Over the last 2 weeks both A/C units in my heat pumps and in 2 of my cars have blown up. The first floor unit started the problems, luckly it was a cheap easy fix. Then the A/C unit in my jeep went up, again easy fix I don't use it much so the windows are getting rolled down. Then my wife's car the compresser died just before we needed it for an 11-hour journey from MD to Plattsburg, NY for a family wedding.(took my car) The same day the upstairs unit went up. Compresser again, Due to some other issues with that unit I am replacing the whole thing heat pump and handler with a larger unit. When it was installed it was to small and never worked well. (the builder went bankrupt while building our house but that is another rant) At least when done the upstairs should finally heat and cool like it was supposed too.

Oh well all of my plans for the cutlass this winter are put off for another year.

Larry

 

Well, Larry- A/C guys gotta eat too!

Any A/C unit that has survived the past month is a good one. I don't worry too much about the one in the country as it passed its annual inspection with flying colors, but the one at the house in town...

 

Sorry for the hard luck on AC units... Glad two were easy cheap fixes.
Typically builder grade units do not last long. My heat pump died after only 8 years, naturally Saturday morning on a 103* July day. Spent the whole day in the shed/workshop since it has AC. i then discovered the family of skunks living below, but thats another story. Since I had to wait a few days to get it fixed, i installed a spare window AC unit in the bedroom so i could sleep. It is a cheap chinese model and cost 50 bucks. I still use it in the bedroom at night and after 8 years it is still going. It saves me about 100 bucks a season, so it more than paid for itself.

When calling about replacement, do not tell the guy it died until you get a price. Otherwise you will get another several hundered tacked on, even if it is not a weekend repair. First guy tried that when i first called and told him it died. Then I called another place to get a price on the same model just in case. Then called the first guy to cancel then be beat the second guys price by 50 bucks.
Was worth the phone calls.
Also, consider a Carrier or Trane unit - they are the two best (at least were when i shopped around.)

 

I live in a small town and know the guy working on it. On the first unit he charged me $90 service fee and came at 9 pm on a saturday night. Our families have been useing each others businesses for a couple of generations.

Larry

 

Got my wife's car back yesterday and all fixed. Today the house got a new system upstairs. It is cooling great, nice to have a system that works.

Larry

 

Good news. All it takes is that green stuff.......

 

Yeah no body work this year