HVAC question. Tech is trying to burn me.

Wes

Wes

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Ridgeway, SC
I have a 3 ton zoned carrier system. There is one thermostat in the upstairs bonus room and one downstairs in the hall. My house is almost 2200 square feet. The unit is only 7 years old and it’s been problematic. Now it finally crapped out. It will not heat without the auxiliary heat. My outside coil is leaking pretty bad as is my coil inside the air handler in the attic. I have no refrigerant left in the system. I’m being told that they both need replacing. There was only a 5 year warranty on the system because my idiot builder never registered it. It would have been 10 years if he’d have taken a few minutes out of his day. I can go on forever about that idiot but I digress. The tech that came out is trying to replace the whole system at a cost of almost $9000 dollars. Just to replace the outside and inside coil is $6000. I just want heat and to be able to pass a home inspection. I’m putting the house up for sale next month and go figure this happens.
So my question is, how should I attack this? Contact the builder and hope for the best (if he’s even in business), or contact the installer? Terrible timing the day before Christmas Eve trying to get in touch with anybody. I cant get a second opinion until Tuesday at the earliest. Any hvac guys out there that can confirm those prices? Sounds a bit steep from my internet research. This is the first time I’ve had any major hvac repair. Thanks in advance.
 
If you're selling the house, go with the cheaper route which is a completely legitimate repair if there's nothing else.wrong except the coils. People want a functional system, and will be just as happy with brand new coils on a 7year old system as they will with a complete new system. You're not getting back any money either way, as the system needs to function to sell the house, so why lose all of the additional cost delta for a new system?

Are you getting the "right before Christmas" markup from the HVAC company?
 
I'm not in your market, in my market those prices are 2x too high, at least.

Also, is worth looking into- in SC a home builder is on the hook for any "acts of negligence" for 15 years. That warranty would qualify.
 
The area manager actually came out when the tech left and crunched numbers telling me what a deal I was getting and how much he’s “helping me”. Offered to put me on a several different payment plans at various interest rates. I said I’d be in touch. I was nicely saying get out of my house now before I put hands on you.
I’m in the process of getting a second opinion. My brother in law builds houses. I asked him and he’s gonna get me some prices. The only problem is he’s out of state.
 
Wes said:
It would have been 10 years if he’d have taken a few minutes out of his day.
Click to expand...

Where did you see that it'd be 10 years?

Standard compressor/coil warranty is 5 yr

Some offer 7

10.....youre paying EXTRA for. Quite a bit extra too normally

About 7-10 yrs ago there was a really bad run on coils from several mfgs. Copper coils with aluminium stays....yeah...howd that work?

Numerous failures

My attic unit was one of them. Thankfully at 4yrs and 8 months

Still had to pay $600 labor but pissed me off non the less
 
Run on your heat strips for a couple days and get past Christmas and get some 2nd opinions and estimates. Those prices are way too high. I just had my dad's replaced 3 ton I think for 4500. Turn key on everything mechanical. (Duct work was not changed of course). Was a trane unit. Gotta shop around and find someone you trust. Take your time if your strips work, a week or two is no big deal to save several thousand on a new unit.
 
CasterTroy said:
Where did you see that it'd be 10 years?

Standard compressor/coil warranty is 5 yr

Some offer 7

10.....youre paying EXTRA for. Quite a bit extra too normally

About 7-10 yrs ago there was a really bad run on coils from several mfgs. Copper coils with aluminium stays....yeah...howd that work?

Numerous failures

My attic unit was one of them. Thankfully at 4yrs and 8 months

Still had to pay $600 labor but pissed me off non the less
Click to expand...
The tech said that I had a builders warranty which is 5 years. He said builders throw homes up and never register the unit. If they would take the time to register it they would be 10 year. He said they have someone that does nothing but register new installs. He could be blowing smoke up my ass. I just spoke with a guy who does installs in SC for my BIL and he too said my Carrier should have a 10 year. He’s gonna check for me Tuesday. He said those prices are crazy. Waiting on a few other estimates before I pull the trigger.
 
It sounds like they probably assume that you think you're in a bad spot and will pull the trigger without checking around, knowing that it's winter and most people just want to have it fixed ASAP. If that's the case, that's shady as shit and predatory.
 
I had some quotes like that for a 2.5 ton unit, including Trane & Carrier. Thankfully, someone here steered me to a American Standard dealer [same as Trane], which did me for $6K. Pretty sure I got a 5 yr. parts/labor // 10 yr parts warranty! Just my dealer is not in your area. Do some More Shopping!
 
rodney eppes said:
I had some quotes like that for a 2.5 ton unit, including Trane & Carrier. Thankfully, someone here steered me to a American Standard dealer [same as Trane], which did me for $6K. Pretty sure I got a 5 yr. parts/labor // 10 yr parts warranty! Just my dealer is not in your area. Do some More Shopping!
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Will do. A guy on the site has already contacted me and we may have a solution. Praying that it works out.
 
My Trane split system was leaking. I would recharge once a year and then every six months. I was running low on Freon 22 and now it's very expensive. Couldn't find a leak. I asked around and common answer was coil was leaking and couldn't be fixed. I tried a stop leak as a last resort before replacing system and it has worked perfect for 18 months. I can't believe it and some day I expect it to fail.
 
Us this tech a local guy or someone from a company that advertises on tv? Local (more reputable in my experience) are generally far cheaper
 
Check with Joyner Dickens here in Sanford. Talk to Randy if you can. Small, local company. Always done our work. I replaced our system 2 years ago, and have had a bunch of work done at my mom's, they've always done us fair. They are doing my new house right now. Probably won't treat you any better or worse for it, but feel free to drop my name.
 
kaiser715 said:
Check with Joyner Dickens here in Sanford. Talk to Randy if you can. Small, local company. Always done our work. I replaced our system 2 years ago, and have had a bunch of work done at my mom's, they've always done us fair. They are doing my new house right now. Probably won't treat you any better or worse for it, but feel free to drop my name.
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If my other options fall through I’ll give em a call. Thank you.
 
Called the guy out on his pricing and he gives me the “our equipment is better and we don’t know how to cut corners “. Yeah, I’m sure they’ve never cut corners. Then he slips up and tells me it’s a slow month and they’re trying to keep guys working so his boss told him to knock off $500 off of $9000 if I’ll do it this week. Sounds like I’d be paying everyone’s December salary with overpriced labor and equipment I don’t need. I also told him that I’d found someone to do it for less than half of his price. Haven’t heard back from him. Gonna try the stop leak route and see how it goes.
 
2 years ago we replaced our 7 year old systems with a 2 ton upstairs and a 3 ton with all new zoning equipment both inside and outside equipment for just under $8k.
 
Find your local HVAC supply store, the ne that the HVAC guys go to. Stop in and ask if theres a couple of small guys/companies that does good work and is honest. Don't tell them all of your problems, just that you like to work with people, not companies that work on volume. Thaqts how I found my guys and I believe Rodney Eppes would vouch for them.
You probably don't need more than $2500 worth of equipment if replacing because your ductwork is all there. Repairs should be even cheaper.
 
R Q said:
Find your local HVAC supply store, the ne that the HVAC guys go to. Stop in and ask if theres a couple of small guys/companies that does good work and is honest. Don't tell them all of your problems, just that you like to work with people, not companies that work on volume. Thaqts how I found my guys and I believe Rodney Eppes would vouch for them.
You probably don't need more than $2500 worth of equipment if replacing because your ductwork is all there. Repairs should be even cheaper.
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I’ll definitely look into it. Thank you
 
Huge thanks to @termitebuffet. He drove an hour and a half during his holiday vacation to come help a guy out who he’d never met. I pretty much had to make him take a little something for his time. Speaks volumes about this mans character . Gotta thank God and NC4X4 as well. Would have never linked up with this gentleman if not for the site. :beer:
 
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