Charlie:
Joe in the Heights has an AC System question. This is kind of a technical one Tom.
Tom:
Uh-oh.
Charlie:
Get out your AC hat. He says he recently had a spring check on his AC system with the company that installed it back in 2000. They found a leak in the evaporator coil and a bad capacitor on the outside unit and he says they have given him two proposals.
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Number one: Install a four ton evaporator box, convert to MO99? Is that right? MO99? A new plenum drain pan, rather, a float switch, a five year warranty on the parts, a year on the labor, of about $3500.
The second one is: Install a four ton XR16 complete gas system, a new condenser, a new furnace, new four ton box evaporator coil, new drain pan, new slab condenser, a float switch, a thermostat, 10 year warranty. You know, I’ll bet this one’s more? About seven grand.
Tom:
Go ahead replace the whole system as opposed to just replacing the evaporator coil. 2000. It’s 17 years old. You can replace just the evaporator coil and you could just go back if it’s an R410A, just an R410A refrigerant and if that’s what you can afford, that’s great. I know there was a capacitor in there. Capacitors go bad all the time, so no matter if it’s 17 years or two years old-
Charlie:
The leak is probably a little more critical.
Tom:
Yeah. The leak is the issue. Do you want to just replace the evaporator coil? Now, here’s the other thing Charlie, how much money does the guy have?
Charlie:
He’s richy rich.
Tom:
Well, I probably would nurse it along for a few more years. I think the systems today can go 25 years easily so I think he still has a good 5 to 10 years left in the unit.
Charlie:
Go with the first option? The cheaper option?
Tom:
If you want to, but a lot of people love the idea.. they’re getting a new warranty. They have a brand new system and hopefully it won’t have nay problems for 10, 20 years, again, so that’s a decision I’m going to let them make.
I’m not one to go with all of the warranties and replace the entire unit unless I have to. That’s why my system is 22 years old in my house. That’s going to be up to him, but either way it will work. I’m going to let him have the option.