils. All AC coils were brazed with nitrogen flowing
through them. Before putting the return bends and headers on, they
were dipped in a chemical tank for cleaning, then an ultrasonic, and
only they final assembly and brazing with nitrogen flow. .