My outside unit was shutting down before the thermostat hit the ideal temperature. Would be off for about 10 minutes, run for a few minutes and shut off again. Shut it down for the night, same problem the next night, shut it down. Called for service, tech came, unit ran without shutting down for about 45 minutes, tech tested for error codes, nothing. Went to the outside unit, said I am low on refrigerant. Went back up in the attic and tested for leaks with soap and water but said he couldn't find any.

Unit was 2lbs light on refrigerant. He said he tightened up the joints.

I know refrigerant doesn't just go anywhere and there "should" be a leak. I am 2 weeks away from York's 5 year warranty. If there is a leak anywhere in the system, is that usually covered?

What would you guys do? Call the same company and ask for a different tech to test for leaks? Thanks for any help and advice

 

Not my area but a buddy had a tech out and he said it can be difficult to find leaks when it's hot, as the metal expands. Said it's easier when things have cooled off in the fall.

I would start by calling York and talking to them about what you have going on.

 

York is famous for leaks in the evaporator. 5 years old would put it in the major time they had the most issues. I'm not saying that's it but i would look at evap first.

 

Well I have another tech from the same company coming out today. My evaporator coil is not a York, it is AllStyle. Not sure why the installer would use a different brand (other than cost savings).

Will update the new tech's findings

 

According to the AllStyle website.... their coils carry a ten year warranty.

That means they would cover the cost of the coil only..... no incidentals are included.

 

Found the leak, it is in the evaporator coil. Said it is at a connection where aluminum and copper meet and they haven't found a way to fix it other than to replace it. Tech said it is under warranty but not the labor. Will be about 1500 for the labor, for roughly 4 hours of work...


SERIOUSLY?????

 

That's why the fancy part "warranties" they hawk are often a joke. They get you for the labor, freon, and anything else they can think of. $1500 is a little steep. Since you already know the problem you can try calling around for a better price. I've heard of similar jobs being done for about half of what they quoted you. But you're in New York, and almost everything is more money in expensive cities.

 

I have to agree..... that does sound a little on the high side. They should be able to evacuate, save and re-use the refrigerant which is a big chunk of change.

BUT.... you did say the magic word.... attic. That right there increases the cost of the job just because of the logistics working on the air handler.

apprentice...... the OP is in Nv. - Nevada.

 

Thanks guys for responding. I called a couple other places but only got one other quote from a part owner of the company willing to knock off $200 off of my quote. Then he proceeded to tell me that his hourly "commercial" rate is 185 a hour. Thanked him for his time and we ended the called... Then I began to ponder.....

So I would assume his residential rate would be a tad lower, say 170/per hour. At 4 hours we are no where near 1300.

Will call a couple more places tomorrow.

Last question, who ever I get to replace the coil, how as a customer can I be assured that it is a correct All Style coil that is the same size/fit as the broken one?

Thanks for reading everyone

 

Just curious..... is this the same company that did the original installation ?

 

Yes the new quoted price is from the same company as the original installer

 

How is it cooling ? If it is cooling OK , then this is not a drop dead emergency must fix right now .

Call AllStyle and talk to them . Ask about the warranty . Ask them about shipping you a new / replacement coil . Tell them you are unsure about the original installer . You want to research HVAC companies , then decide who you want to do the install .

If you can get the coil in your hot little hands , then you can take your time to make decisions . At least until it cools down in the attic .

Or , they may not play ball with you .

I read , 5 year warranty ;

http://www.allstyle.com/wp-content/u...ed-8-20141.pdf

In any event , I would replace it myself . I pretty much have the tooling .

But heare is another zinger . Do you trust the tech , that he is telling you the truth ? Did he really find a leaky coil ? Or is he just trying to zing you for over a thousand dollars ?

2 pounds of refrigerant in almost 5 years is a slow leak . In 5 more years , he may be far down the road .

God bless
Wyrt

 

The unit is blowing nice cold air now.

Problem is, after talking to AllStyle, I have 1 week left for the warranty. So time is of the essence to get it repaired under warranty.

The tech that detected the leak brought me up in the attic and showed me where it was and I was able to see the bubbles. Trust the tech, just don't like his companies pricing. A lot of Yelp reviews had the same negative tone.

All Style said I could get any HVAC certified installer to do the work. Just up to the company to find the replacement might be a problem but I have the distributors # to help find one in my area.

I told All Style what the tech said being the joint where the copper and aluminum meet was a design and that's why they keep leaking. There response was, there design is fine as they have very few leaks, most likely the leak happened due to a bad install.

 

I knew I had seen 10 year warranty but it's only on newer coils.
Limited 10 Year Warranty (Coils manufactured beginning 2013 only)

The manufacturer will always try to blame the problem on the installation..... but it is a fact that coils do go bad from production problems.

 

Where the copper meets the aluminum is usually no where near where the installation guy would have any effect on it. Bottom line warranty or not, nine times out of ten from what I've seen the customer is going to pay dearly. You might be able to do better than $1500, but as you can see the 'warranty' really doesn't do all that much for you.

 

I suggest you find out what the real cost of a new equivalent coil . Even if you have to buy one out of pocket , over the internet .

Around here , cooling is the major season for HVAC & I am guessing prices drop , by mid winter .

Also , I have been in construction for over 30 years ( in a different trade ) . I know HVAC techs that I could probably get to do it for me for a steak dinner or to .

But , as I think I said , I would just probably do it myself .

I bay be right or I may be wrong . But I would never knowingly let someone install a copper to aluminum coil . ( Aluminum fins are standard & OK . )

Sere it a coil with all the tubing copper , you would have had a situation where the tech might have been able to silver solder / braze the leak & you would be golden by now .

Why don't you post all the info on the coil . How many tons the unit is , dimensions , and it is less than 5 years old , so it is probably R410a refrigerant . Up flow , down flow or horizontal flow .

Catalog # if you can read it .

God bless
Wyr

 

$1500 to replace a coil seems crazy to me, especially since the coil itself is under warranty... I just bought a cased Rheem aluminum coil for less than 1/2 of what they're asking..

Are rates really that high to evac, replace coil, test for leaks, then to refill? Since the coil is under warranty and you can reused the recovered freon, it's really all in labor and a bit in consumables like brazing rods and gases for the torch and pressure test..