Questions about AC units

[ChefGirl]

DH just spent over $2,500 on repairing the AC system. The house was built in 2004. What is the typical warranty period on an AC unit? I think we replaced the evaprator and the coil. My Mom thinks we got ripped off. I just want to hear some opinions out there.

Thanks.

[crazydiamond]

Depends - you can go to the web site of the manufacturer. We bought an Carrier infinity system and the optional extended warranty WITH Labor. We have used this warranty twice in the last 5 years for repairs - so I am glad I paid extra for it. The quote below is from the Carrier website for our system.


"To the original owner, the Carrier Infinity Series Central Air Conditioner is covered by a 10-year parts limited warranty upon timely registration of your new equipment. Ask your Carrier dealer about optional extended warranties, which may include labor. Warranty period is 5 years if not registered within 90 days. Jurisdictions where warranty benefits cannot be conditioned on registration will automatically receive a 10-year parts limited warranty. See warranty certificate at carrier.com for complete details"

[mommylamb]

Ugh... this is a sore spot, but I don't think you're getting ripped off by that price. A coil is about that expensive. Most warranties are about 5 years, I think, though the newer more energy efficient stuff has a 10 year warranty (at least the unit that we are installing does). the sales guy we spoke to the other day said that homes that were built in the more recent past often used either cheap systems (builders being cheap) or the people installing them were not really very good and made mistakes, so they're replacing a lot of units in houses that were built around the time your house was built.

We have a leak in the coil somewhere, and rather than pay the $500-$600 to diagnose exactly where and then replace the coil, which may require replacing the A/C unit itself, we're replacing the whole system in favor of an energy efficient system (hense, I'm awake at 4 in the morning stressing about money). We decided to do the whole thing becuase you don't get the tax credit from the stimulus bill if you don't replace the whole system because you can't otherwise achieve the efficiency standards set out in the legislation. It means we need to replace the furnace too, which is in perfect working order. I called Habitat for Humanity yesterday and they are coming to pick up my furnace, so at least it'll go to good use. But, it's just really expensive to replace the whole system (outside A./C unit, coil, inside furnace and the connection feed between them...) It's going to cost us about $7,800, but wihen you factor in the tax credit and a manufacturers mail in rebate, it's just under $6,000, and should save us money on a monthly basis and be quieter than the old system... still, it's a lot of money and I'm stressed.

[belovedgandp]

Probably not insane, but the reason we replaced our AC last summer. It was 11 years old and needed a new coil. New coil would have been between 600 and 800. To replace the same bad design in a system that wasn't that efficient.

New AC with heat pump (not full furnace, that's a whole other area) was $3000. With the improved efficiency of the AC unit and the heat pump, our utility bills were almost $900 less in the past year than the year before.

AC unit don't have the longest life span. 10-15 years is pretty typical overall. A traditional furnace can run for 30+.