AC went out...a little advice???

[ram2500]

Hi there,

(I hope I'm posting in the right area)- I have a dilemma on my hands. Air conditioning season just rolled around, and my old reliable central air conditioner, a Coleman/Evcon condenser, just went out after 13 years (it's the original AC unit that came with my house). I have called around to ask for estimates for a new installation, but my furnace, which is also a Coleman/Evcon propane unit, is perfectly fine and I'm not about to spend $5000 for new HVAC equipment. (I live in a manufactured home built in 1997). Anyhow, I have heard from several people that the new Coleman AC units (central air) are not as reliable as the older ones and break down a lot, and my other house from several years ago had a REALLY OLD Carrier air conditioner that was about 30+ years old with NO problems. So, what I want to do is buy a new Carrier condenser unit as I have always had positive experiences with their products. Will this work with my furnace? My furnace is a standard Coleman manufactured-home propane furnace with the "A coil" (as they call it) for the air conditioning.

Note: I have called a Carrier dealer, and they said a Carrier condenser would work fine with my furnace, but then my brother, who is in construction, said that I'd have to have a new furnace because it wouldn't work...so, even though it's raining out right now and a fair 57-60, I'd like some opinions before I get the work done, so I'm sure someone here knows a little HVAC and can offer a little insight?

[pwnst*r]

OT: Puyallup...do they still do the state fair there?

[forrestcupp]

Hang a bag of ice in front of a fan. :)

That really sucks that you have to deal with that.

[mamamia88]

do you have a basement? go down there

[ram2500]

Yes, we still have the state fair every September, and we have ongoing events as well at the Fair. (I don't live right in Puyallup necessarily, but I live 20 miles away from town out in the boonies, but I'm still considered a Puyallup-ian:)) Anyways, I'd like to know what I am going to do before June, when it starts getting really hot. I can't go in the basement, because I don't have one:) (I own a manufactured home--read--mobile home or simply a trailer for those who are not in the US:)). Fans blow hot air. The Puyallup area, if your familiar with it, gets pretty good and hot in the summer, and I was someone who lived in the Panhandle area of Texas in my salad days. (Back then, air conditioning was a true luxury.)

Any ideas? The Carrier people said it can be done, but then they steered me toward a new furnace:P which would be about $3000+ total for that alone. It's just the air conditioner that's bad. The furnace runs very well, but I don't want to spend all this money to find that the air conditioner will not work right because it isn't paired with the same furnace.

Oh, why am I asking about this on a technical forum, I don't know. I'm just going to be desperate without air conditioning! And it's got to work without any failure, or I am going to be miserable.

[McRat]

Is the compressor seized, or is it just out of Freon?

It's almost always cheaper to rebuild the unit than replace.

But the newer compressors use less electricity for the same amount of effect.

The coils must be matched to the airflow of the system, or the coils either freeze up, or never get cold.

[gletob]

Window units?

[tgalati4]

Could be the fan motor has burned out. ~$150 for the part. Relatively easy to install. So you need to determine if the actual compressor burned out, or did you develop a freon leak, or did the fan motor quit.

Sometimes it's the fuse ($12) or the contactor has gone bad ($25).

[Ebere]

do you have a basement? go down there

His grown children live there.

[CharlesA]

Hang a bag of ice in front of a fan. :)

Wasn't there an episode of CSI about that? :cool:

[handy]

Get more than one quote for the installation of a Carrier condenser?

You will learn a great deal, & start to be able to determine who is the real deal & who is just trying to make the most profit out of doing the job.

No one in the forum can give you a valid plan of action. We are full of impractical ideas, relating to something remotely connected (at best) with your situation.

[Timmer1240]

Have you had someone look at it to find out if it is actually shot? The newer units now are 13 seer at the least and possibly have R410a the new refrigerant which would require replacement of the condensor, evaporator coil, and a new lineset as not to contaminate the new system!Could get spendy!If you want it to last you should replace the whole works I know Ive been doing HVAC for 20years.

[tgalati4]

I don't know crap, but I have replaced the fan ($100), fuse ($8 ), contactor ($20),and had an AC guy do a freon topoff ($100) on my 30-year-old Lennox 3-ton. A replacement Lennox highboy would be $10K and take 30 years to pay for itself in energy savings. SEER 10.5 (measured) to SEER 12.5 effective for the new units.

[Timmer1240]

Dont know where you guys are from but around here replacing an airconditioning system only costs 2000 to 2500 dollars max Im in North dakota other parts of the country people get raped it sounds like!

[Timmer1240]

10k for Ac is a ripoff!

[tgalati4]

Well, a Lennox dealer won't replace a unit unless they do the entire job: highboy, outside condensor, new lines, new ducts (under the house and in the attic), and California requires a $350 pressure leak test. The quote for the ducts was $1700, and the rest was about about $8K so I rounded to $10K. Yes, there are cheaper units. No, I don't think a new unit will last 30 years--the time it will take to repay the savings.

I used to live in Minot. We didn't have AC.

[spcwingo]

I work on A/C every day in my line of work (apartment maintenance). You might want to check on a Goodman condensing unit (they're cheap and they last). The only problem you might run into is the SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating) not matching (10 SEER units are getting really hard to find). It's not absolutely necessary to match the SEER rating of the condensing unit to the rating of the evaporating unit, but it just won't run as efficiently as it could. The one thing that is VITAL is that the orifice sizes and tonnage ratings are an exact match. While you have it apart you might as well fill it with Isceon Refrigerant (R-22 drop-in replacement). Just my $0.02.

[spcwingo]

10k for Ac is a ripoff!

I second that wholeheartedly.

[sandyd]

Hang a bag of dry ice in front of a fan. :)

That really sucks that you have to deal with that.fixed it for ya. just put ot in the vents, and you get to see nice smoke comming out, just like in horror movies. (p.s. off topic, but does anyone still play house of the dead? (1)(2)?

[ram2500]

I have spoke with two other dealers, and have mentioned about the "refrigerant contamination" problem as mine definitely uses the older refrigerant (the air conditioner is 13 years old). My brother (A house builder) has told me about this builder supply wholesale warehouse that carries HVAC items as well, and he told me I can get a NEW heat pump unit + an air handler (both of which are Carrier) for $2200. And then he knows somebody who'll put it in for $400. So, I guess after all, the furnace will get replaced. It's still good, so I might sell it (?).

[smellyman]

There is only one week of AC weather in Puyallup and that isn't until July....

[Khakilang]

Simple. sudo apt-get carrier.ac. There you go.

[mobilediesel]

Note: I have called a Carrier dealer, and they said a Carrier condenser would work fine with my furnace, but then my brother, who is in construction, said that I'd have to have a new furnace because it wouldn't work...so, even though it's raining out right now and a fair 57-60, I'd like some opinions before I get the work done, so I'm sure someone here knows a little HVAC and can offer a little insight?

As long as the condenser is the same BTU rating as the one it's replacing it should be no problem. If it doesn't quite match up to the ductwork, most HVAC places have sheet metal to make their own ducts/adapters if they have to. I used to work at an HVAC place that primarily sold Trane and Lennox but occasionally Carrier and a couple others. Carrier seemed more expensive in a lot of cases but seeing as how most of the Carrier equipment lasted well past the warranty it was worth it to customers.