Well, it's actually good news, for now.
The air condition technician just came, fixed (or I should say "patched") and left. He was incredibly helpful, and offered some helpful advice. Our "builders grade" unit, which is both our air conditioning unit and heating unit is only 64,000 btus. Apparently, this is a very small system for our 3,000 sq. ft. home. (Figures..the builder was really cheap!) It is also 10 years old and still uses freon (not good for the environment). There were also some filters from our air purifier that were constricting the air flow and causing some problems. He mentioned that there probably is a tiny leak, and that filling the freon will only be a temporary fix but a good alternative to trying to locate the leak and fixing it which would cost around $700-800 or more depending on the leak.
He said that there are units out there that are 60% more efficient and cost about $7,000.00 with a life expectancy of 20 years. He said I would see immediate savings and the house would be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. He was not a pushy salesman, just offering advice, and I appreciated it. I LOVED the idea of putting more efficient equipment in our home, and the fact I have until next summer to research, price, and save for a new unit.
Our house is cooling down nicely, and I'm hoping this "patch" will last until it gets cooler out...some time in Sept - Oct.
The visit and the freon cost $238.00 which was easily paid from my checking account. I feel as though I have dodged a bullet...for now.
Weekending
3 months ago
4 comments:
Ask him, before purchasing the more efficient unit - "how easy is it to get parts for a repair?" "How do the cost of these parts compare to other units?" "Will I have to hire only that brands repair man to fix and get parts?"
Why? Because our furnace went out this past year (we have the same kind of combo thingy) and we found out the hard way - what it is like to deal with LENOX. Our house was built in 95' and we should have got more time. But like all things those are estimated time frames.
Lenox dealers and repair men are not like your other heating & air guys. They charge a fortune for holiday work. Most things happen on weekends. or off days.
We were lucky - the motor that cost 5 TIMES what any other furnace would have cost, was ours at cost - due to the fact we recently sold a business to a "repair guy". Connections matter.
Plus, my DH could do the work himself.
Be careful. I'm glad you have a year to investigate.
Dedicated,
Thanks for the info! And that is good info about part replacement. The repair guy said he has a TRANE in his home, and likes the efficiency...
Hubby has already started researching units. I'm crunching numbers. Either way, for this area (high cost of living) it will be about 7,000 or 8,000.00. But maybe we'll be able to research when the best time to buy is!
This is somewhat heartening - that you have some time to save up. It would probably make sense to decide when you want to buy it, work back to figure out how many months, and then figure out how much to save per month. If you have other things to fix, might as well do it all at once if you can...
60% more efficient - so a good 40-50% savings on the A/C and heat bill... not so bad!
So here's my question - these are not emergencies right? So if it breaks down on Saturday, you can wait til Monday to call the guy... right?
Hi Sharon,
Sorry for your A/C woes! I found your site when I was googling Cortese Pizza for their pizza recipe for my blog. When I saw you grew up in Hillcrest, it was like a blast from the past. I grew up near Binghamton and went to Chenango Valley High School. It's fun to find people from my hometown on the web. I love your blog and will be back again.
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