jp_pr123 Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 The last week it was hot here & we put the AC on to find that its not working !! We spent couple of days bearing the heat somehow....thankfully its been pleasant after that because of the rains. The technician says we need to replace it ...& its going to cost somewhere around $3000 ! Does anyone have an idea where we can find some good deals?.....any brand which is good but reasonably priced too?
laddhorn Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 What kind of A/C? Window, Central, Swamp? Where are you located? How much are they planning on replacing? What size? How old is it?
labgeek Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 I think before dropping $3k, I'd get a 2nd opinion. The economy's bad - you don't know if that tech might need the work and suggesting another unit to help his personal economics out... Check around some other companies may have a 'tune up special' going on - check the weekend paper.
debbieshops2003 Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Dang you must be in So. Cal. The SAME thing happened to me. I needed the air last week and NOTHING. Then it cooled down and has been really nice. I'm sure it won't last and I am hoping I don't need to replace our unit. I can't afford $3,000 right now. We bought this house 2 years ago. So I don't really know the history of the unit. Our house is 13 years old. I don't know what to do.
brithug00 Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 absolutly get a second opinion. how many times have we all gotten totally different opinions from mechanics that work on your car? Ask your neighbors who they use, call the manufacturer of the unit. My father called the manf, and they not only recommended someone local, but he got a great discount for sticking with the same company.
nick_jenni_jocelyn Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 We had to replace our a/c unit last summer. We had been gone for a whole weekend and left the air turned up to 78 but when i walked in the house when we got back, it was soooo warm. I looked at the thermostat and it was 88 in the house! So needless to say, we had to replace it and it cost $2,300 for a whole new unit, including all labor. It was a Carrier brand.
rachealb Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 wow- I would definitely keep looking around. We had a friend do ours, granted he is a certified HVAC guy, he can go to the wholesale place and get the units, but we got our central air unit for about $500-$600 (his price)- so that would be a huge markup when there wouldnt be that much work for a replacement versus if it was a brand new install.
laddhorn Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 I replaced the outside unit for about $1500 through Sears a few years ago. After I looked around, I found that I could have done alot better, but the damage was already done. For $3k, I could have replaced both the outside AND inside. I would get a 2nd opinion of what is exactly wrong. They can probably FIX it cheaper.
mesarobins Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 You might need to replace it - eventually, but like everyone else I think they could fix it so it will work for now. My house is 23 years old and the original a/c (heat pump) is still working and that is not unusual and it definitely gets a workout (think 6 months of the year running continuously)! Also check to see if your utility co. offers any kind of rebate for buying a more energy efficient unit. According to a flyer in my utility bill this month there is also a federal tax credit of up to $1500 for qualifying new systems put into service btwn 1/1/09 and 12/31/10.
jp_pr123 Posted May 4, 2009 Author Posted May 4, 2009 What kind of A/C? Window, Central, Swamp? Where are you located? How much are they planning on replacing? What size? How old is it?Central AC- 3tons. We r in the Kansas city area. The house & the unit are 16 yrs old , we purchased it less than 2yrs ago:( ....
jp_pr123 Posted May 4, 2009 Author Posted May 4, 2009 Dang you must be in So. Cal. The SAME thing happened to me. I needed the air last week and NOTHING. Then it cooled down and has been really nice. I'm sure it won't last and I am hoping I don't need to replace our unit. I can't afford $3,000 right now. We bought this house 2 years ago. So I don't really know the history of the unit. Our house is 13 years old. I don't know what to do. nope ..kansas city :)........Ours is 16 yrs old and the tech says that the actual lifetime is 10yrs...its a lenox right now....I hope u don't have to worry for a few more years.....we too bought the house less than 2yrs ago
jp_pr123 Posted May 4, 2009 Author Posted May 4, 2009 We got a 2nd opinion.....same thing:( Got a few quotes too.....Sears was the cheapest ....$2200 for Payne.....others were more expensive. One of the techs did say that they could repair it for $550 but then again no guarantee how long that would last .......
jp_pr123 Posted May 4, 2009 Author Posted May 4, 2009 You might need to replace it - eventually, but like everyone else I think they could fix it so it will work for now. My house is 23 years old and the original a/c (heat pump) is still working and that is not unusual and it definitely gets a workout (think 6 months of the year running continuously)! Also check to see if your utility co. offers any kind of rebate for buying a more energy efficient unit. According to a flyer in my utility bill this month there is also a federal tax credit of up to $1500 for qualifying new systems put into service btwn 1/1/09 and 12/31/10.23 yrs...wow! good for u !I started to think we were lucky it did not happen as soon as we bought the house. What i was told was that ....the federal tax credit of $1500 applies only if the whole heating/cooling system is replaced ....that would be approx. $5000 I think .
dgagnon Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 We had to replace our central air last summer, it was the orig and was no longer being manufactured so their was no way to repair it the compressor was out and we had a couple of people give us quotes, we ended up getting a brand new one and with labor it was $3500 we live north of Kansas City.
jp_pr123 Posted May 10, 2009 Author Posted May 10, 2009 Finally we got a another tech to come over and check ...and guess what he repaired ....for under $300 ! He said it was just fuel leakage....so he filled in freon and was done ! Thankfully we saved a huge amt !
jason3kgt Posted May 18, 2009 Posted May 18, 2009 Good job on shopping around and getting more opinions and quotes. I can't tell you how many times I have been to a house and seen the customers jaw drop when we quote them. We usually come in alot cheaper on our quotes because of our brand loyalty and warehouse loyalty connections :) $3000 for a 3ton is outrageous!!!!
debbha Posted May 21, 2009 Posted May 21, 2009 Central AC- 3tons. We r in the Kansas city area. The house & the unit are 16 yrs old , we purchased it less than 2yrs ago:( ....I am in the KC area....call around and check. If you get the Sunday paper, there are several reputable companies that offer new A/C units with heat for that price. IM me with info about what part of town you're in. Might be able to recommend one.
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