Oct
20
Can Someone Help Me With Residential Air Conditioning Problem?
ByWe had an audit done by the power company and he said that the coils to the AC need to be cleaned (no impacted dirt) and freeon. What can I expect to pay? Any ideas on what companies I should / shouldn’t use? We also need to replace the unit, but we’re going to have to wait. Is there a brand that someone would/wouldn’t recommend? We don’t plan on staying in the house but a 3-10 years.
Thanks for taking your time to help.
4 Comments
October 20th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Try to find an HVAC Tech to talk to. He could help you a great deal, and maybe even do the work for little cost, so you don’t have to go through a big company.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:16 am
cheaning the coils should only cost between $150-300US depending on where you live.
try to use companies listed with the better business bureau, and make sure that their licenses and insurance are current.
3-10 years is a big range. If you are only going to be there for three years, you might be able to keep the unit going. If you are going to be there for 10- you should replace the system with a high efficiency system from Carrier. There are tax breaks currently available, and the money you save in utility costs over the next ten years will more than pay for the initial cost of installation.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:12 am
First, how old is the unit?
Repair people are not going to come out & give you a free estimate on repairs. (For the most part those days are over)
They most likely have a flat rate to come out & check the AC.
Then they charge for parts & labor. They may forgive the service charge if you were to buy a new AC from them.
To pare the field of possible repair companies check with friends or neighbors if they know of anyone.
Make a few calls from the yellow pages or check on the internet & get a general idea of what the costs may be.
See if you can find out the size of your AC. The ratings are in tons. Have an idea of the square footage of your home so you can get a idea of how big a unit you need.
You won’t get back what you paid for the AC when you sell, but people will be turned off buying your house with out a working AC. It could result in less people being interested in buying, or they will offer less.
So it could cost you maybe $100.00 to check & see if it can be repaired. Maybe you would be lucky & for $100.00 or so it could be fixed.
I for one if the unit is more than 12 years old wouldn’t put much into repairing it.
October 20th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Freon should cost you just over $100 (like $120 or so). That should include them coming and doing it. The coil cleaning shouldn’t cost anything simce he’s there doing the freon anyway and he doesn’t need any parts for that.
Get a York that’s minimum sized for what you need. Getting a huge unit is a waste, especially if you won’t be there forever. A too small unit will actually cost you more due to strain when it’s hot and if it breaks down you’ll be SOL. Make sure it’s the correct sized unit. I recomment York. It’s reasonably priced and reliable.
Do ask around to compare prices before you commit to a purchase. There can be a big range for the same unit. Sears is a good place to start asking, even if you don’t buy from them. They give free estimates and are pretty trust worthy.