"McLarry" (McLarry)
07/27/2015 at 12:04 • Filed to: None
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"McLarry" (McLarry)
07/27/2015 at 12:04 • Filed to: None | 1
| 10 |
So for the past few weeks my air conditioning at home has had some occasional freeze-ups...generally on excessively hot days. I replaced the filter, but still it would freeze up if it got into the 90’s outside. Knowledgeable peeps tell me that meant that it was likely low on refrigerant and a need a pro, so I find a local company on Google and call them up.
Here’s where it gets more interesting... My wife and I moved into this house a year and some change ago. Part of our negotiation was that the previous owner would have the HVAC unit serviced (as we found they (or their tenant) had been running it without a filter), which they did.
Now the tech arrives and says “hey, you aren’t the guy that lived here a couple years ago, are you?”
uh oh. “No, I moved in around a year ago... You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah, I remembered when I pulled in. It was a couple years ago... it’s a leak in the coil.”
Great... Long story short, he looked around, said he could recharge it but didn’t know how long it would hold (and that there was a limit to how many times he was allowed to charge a leaking system). He told me it was not reparable, and that it needed replacing, to the tune of $1500 or so, and that they’d be in touch for a quote. It occurred to me that this might just be some kind of scare tactic to drum up business, but I’m guessing he’s telling the truth. I’m confident I can get it done cheaper - my aforementioned ‘knowledgeable peeps’ are also ‘experienced peeps’ and are willing to assist.
The really interesting bit to me, though, (beyond the sheer coincidence of happening to call that company and them sending this guy) is that this means the previous owner knew about the issue, chose not to address it, and chose not to disclose it when selling the house to me (and it never came up when the HVAC was serviced prior to closing - should this have been apparent?). This is the part that has my jimmies rustled...I mean, I’m not about to go trying to sue the guy over what is probably a $1k repair, but this strikes me as a bit of a dick move...
Anyhow, that’s my story... At least the A/C is working like a champ again.
Have some Bimmers for your trouble - at least if the A/C goes on these you can drop the top!
WiscoProud
> McLarry
07/27/2015 at 12:12 |
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I just had the AC replaced in my house, the whole system at that, and it cost $2,875. You will want to get other estimates at least because that sounds too high.
That being said, my tech was telling me that freeze ups can be caused by a dirty filter impeding flow, a dirty coil (likely if they weren’t running a filter, ours was horrid, but it can be cleaned), or even too big of a AC unit for the house. Based on the lack of a filter, and that being our issue too, I would see if someone can clean out the coil first. There should be an access panel for it.
Party-vi
> McLarry
07/27/2015 at 12:15 |
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Try going with a lighter filter as well. I had been using some pretty heavy (thick) filters and had been getting freeze ups each day I came home from work. Swapping in a cheap filter has seemed to fix my issue for now.
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Party-vi
07/27/2015 at 12:20 |
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A good friend who’s an HVAC tech told me to avoid all those HEPA filters and whatnot, he said the best ones to use are the old blue fiberglass kind. Reason being, the HEPAs have a much higher pressure drop across them that A) reduces airflow in the system (hence your freeze up) and B) makes the fan motor work harder/longer duty cycles, which leads to premature failure.
HammerheadFistpunch
> McLarry
07/27/2015 at 12:25 |
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I am paying my roofer today to replace my roof based on similar previous owner securities that “my roofing man cam and fixed all the problems and certified it”. Trust no one.
deekster_caddy
> McLarry
07/27/2015 at 12:34 |
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If the service guy has records of this, you might even be able to sue the previous owner for nondisclosure. The “service” paper he included with the closing paperwork should show this as well. (The seller did prove his “A/C service”, right?) The home inspector also should have found evidence of a refrigerant leak.
In our state (MA) a home inspection is required.
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McLarry
> deekster_caddy
07/27/2015 at 12:57 |
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Yeah I have a slip from the tech showing what he did when he came out.
We also had a home inspection before buying (we were even there when he did the inspection) but he didn’t find any evidence of refrigerant leak. I still have the report filed, I’ll take another look just to be sure.
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McLarry
> HammerheadFistpunch
07/27/2015 at 12:57 |
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Words to live by.
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McLarry
> Party-vi
07/27/2015 at 13:00 |
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Good point, I’ll try that. The first time it froze up I just went to Walmart and got the only one I saw in the proper size (I think it was some kind of DuPont hypoallergenic thing, which is probably more restrictive than usual).
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McLarry
> WiscoProud
07/27/2015 at 13:03 |
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Whew, that’s steep. I agree though, the coil shouldn’t cost more than half a full system (I’m pretty sure he actually said 1500-2000). He said the refrigerant was 2lbs low, so I figure there is a leak probably, but if it freezes up again I think I’ll look into getting the coils cleaned before shelling ou $75/lb for more refrigerant!
Meatcoma
> Party-vi
07/27/2015 at 13:38 |
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Some times your coils get dirty and they need to be cleaned too.