I have what I believe to be a Coleman/York Furnace, Model # G8T08012UHA11A. The a/c unit (outside) will not function if the t/stat is set to AUTO, however, it runs fine when set to the ON position - ie: if I set the temp to 70 the unit cools the house until it reaches that temp, the compressor shuts down and the fan continues to run. We believe the t/stat is ok, however, it is using batteries like crazy, so my hubby thinks we should replace the board inside the furnace, part #031-01267-001. BTW, the heat works properly when set to AUTO position...Any recommendations? Should we try to replace the t/stat first? Thanks in advance.

I have run into an unusual situation with a local HVAC company and I need advice. I am incurring what I perceive as unfair charges based on a failed diagnosis by a representative of said local company. Here is what happened: Early last week I noticed that water was collecting at the base of my indoor unit. I am not a professional but I am familiar with the design of the system enough to know that I had a likely issue with my coil pan or the condensate drain. Last year at about exactly this time I had noticed a few drips of water pooling on the top of the furnace so I called the company out and had them clean the drain line. The tech vacuumed the excess water out of the pan and ran water through the line and it seemed to be OK at the time. So when I saw the significant amount of water leaking I called a sales representative of the company who I had previously purchased a system from before. He is also the spouse of one of my wife's friends. When he arrived the induction motor had also apparently shorted or something of the sort because it was running as well, while in AC mode. He quickly unplugged the induction motor and said, "you need a new coil pan." He wrote down the model# of the coil and left. Some time later he texted me and told me it would be $865 installed price for the coil and pan. I said OK and told him to get it scheduled. A day or so later they came out and my wife was home to let them in to get started replacing the coil. I arrived about 30 minutes later and saw my old coil laying in the drive way. I quickly asked the install tech if the leak in the pan was very bad. I could tell right away by the look in his eyes and his mannerisms that there was an issue. He started off by saying, "well, I have a theory." My mind immediately went to, "oh crap there is nothing wrong with that coil." He went on to tell me that when he was cutting the coil out, he thought he stuck his finger in the condensate line where it exits the coil and he thought it "might have been plugged." I asked him what we could do to test the coil and pan that was laying in my drive way. He said we could pour some water in it and see if it leaks. I went and grabbed some saw horses and some water and we filled up the pan. Two minutes...no leak. Five minutes.... no leak. You get the picture? So now we are sitting there with my system all torn up downstairs and another tech down there making mods to it to get the new coil to fit. The original guy I talked to was very polite, and when asked what he would do, he said, "I would put the old coil back in." I had already pretty much told him that is what I wanted to do as I saw no need to replace a perfectly good coil for $800 + dollars. He called the sales rep back a couple times and I don't know exactly what was discussed but there were a couple conversations before the plan was put in place to put the original coil back into place. So long story short, they put the old coil back in and redesigned and cleaned the condensate line. This took them a little over three hours for two workers. When I asked the sales rep what this was going to cost me, he told me he would just charge me "sheet metal" labor which is $65 per hour. Unfortunately that is times two because there were two guys. I haven't received the bill yet, but at minimum I assume they will try to charge me for 3 hours labor times $130 which equals $390 for labor plus materials. Chances are I could be looking at a bill over $500. What should my financial obligation be in this? To me it seems that the original problem was a clogged condensate drain that was not diagnosed and was instead diagnosed as a bad coil pan. So I feel that should be my only obligation, to pay for the labor to replace and/or repair the clogged line? How much would it typically cost to replace a condensate line that drains right next to the unit? Additional info: They did send a tech out a few days later after this to troubleshoot why the induction motor was on. He found nothing wrong and theorized that it was probably just on because of the water leaking everywhere. All timing for heat, AC etc. checked out ok. Also the unit has been completely dry for over a week. Not a drop of water anywhere other than in the condensate line and drain, where it should be. Summary: It seems fairly simple to me: A mistake was made in troubleshooting. Not one representative of the company caught the mistake. As the customer, I had to catch the problem on my own. They were going to install a new coil and pan even though I didn't need it and charge me for it. This is probably the most well respected company in town and that is one of the main reasons I always use them. Now I am stuck not knowing what to do... [video=youtube;9E0oa-E7Hcw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E0oa-E7Hcw[/video]