HVAC gurus here? (Home warranty anyone?)

[FSH 210 Sport]

Caps and contractors wear, just ask for the old parts, better yet have him check the caps in front of you and compare the readings to new ones, I’m not sure how many microfarads one that size should be. Looking at the contractors will be self explanatory.

 

[Jeep7797]

Looks like 40/7.5 from the picture. All the ones I've replaced have been 45/5 but who knows. Just match like parts always works. An HVAC guy explained it to me once about being able to use different values but hell if I can remember.

 

[Julian]

I just bought the new capacitors on amazon.....$39 for the two of them. I'll replace those myself.

But the pressure test found small leaks in the coil....which they showed me a photo of....covered in rust (12 years old), supposedly the new ones are aluminum. Verbal quote of $4500 to replace (4 ton Carrier infinity unit). Ugh....I bought a top of the line unit/brand hoping it would last longer.....

 

[zpaul]

Bryant AC unit pretty much the same as Carrier. Same company makes them and just puts different badges on it.
Yes Carrier can have a bit more bells and whistles but Bryant is very nice as well.
I didn't go for most efficient unit, just got the one in the middle since savings over time of 10-15 year use didn't justify the investment.

After moving into a new build that was supposed to be rated as energy star efficient home I found out that AC units the builder put in are the least efficient ones and the brand I never heard off. 11 years in still holding strong and only one capacitor replaced. If they go out I would probably just put some mid range Trane unit. Affordable and with decent reliability.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I thought that you said the quote was for a new coil. 12 year old air handler is oldish but lets look at how long you plan to live there verses the cost of replacing just the coil.

 

[dan144k]

Did you call the service guy because there is a problem?
Or did you call the guy to do an inspection? (If the unit was running fine prior to calling them, I would be suspicious)
Also
Ask (or do some research) are the technicians commission based. The more parts they sell or units they sell or leak checking and refrigerant they. Then the larger there paycheck or bonus.
....
More honest (or trustable in my mind) hvac company are are not commision based.
They just pay the techs hourly.
...
I am not saying every commission based tech is a crook.
Just, probably the majority of them are trying to macimize there income. That is just using common sense.

 

[dan144k]

Pressures can change and be different for a variety of of reasons. Ambient temp. Humidity. Indoor temp and humidity. Fan speed. Dirty air filters. Airflow. Closed registers.

 

[Julian]

Here is the photo of the coils. I'm having a different company come out and look at it. Since the $900 quote for capacitors and contacts I've lost confidence in "Comfort Monsters". Their quote is $4380....of course I can't look up the price of the coil anywhere online....it seems they don't want you to know that. All the sites want you to create an account to see prices. If anyone has an idea if their price ($1784) is good for a 4 ton Carrier FE4A horizontal unit coil, I'm curious. We get a discount to $1516 because we have a service contract with them.

So now we have:

• HVAC $4300 Repair
• Dog....blown knee TPLO surgery $4500
• What is [HASH=3560]#3?[/HASH]

I did get a great ACA quote on health insurance....so that's great!!!! But these stingers always come in threes. Maybe I can count paying for my grand son's delivery as [HASH=3560]#3?[/HASH]

Retirement ain't cheap!

 

[Beachbummer]

#3 on that estimate is a very premium price for the R410, in my humble opinion. Maybe it's like soda at the restaurant where the supermarket price is nothing compared to the restaurant price....but you are being estimated white table cloth coca-cola prices

https://www.angi.com/articles/what-cost-r410a-freon-pound.htm

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Here is the photo of the coils. I'm having a different company come out and look at it. Since the $900 quote for capacitors and contacts I've lost confidence in "Comfort Monsters". Their quote is $4380....of course I can't look up the price of the coil anywhere online....it seems they don't want you to know that. All the sites want you to create an account to see prices. If anyone has an idea if their price ($1784) is good for a 4 ton Carrier FE4A horizontal unit coil, I'm curious. We get a discount to $1516 because we have a service contract with them.

So now we have:

• HVAC $4300 Repair
• Dog....blown knee TPLO surgery $4500
• What is [HASH=3560]#3?[/HASH]

I did get a great ACA quote on health insurance....so that's great!!!! But these stingers always come in threes. Maybe I can count paying for my grand son's delivery as [HASH=3560]#3?[/HASH]

Retirement ain't cheap!

Pretty darn close to what I texted you yesterday. They add in stuff that sounds official but should just be covered in their labor. Flushing the lineset is pulling a vacuum on the line --- they are already doing that. Electronically balance the charge??? They are already doing that in order to know how much refrigerant the unit needs, using an electronic gauge or standard gauges makes no difference. Seems like they prey on people who have no clue by making things sound complex and special. Replacing the lineset dryer is standard when opening the system to the atmosphere.

 

[Julian]

So had them replace the entire air handler for $5300 vs just the coil for $4300. $1000 more for a whole new unit which comes with a 10 year warranty vs 1 year. The 2nd guy I called (friend of a friend) said it was toast and was the one to suggest replacing the whole thing for a little more. Unfortunately he wasn't a Carrier dealer, so his price for the unit was $700 more than my carrier dealer. I couldn't replace with a different brand as the Carrier Infinity systems are paired units between the airhandler and compressor - you can't mix and match (confirmed this multiple times).

So now the whole unit is done.

Next question: any of you have a whole house warranty? The 2nd unit in our house is the same age. I can buy a whole house warranty for $800-$1000/year and it would cover replacing the Heat pump if it goes out (also any appliance in the whole house). Since unit 2 will go out in the next 2 years (probably), having a warranty for two years would cost 2k, unit replacement would cost $4500. Washer and dryer are getting old, hot water heater is 8....

Any of you have a home warranty? Complaints/advice?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Good call on replacing the whole schbang!

While I am a huge fan of OEM extended warranties, I have found that aftermarket warranty companies are, well, a racket. They make all kinds of great promises etc when you are signing up but when it comes time for them to pay out for a claim they will twist the fine print around to not pay. My experience is limited with these companies, but after my last experience with an extended auto warranty company I’ll never do business with any of these companies again.

My home owners insurance however has several aspects to it that cover bad things that can happen, such as hidden water (leaking pipes behind walls etc), and another aspect that covers all of the electrical in the house in the event of a lightning strike. You might want to check them out.. American Family Insurance. I’ve turned several of my fr on to them and the average savings for bundled insurance, home/car/cycle/boat/RV has saved each of them on average $3500 a year.

I also think that certain credit cards have som sort of insurance on them as well for purchases.

Im hoping others will post with some positive experiences with other companies.

 

[Beachbummer]

I'm not a fan, like boat warranties, your time is worthless on those. mid summer, HVAC repair, many weeks. If you can spare use of the stuff for weeks it might be worth it, but it has not been the case for me. Save your money and buy new/repair when the time comes.

 

[Babin Farms]

I’m curious to hear more responses of people that have the home warranties. With our new home purchase we got a warranty with it. I’m unfamiliar with anything like it so we’ll see how it goes. I can do most repairs on my own but if the warranty covers it I’ll gladly let someone else take care of it. I’ve already had to replace the garbage disposal and tighten down the kitchen sink faucet which are both easy enough jobs. Sometimes it easier and quicker to just do the job yourself.

 

[CanTex]

I've had numerous home warranties over the years, when it comes to an AC system, they are ok...typically there is language in the policy that will limit the payout to ~$2-$3k.

I found home warranties beneficial when I was working away, and my wife was home alone. There was a level of comfort knowing she could call the 1-800 number, pay the show-up fee ($75) and someone would solve the problem. The downside, they would do the cheapest repair possible. Since I no longer travel for work to the same extent, I've cancelled the policy and will make the repair myself.

 

[zpaul]

So had them replace the entire air handler for $5300 vs just the coil for $4300. $1000 more for a whole new unit which comes with a 10 year warranty vs 1 year. The 2nd guy I called (friend of a friend) said it was toast and was the one to suggest replacing the whole thing for a little more. Unfortunately he wasn't a Carrier dealer, so his price for the unit was $700 more than my carrier dealer. I couldn't replace with a different brand as the Carrier Infinity systems are paired units between the airhandler and compressor - you can't mix and match (confirmed this multiple times).

So now the whole unit is done.

Next question: any of you have a whole house warranty? The 2nd unit in our house is the same age. I can buy a whole house warranty for $800-$1000/year and it would cover replacing the Heat pump if it goes out (also any appliance in the whole house). Since unit 2 will go out in the next 2 years (probably), having a warranty for two years would cost 2k, unit replacement would cost $4500. Washer and dryer are getting old, hot water heater is 8....

Any of you have a home warranty? Complaints/advice?

I had house warranty before that was gifted by real estate agent. These weasels will do anything not to cover your stuff (preexisting condition).
But they were sure happy to send me renewal contract.

Our big local company offers house service plans.
For $64 ($52 whole house + $12 for second AC) a month they cover 2 AC units, plus a bunch of other stuff. That also include preventive AC service once a year.
They usually keep repairing AC units till they are done and eventually may offer to replace it.
Being on that plan provides you decent discount installing new unit.
I went for whole house because in 10 years we had to replace 3 refrigerators.
Tried GE, LG, ended up with Whirlpool. Lesson learned that warranty from manufacturer is a joke.
LG was under repair for 2 months, LG tried everything and eventually issued prorated refund. Whirlpool was fixed on 3rd try by Whirlpool warranty unit. Local guys get parts faster and way easier to schedule repairs with them.
AC units were fixed and tuned couple times as well. Got the plan upgraded last year from just AC unit plan because everything except for refrigerator is crossing 12 year old mark.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Had one a gift from real estate agent. AC went out 6 months later. Needed new air handler, their max payout was like $900. Better than nothing but I wouldn't spend my money on one.