HVAC blues. Wat you do?

This week I celebrated Labor Day by with my central AC going on strike. Compressor seized. The tech got it turning with a jump start kit (I had no idea they made AC jump-starters), but when it runs it squalks like a banshee with it's nuts in a rat trap. Well shit.

Here are my options.

A) they sourced a compressor and have the install scheduled to rebuild my system. 14Seer, uses the naughty R-410. $4000 to fix, 1 year parts& labor

B) new system. 16Seer. Uses the polar-bear saving R-454B. Standard 10 year warranty. Gonna be close to $12K.

I can pay cash for A. I would feel more comfortable financing B.

What would you consider?

 

Other considerations: this is going to be a colossal bear to wrestle out of that closet.

 

I would consider getting your own manifold, and vacuum pump, sourcing the parts I need and doing it myself while NOT spending $4k or more.

 

Except as a joe-homeowner who does not have any certs, I thought it was not legal for anyone to sell me 410A.

 

Burn it all down to the ground. Then start over.

Well....... maybe go with option B and play the long game if you plan to stay.

 

Age of current unit?

Current intentions of years to stay at this location?

Is your utility offering any rebates a new one might qualify for?

 

What exactly was wrong with it?

About the only “jumpstart” I know is with a bad capacitor, which is a $20 permanent repair

 

Current unit is about 15-20 years old.

I want to move, but am golden handcuffed to an amazing mortgage. When the stars align and it makes fiscal sense to do so, I will be moving. But this really is a great big "I don't know." If I stayed I could make minimum payments and still pay off the house in nine years.

No rebates. It probably wouldn't kick me over the threshold to itemize taxes either.

 

Seized compressor. Capacitor is good. The good capacitor plus the jump capacitor gave enough of a kick to turn the compressor motor, but it very clearly was not happy about being turned.

 

Right now I'm thinking to roll the dice and kick the 4k can down the road, and be happy if I get 5 years out of it.

Finance options on the new unit are 0% 12 month, which I can do, but it'll eat all of my free budget. I can pull 12k out of savings, but I really don't want to. They also offer 6% longer terms, and Ew, no.

4k out of savings is relatively easy.

 

I saw very few noisy compressors and a LOT of noisy condensing fan motors. What was the AMP draw on the compressor?

 

Avg life is 12- 15. You'd be putting lipstick on a pig.

Think about other options that will let you go new.

Even selling your house with a working unit would be a problem for someone smart enough to ask how old it is. I'd want price concession for an immediate relacement

OTOH I'd also be getting a 2nd opinion on the situation.

 

I only have experience in mobile-a/c (as opposed to residential) but we were taught in school that of you have a compressor failure there's a good chance it was caused by a lack of lubrication due to a refrigerant leak somewhere (since the compressor oil is carried through the system by the refrigerant). Often times at work we will replace a seized compressor only to find out a few months later there's a leak somewhere

Did the tech say anything about the refrigerant charge being low? Just curious..

 

It wasn't the condensing fan. The fan is whisper quiet and will turn on/off when the thermostat calls for it. The compressor is what's screaming, and that's only when it's turning.

Without the Kickstarter, the Tstat will call for air, the fan will start and you can hear a buzz coming from the compressor. The buzz is the telltale hum of an electric motor that can't turn. After two seconds the compressor stops trying, and then the interior unit turns on the blower as normal.

With the Kickstarter, the compressor will start, but its putting out enough noise to hear a block away. We did not test to see if it would continue running or if it was actually cooling.

 

Charge was normal. That thought crossed my mind also.

 

You're probably right.

I jus don' like it. I'll put out a few calls.

 

https://www.refrigerantguys.com/

*You might have to lie and say you’re a vendor/reseller.

 

I would capture what you already have, but if you need more, there’s places that will sell it to you. Still, even if you needed a tech to do the refrigerant, that’s still not $4k worth of work in my mind.

As for the suppliers, it may or not be legal, but I don’t think Lee Zeldin is going to come for you.

 

Legally, you technically don't need a 608 to buy 410a, you do need one ''legally'' to use it but OP can buy a 11 lb can without an issue. Since I'm sure you're letting someone with a 608 cert fill it, you're fine.

 

.. you can buy a 25 lb can online to your door too.

Either way, OP has that option if he so chooses.
No reason to spend 4K to change out a compressor just for it to have 4 more parts fail on it in a year or 2.