NAD on Monday!!

[War_in_D]

New A/C Day that is.. That's $6K wasn't planning on spending. A/C went out at about 4pm on Friday afternoon after the hottest week we've seen in NW Arkansas in a while. Been at, or above 100 degrees all week with heat index going up to 110-115 degrees in the afternoons. I was expecting it to go out eventually, the unit is nearly 30 years old so I guess I can't complain too much. Thankfully, the A/C company I use was able to get out to the house within about an hour, but then gave me the bad news. The compressors is shot. I was informed I could replace the compressor with a one year warranty ($4000), but they have to order it or put in an entirely new system with a two year "bumper to bumper" and 10 year parts warranty ($6000). No brainer for me. They have them in stock, but can't install it until Monday. Looks like I'm going all weekend without A/C. ????

 

[JackBootedThug]

that sounds crazy expensive. Mine ac just went out. Blown compressor. My system was installed new in 05 so I’m set up for r22. I am on my third compressor and it just died. Luckily my brother in law had a spare 3 ton r22 unit. Cost 105 for a house call and analysis from one company, then when my normal guy got here…we swapped them over and he loaded it with 6lbs of r22. 300 in Freon and 150 labor. Sometime that night lost five pounds of r22 because a seal failed. Waiting on a seal and a recharge. Right now I’m all in at 605 and looking at another 250 at least. Will be doing a changeover in the future. Fuckin government banning r22….awesome.

 

[JackBootedThug]

Should mention I have gas forced air for heat, no heat pump. With your system being that old I assume you were running r22 also? I assume they are changing you to 410a? To change mine to 410a I’d need a new a coil and line set. Not sure what your setup is but that’s what I’m looking at.

 

[War_in_D]

Should mention I have gas forced air for heat, no heat pump. With your system being that old I assume you were running r22 also? I assume they are changing you to 410a? To change mine to 410a I’d need a new a coil and line set. Not sure what your setup is but that’s what I’m looking at.

Yeah, I think that's what the guy was saying regarding the refrigerant and I'm running natural gas heat here too thankfully. I've heard nothing bur horror stories from a buddy of mine with a heat pump. They are having to replace the entire outside unit, and the coil inside as well.

 

[JackBootedThug]

Ok…they didn’t include a new furnace in that?

 

[War_in_D]

Ok…they didn’t include a new furnace in that?

Nope, that was $8K.. ?

 

[JackBootedThug]

I would probably do a whole new system bro. Fuckin sucks no matter what though.

 

[rsm]

had to replace mine earlier this year; nearly $10K

 

[JackBootedThug]

I'm actually going to update my system and take my old furnace and put it in my son's house. Put a "new"..used heat pump there this year for ac....furnace was installed in 81-still works great-but needs an upgrade. 2005 is newer than 81 so....

 

[Ben Waylin]

Two words..

Mini Split

$750 off teh Amazon

 

[Dan Gleesak]

Should mention I have gas forced air for heat, no heat pump. With your system being that old I assume you were running r22 also? I assume they are changing you to 410a? To change mine to 410a I’d need a new a coil and line set. Not sure what your setup is but that’s what I’m looking at.

410a is on its way out just the same. If anyone is trying to sell you a 410 system in 2023 they are crooks

 

[JackBootedThug]

410a is on its way out just the same. If anyone is trying to sell you a 410 system in 2023 they are crooks

yup but from what I understand you can't even buy the new units. my tech said he thinks that they will be crap because of the pressures that they run at. predicting lots and lots of failures. also my brother in law whose a hvac guy says 410a will be around for a long time so not to worry about it. my tech said the same thing. fuck it's all a damn scam.....

 

[War_in_D]

yup but from what I understand you can't even buy the new units. my tech said he thinks that they will be crap because of the pressures that they run at. predicting lots and lots of failures. also my brother in law whose a hvac guy says 410a will be around for a long time so not to worry about it. my tech said the same thing. fuck it's all a damn scam.....

Yeah, the A/C guy that was here yesterday said pretty much the same thing about the new systems. Said everything would be changing soon, but they said the current system was a better one. Also said the new stuff when it comes out would be a lot more expensive to buy and maintain due to the tools being different to work on them.

 

[VonBonfire]

I only got A/C cause my ol' lady will complain about the heat otherwise I'd just head to the river to cool off.

I got a big window unit for my small house so when it dies I just haul it to recycle for some cash and grab another one for five or six hundred bucks. I had a fancier house and our A/C died in 2012. We went about three weeks before coughing up 5k for a whole new system. My brother's died this summer and he was in it for 12k. That's a lot of Les Pauls man....

 

[JackBootedThug]

I only got A/C cause my ol' lady will complain about the heat otherwise I'd just head to the river to cool off.

I got a big window unit for my small house so when it dies I just haul it to recycle for some cash and grab another one for five or six hundred bucks. I had a fancier house and our A/C died in 2012. We went about three weeks before coughing up 5k for a whole new system. My brother's died this summer and he was in it for 12k. That's a lot of Les Pauls man....

Yup and they build the shit to fail. When I was a kid we didn’t have plumbing much less ac… never even thought about it. Now though-fuck that. I’m not a Viking barbarian anymore like I used to be. I like being warm without having to cut trees down, and I like being cool when it’s hot outside.

 

[Dan Gleesak]

yup but from what I understand you can't even buy the new units. my tech said he thinks that they will be crap because of the pressures that they run at. predicting lots and lots of failures. also my brother in law whose a hvac guy says 410a will be around for a long time so not to worry about it. my tech said the same thing. fuck it's all a damn scam.....

It’ll be around for a while, but the phase out has officially begun. I still buy R22 jugs when I can, but the price is outrageous. 410 prices will be doing the same.

I feel like anyone not putting in r32 or propane when doing a new install is just asking for headaches

 

[VonBonfire]

Yup and they build the shit to fail. When I was a kid we didn’t have plumbing much less ac… never even thought about it. Now though-fuck that. I’m not a Viking barbarian anymore like I used to be. I like being warm without having to cut trees down, and I like being cool when it’s hot outside.

I cut the trees down to stay warm in the winter and to cut down the wildfire risk in the summer. Win-win. It's cheap living. I shoot deer not cause I like to kill stuff but cause I like cheap meat and the little guys eat up my garden so in a way it's like eating processed vegetables. The antlers do look good hanging from my porch. My electric bill this last month was 150 bucks during a solid 30 day stretch of 100+ degree weather. I don't even use a dryer for my clothes. Really keeps my bills down. Musician's budget!

 

[Ben Waylin]

I just recharged a mini-split that leaked out it's R-410A, due to a brass compression fitting coming loose after 1 year in service.

$119 + free delivery on the 2lbs of refrigerant.

 

[JackBootedThug]

It’ll be around for a while, but the phase out has officially begun. I still buy R22 jugs when I can, but the price is outrageous. 410 prices will be doing the same.

I feel like anyone not putting in r32 or propane when doing a new install is just asking for headaches

Can you buy the new units? And do you know anything about the pressure issues my guy mentioned? I’m going to replace my system soon….

 

[Dan Gleesak]

Can you buy the new units? And do you know anything about the pressure issues my guy mentioned? I’m going to replace my system soon….

I guess it depends on how far you are going with replacing your system. 410 and r32 operate at similar pressures…. R32 is just more efficient and needs smaller lines to run at that same pressure.
So retrofitting a 410 system isn’t going to run very well with r32 unless you also install smaller lines