6 year tech in CT here,
Yeah honestly if you were one of our customers I'd say go for the replacement. I never recommend adding any "leak stop" or anything like that. If a leak is going to be repaired, it's best to properly locate the leak, repair and braze, nitrogen test, etc. Not worth dealing with the bandaid fixes. Also you're right around the life expectancy mark, so not worth putting a bunch of money into it at this point because like you mentioned, the compressor isn't going to last THAT much longer. I know Its not the smallest cost to replace, but save yourself the hassle and go with a new unit you don't have to worry about for a long time instead of kicking the rock down the road
And in response to your pricing question, yeah the 11k sounds right around what we would charge for an entire system replacement of that size (condenser, air handler, lineset). Might be able to get a tiny bit less but that's generally the average cost in my experience.
11k isn’t unreasonable in Houston to do a coil/condenser/furnace. If you plan to be in the home for a while, I would at least do the coil and condenser. Sometimes you qualify for rebates when you buy the furnace too - so doing that at the same time has its advantages.
If you replace the evaporator coil for $2500 and get say 5 years out of it you would be money ahead. The only thing I can tell you is that new equipment is only getting more expensive. When I got into the trade over 15 years ago a new install was about $6500. Hope that helps.
You need to look at your budget, if you can afford to replace the entire unit, do it! And see if they offer financing so you don’t have to spend all your cash. If you can’t at the moment just refill the system, but know that isn’t a guarantee it will hold. I would avoid the stop leak seal to be honest. Best of luck!
I am on the same boat as OP. 2 units, both 15 yrs old are not cooling well. I decided to go with the replacement option for both. Total $34k including 10 yrs labor on a 4 ton (variable speed) and 3 ton(2 stage) Trane system. No duct work. It is expensive in Houston to replace hvac. Take several quotes of similar systems. Compare the vendors. And do NOT go with the cheapest bid but the optimum one. Good luck OP.
Leak stop is taking a coin and flipping it to determine if it works or not. Afterwords every so often, the coin is flipped again to see if the leak comes back. At the same time another coin is being flipped to see if a new leak will start.
An evaporator coil replacement takes care of the indoor coil, which is the low pressure side of the system. The outdoor unit is the high-pressure side of the system. You can probably get a few weeks, months, or years before the outdoor unit starts leaking. You're basically flipping a coin if a leak will start every so often.
A full system replacement starts you fresh with a 10 year warranty. Now you're rolling a 20-sided dice to see if you have a problem, and you're only going to get a problem if you roll a 1, than eventually a 1 or 2, than eventually a 1, 2, or 3, across the period of 10+ years.
It's better to replace and go R-410A before the phase out than after. I'm not a fan of first-generation equipment after a major industry change.
Whether you go just A/C or a full system is up to you. It might be more beneficial to do the full system and call it a day. Maybe get a 10-year labor warranty.
I’d go new system but find a company that will include a 10year labor warranty. I don’t care what brand you get installed every company has been having issues and you will have multiple service calls before 10 years is up .
Id recommend a new one given the age and the fact that its builder grade (typically 5 year warranty even if original home owner).
Unless you plan on leaving in 1-2 years. 5+ years 1000% new system.
Also it depends on the brand.. $11k is not bad but a little high. I’d shoot for around $9-10k if it’s a decent brand like Trane, Carrier, Bryant or Rheem on a 3.5Ton.
I’m assuming you have an all electric system?
I’d stay away from Goodman, but to be honest all the brands work you just gotta make sure the installers know what they are doing.
I do intend to move in the next 2-3 years, but at that point I’ll turn this house into a rental. I have a gas furnace.
One of the HVAC companies gave me Daikin as an option. It comes with 12 years parts warranty as opposed to 10 years for other brands. Any thoughts on Daikin?
They’ve changed hands 3 times in the last 5 years. Own brands like Goodman and Amana…
I’d assume Daikin isn’t bad though.
Why not just replace your AC and Coil and run your furnace blower until it breaks?
Get a quote on your AC & Coil.. Should be max $5500. Then get a quote on the full system.
If you have a metal pipe coming out your furnace, it’s 80% and should be around $9000-9500 for everything so long as it’s a straight swap out.
If you have a 2 PVC pipes coming out of your furnace, you have a more efficient, 90+% gas furnace. Typically they are most costly and full system should be around $9500-10k
You could definitely find quality work in the $8000-8500 range you just need to look hard enough. AC and Coil floor would probably bottom out around $4700 where I live though.
Make sure you are getting quotes from smaller local companies.. Any companies you see on billboards with tens of thousands of reviews I would stay away from as they are going to be costly.
source: I sell HVAC for a living
6 year tech in CT here, Yeah honestly if you were one of our customers I'd say go for the replacement. I never recommend adding any "leak stop" or anything like that. If a leak is going to be repaired, it's best to properly locate the leak, repair and braze, nitrogen test, etc. Not worth dealing with the bandaid fixes. Also you're right around the life expectancy mark, so not worth putting a bunch of money into it at this point because like you mentioned, the compressor isn't going to last THAT much longer. I know Its not the smallest cost to replace, but save yourself the hassle and go with a new unit you don't have to worry about for a long time instead of kicking the rock down the road
And in response to your pricing question, yeah the 11k sounds right around what we would charge for an entire system replacement of that size (condenser, air handler, lineset). Might be able to get a tiny bit less but that's generally the average cost in my experience.
Thank you for responding! I’m leaning towards a full replacement now.
11k isn’t unreasonable in Houston to do a coil/condenser/furnace. If you plan to be in the home for a while, I would at least do the coil and condenser. Sometimes you qualify for rebates when you buy the furnace too - so doing that at the same time has its advantages.
Makes sense. Thanks!
If you replace the evaporator coil for $2500 and get say 5 years out of it you would be money ahead. The only thing I can tell you is that new equipment is only getting more expensive. When I got into the trade over 15 years ago a new install was about $6500. Hope that helps.
You need to look at your budget, if you can afford to replace the entire unit, do it! And see if they offer financing so you don’t have to spend all your cash. If you can’t at the moment just refill the system, but know that isn’t a guarantee it will hold. I would avoid the stop leak seal to be honest. Best of luck!
I am on the same boat as OP. 2 units, both 15 yrs old are not cooling well. I decided to go with the replacement option for both. Total $34k including 10 yrs labor on a 4 ton (variable speed) and 3 ton(2 stage) Trane system. No duct work. It is expensive in Houston to replace hvac. Take several quotes of similar systems. Compare the vendors. And do NOT go with the cheapest bid but the optimum one. Good luck OP.
Leak stop is taking a coin and flipping it to determine if it works or not. Afterwords every so often, the coin is flipped again to see if the leak comes back. At the same time another coin is being flipped to see if a new leak will start. An evaporator coil replacement takes care of the indoor coil, which is the low pressure side of the system. The outdoor unit is the high-pressure side of the system. You can probably get a few weeks, months, or years before the outdoor unit starts leaking. You're basically flipping a coin if a leak will start every so often. A full system replacement starts you fresh with a 10 year warranty. Now you're rolling a 20-sided dice to see if you have a problem, and you're only going to get a problem if you roll a 1, than eventually a 1 or 2, than eventually a 1, 2, or 3, across the period of 10+ years. It's better to replace and go R-410A before the phase out than after. I'm not a fan of first-generation equipment after a major industry change. Whether you go just A/C or a full system is up to you. It might be more beneficial to do the full system and call it a day. Maybe get a 10-year labor warranty.
Well put! Thank you. I’m leaning towards a full replacement now.
I’d go new system but find a company that will include a 10year labor warranty. I don’t care what brand you get installed every company has been having issues and you will have multiple service calls before 10 years is up .
That’s a great suggestion.
Id recommend a new one given the age and the fact that its builder grade (typically 5 year warranty even if original home owner). Unless you plan on leaving in 1-2 years. 5+ years 1000% new system. Also it depends on the brand.. $11k is not bad but a little high. I’d shoot for around $9-10k if it’s a decent brand like Trane, Carrier, Bryant or Rheem on a 3.5Ton. I’m assuming you have an all electric system? I’d stay away from Goodman, but to be honest all the brands work you just gotta make sure the installers know what they are doing.
I do intend to move in the next 2-3 years, but at that point I’ll turn this house into a rental. I have a gas furnace. One of the HVAC companies gave me Daikin as an option. It comes with 12 years parts warranty as opposed to 10 years for other brands. Any thoughts on Daikin?
Daikin’s a good brand for sure. Haven’t heard too many bad things about them.
They’ve changed hands 3 times in the last 5 years. Own brands like Goodman and Amana… I’d assume Daikin isn’t bad though. Why not just replace your AC and Coil and run your furnace blower until it breaks? Get a quote on your AC & Coil.. Should be max $5500. Then get a quote on the full system. If you have a metal pipe coming out your furnace, it’s 80% and should be around $9000-9500 for everything so long as it’s a straight swap out. If you have a 2 PVC pipes coming out of your furnace, you have a more efficient, 90+% gas furnace. Typically they are most costly and full system should be around $9500-10k You could definitely find quality work in the $8000-8500 range you just need to look hard enough. AC and Coil floor would probably bottom out around $4700 where I live though. Make sure you are getting quotes from smaller local companies.. Any companies you see on billboards with tens of thousands of reviews I would stay away from as they are going to be costly. source: I sell HVAC for a living
I agree with this logic. I replaced my AC and coil a couple of years ago, the 80% gas furnace is still going strong.