Hi all, we just moved into a new home with a 13 year old electric HVAC (Trane). First few weeks the AC was super cold and freezing us out. This week, it has been having trouble maintaining temperatures at 73 (still cooling, but only to 76 or so). I had a tech out and he found a leak inside the house. Then took a look in the outside unit and found it to be covered in oil. Apparently, that is an indication of serious leakage. He did find one more leak out side, but then stopped looking. His guess is that the previous owner was just refilling freon with out fixing leaks, possibly for years. Recommends replacing the entire unit rather than fixing multiple leaks. They're coming out to give us a quote tomorrow, but I expect it be between 3-4k (vs probably 1k to fix).

Questions:
1. See any warning signs or do you agree with the tech assessment?
2. Assuming you agree, any advice on buying a new unit. We have a 3000 square foot all brick home located in south east Tennessee, so cooling is more critical than heating. Brands to recommend or avoid? Tips for saving money or sizing of unit?

Thanks - appreciate the advice!

 

Since it appears to have multiple leaks.... it may be time to replace it. Leaks in the coils can be impossible to fix reliably.

There are many good brands..... Trane, Carrier, Goodman, Rheem etc.
In most instances it's not the brand as much as the installation that is key.
Get several quotes. Let them recommend the brand.

In my opinion.... high performance systems are the most costly. Yes... they will save on energy but they are more costly to fix.

Have the quoting companies do a heat loss/gain calculation to see what size is required.