Advice needed - AC Repair/Replacement

[Mayne]

15k for a new a/c? I only charge around 4k. I might have to rethink my pricing now.

 

[Tech Junky]

15k for a new a/c? I only charge around 4k. I might have to rethink my pricing now.

Less business volume but higher margins. Depends on how savvy the consumer is on getting quotes beforehand as well. I got 5 on premise quotes ranging from 4K-15K for a 3T in/outdoor swap out. One cost cutting measure they used instead of a crane they used a shingle jack to get the outdoor unit on the 2nd story roof. There were also some energy rebates factored into the pricing as well at the time.

The equipment alone when i spec'd it out was about $3K so, $4K installed wasn't too bad for labor. IIRC there was 4 people split into teams to tackle each side of it to make the install a bit quicker.

 

[Greenman]

I've never seen a capacitor "going bad". Use a meter to check the capacitance. They are either good, or bad.
I think you got a "sales tech" who gets a commission on selling new systems. Make the repair high enough, and it makes the sale easier.

I had I fellow come out to snake a sewer lateral, he told me the lateral needed to be replaced before he took the cap off. That was around ten years ago, the sewer line still works just fine.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Update: I've ordered a new OEM fan motor, capacitor, and a hard start kit that I will be installing myself.

 

[WilliamM2]

Update: I've ordered a new OEM fan motor, capacitor, and a hard start kit that I will be installing myself.

Did you even verify that the fan and cap are bad? Is the system currently working fine?

 

[JM Aggie08]

The fan motor is pulling more amperage on start than it should and generally sounds loud/like shit. Beyond that, a new capacitor and hard-start kit are relatively inexpensive and will reset/extend the clock on those parts eventually going bad. It's a 10-11 year old system - here's to hoping this buys another 10-11

 

[Hans Gruber]

The fan motor is pulling more amperage on start than it should and generally sounds loud/like shit. Beyond that, a new capacitor and hard-start kit are relatively inexpensive and will reset/extend the clock on those parts eventually going bad. It's a 10-11 year old system - here's to hoping this buys another 10-11

You mean a soft start kit.

 

[mindless1]

Likewise for the cold weather crowd - a failed draft inducer motor doesn't mean it's time for a new furnace, especially if the failure is due to external factors like a bird falling down your chimney. (Eeeew.)

My draft inducer motor started squealing at about 15 years old. I lubed it and it stopped making noise, and kept running another decade till the whole furnace stack was replaced due to heat exchanger rust-out.

 

[mindless1]

The fan motor is pulling more amperage on start than it should and generally sounds loud/like shit. Beyond that, a new capacitor and hard-start kit are relatively inexpensive and will reset/extend the clock on those parts eventually going bad. It's a 10-11 year old system - here's to hoping this buys another 10-11

Okay but you are telling us the tech's diagnosis, not how they arrived at it. A bad capacitor can cause this with nothing (yet) wrong with the fan. If it does have a bad capacitor and the system is left on and overheats the motor, then yes it can be damaged from that, but I am back to the initial doubt of whether the fan was really tested because nobody usually does that. If the cap is bad, put new cap in and try it, is the normal procedure.

 

[Lanyap]

I’ve been watching this guy for home DIY. This is his AC cap video. You’ll have to click watch on YouTube.

 

[Hans Gruber]

Okay but you are telling us the tech's diagnosis, not how they arrived at it. A bad capacitor can cause this with nothing (yet) wrong with the fan. If it does have a bad capacitor and the system is left on and overheats the motor, then yes it can be damaged from that, but I am back to the initial doubt of whether the fan was really tested because nobody usually does that. If the cap is bad, put new cap in and try it, is the normal procedure.

Never get in the way of someone who wants to throw money away.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Never get in the way of someone who wants to throw money away.

 

[Mayne]

Less business volume but higher margins. Depends on how savvy the consumer is on getting quotes beforehand as well. I got 5 on premise quotes ranging from 4K-15K for a 3T in/outdoor swap out. One cost cutting measure they used instead of a crane they used a shingle jack to get the outdoor unit on the 2nd story roof. There were also some energy rebates factored into the pricing as well at the time.

The equipment alone when i spec'd it out was about $3K so, $4K installed wasn't too bad for labor. IIRC there was 4 people split into teams to tackle each side of it to make the install a bit quicker.

I didn't know the job was that involved. That was my price for a simple re & re

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Okay but you are telling us the tech's diagnosis, not how they arrived at it. A bad capacitor can cause this with nothing (yet) wrong with the fan. If it does have a bad capacitor and the system is left on and overheats the motor, then yes it can be damaged from that, but I am back to the initial doubt of whether the fan was really tested because nobody usually does that. If the cap is bad, put new cap in and try it, is the normal procedure.

In all honesty, I suck at diagnosis and will happily throw a few unnecessary parts at a problem somebody else broadly diagnosed. I still save a crapton of money on labor.

 

[Greenman]

In all honesty, I suck at diagnosis and will happily throw a few unnecessary parts at a problem somebody else broadly diagnosed. I still save a crapton of money on labor.

This. If you go totally overboard and still come out at 20% of the quoted price you've won. Do a victory lap and kiss your wife.

 

[JM Aggie08]

In all honesty, I suck at diagnosis and will happily throw a few unnecessary parts at a problem somebody else broadly diagnosed. I still save a crapton of money on labor.

Hell yea fuck yea. This is the way. $400 vs. $2100. It's a 10 year old system -- I'd rather address these things now than when I absolutely need to.

 

[evident]

Unless you aren't happy for some reason with your system just fix and keep going. Personally I replaced a single stage 32 year old trane unit with a modern variable speed trane unit and it's much quieter and cools much more evenly. Cost me about 15k though

 

[JM Aggie08]

Update -- spoke with a neighbor who previously worked for Carrier. Given my symptoms and setup, he recommended an OEM hard start kit. The kit installed easily...but the lights are still dimming when the compressor kicks on.

I just ordered this:

Amazon.com

Great reviews, install seems easy.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Update -- spoke with a neighbor who previously worked for Carrier. Given my symptoms and setup, he recommended an OEM hard start kit. The kit installed easily...but the lights are still dimming when the compressor kicks on.

I just ordered this:

Amazon.com

Great reviews, install seems easy.

Lights dimming is expected, draw from a compressor motor kicking on will do that. That isn't specifically indicative of a problem.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Absolutely, I fucking hate it though lol.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Update - got the soft start installed and it's working like a champ. It was pretty straightforward, thankfully -- had to install a ring terminal on the active wire coming from the soft start that runs to the contactor and had to splice the compressor run cable to another cable running to the soft start with a butt connector. I also replaced the contactor and tested ahead of wiring in the soft start. So that's: new run capacitor, new fan motor, new contactor, and soft start. Hell yea.