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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 15, 2022 9:57:20 GMT -5
The thing that struck me during my down time was how effective 1 window unit and 1 free standing unit cooled my house (just under 1700 sq ft). And looking at my graph online from the electric company it almost appears I used less electricity during that time.
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Post by Leftee on May 15, 2022 10:12:52 GMT -5
Re: HVAC service and repair
We have a young man who owns/runs his own HVAC company. He charges very reasonable prices and is honest to a fault. He really knows his stuff too. We have him out twice a year for a basic check-up and cleaning. He gets the call if we have an issue.
We had a bigger local company doing this, and they were great. Their prices are close to double those of our new guy. We’re quite happy with the situation.
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Post by walshb 🦒 on May 15, 2022 10:32:16 GMT -5
Glad you got it working on your own! Even with a warranty, they probably would have found something to charge you for.
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Post by Seldom Seen on May 15, 2022 10:33:59 GMT -5
Here’s a summary of my home warranty story from last summer.
Sewer backed up in the home I rent to my daughter and her beau.
To avoid delay I called a plumber I know who zipped right out and cleared the line.
I had one of their crew video the line and found a pipe collapse near the sidewalk.
I called the warranty company who promptly told me to pound sand because there was no emergency.
The original plumber sleeved the line to the house.
$15k poorer and I’m still paying the warranty company each month.
Perhaps I should reassess?
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Post by Leftee on May 15, 2022 10:40:43 GMT -5
I think these home warranties are great for a buy/sell situation as they provide peace of mind for both parties and gives the seller an out.
I have never had a positive experience with a home warranty.
Worst experience was a gas water heater that wouldn’t stay lit. It was a new house with a home warranty. The house was maybe 3 months old. The guy was sent out by American Homesheild (the worst of the worst), said the pilot was lit - no problem found. He then proceeded to try to sell us a tankless system to put in our new house. We showed him the door. I attended YouToob Academy and determined that we had a bad thermocouple. I went to Lowes and bought one for $10. That fixed the problem. And 8 years later when I sold the house the water heater was still going strong.
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Post by budg on May 16, 2022 6:51:16 GMT -5
I think these warranty companies are a rip off. They rarely do the right thing . They will do whatever to avoid spending the proper money to get it fixed. For piece of mine you could sign a maintenance agreement with a reputable local hvac company that will take better care of your equipment and will be upfront about their response time. Usually they will come out and inspect your ac before the cooling season and also inspect your heat before the heating season . In return for being a “contract” customer , you get priority and a slight discount. They might even service your hot water tank.
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Post by Leftee on May 16, 2022 7:03:17 GMT -5
I don’t know how the home warranty industry isn’t under investigation.
I believe realtors keep them afloat.
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 8:24:07 GMT -5
Got really hot here last night and I flipped on the AC; and it’s blowing warm air.
We attempted a fix on it last year for an undetectable leak. It appears that was not fixed.
HomeServe will be here between 8-12. I assume a larger repair is coming. The condenser coil is NOT a covered item, but I think is still under warranty from the manufacturer.
We shall see.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 16, 2022 8:55:10 GMT -5
Bummer. Did you check for dead chameleons? 
Actually, I got a live one running around in the house here somewhere. 2+ years here and we've never been breached until last night. Spotted the sucker on the ceiling, tried brooming him off and nabbing him with a plastic tupperware thing but he scurried off to unknown parts. I think they're planning their revenge.
Anyway, I hope you get your system fixed Mike. I'm just glad we have access to window units for backup.
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Post by budg on May 16, 2022 9:11:05 GMT -5
Got really hot here last night and I flipped on the AC; and it’s blowing warm air. We attempted a fix on it last year for an undetectable leak. It appears that was not fixed. HomeServe will be here between 8-12. I assume a larger repair is coming. The condenser coil is NOT a covered item, but I think is still under warranty from the manufacturer. We shall see. I’ll be interested to see where the leak is Mike. Those hard to detect leaks often times are in the evaporator coil . Those are really hard to get to. Good luck on your repair. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 9:29:42 GMT -5
^ I’m not going to say it wasn’t the first thing I thought of lol.
Tech is here, the unit has basically zero coolant in it. They want to look at the air handler in the attic. I always request a small tech so they can fit up there, it’s a tight squeeze. The guy they sent is about 6’5” and 300 pounds.
So now I have to wait for a second, smaller guy to arrive.
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 9:30:43 GMT -5
Got really hot here last night and I flipped on the AC; and it’s blowing warm air. We attempted a fix on it last year for an undetectable leak. It appears that was not fixed. HomeServe will be here between 8-12. I assume a larger repair is coming. The condenser coil is NOT a covered item, but I think is still under warranty from the manufacturer. We shall see. I’ll be interested to see where the leak is Mike. Those hard to detect leaks often times are in the evaporator coil . Those are really hard to get to. Good luck on your repair. Me too. And whether the HomeServe warranty will cover whatever they find. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 10:09:43 GMT -5
And per usual, the big tech left and I am waiting for a small one. The big guy wouldn’t even check the outside unit for a leak, because he said it wouldn’t matter because he couldn’t check the inside part.
To me it means half the job would be done before the next guy comes, but what do I know, apparently.
12-4 for the new guy, and it looks like I’m taking a day off of work.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 16, 2022 10:20:01 GMT -5
Is HomeServe the entity pinned to utilities? I enrolled in water and gas line protection but not all the other ones they pelted me with afterward.
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 10:25:57 GMT -5
Is HomeServe the entity pinned to utilities? I enrolled in water and gas line protection but not all the other ones they pelted me with afterward. I have the water line coverage (super cheap), but this one is for HVAC. I have had nothing but problems with both systems since remodeling in 2013. I signed up when the builder’s warranty expired. It’s been invaluable, as I have had service done to both units annually (both scheduled and unscheduled) and I am thousands of dollars ahead of what I paid. I suspect today’s issue will be different as I know the coils are not covered by HomeServe. I think I still have some manufacturer warranty time left though. We shall see. In the interim I have a rare day off with nothing to do but wait. Watching some TV, and I have earned a free pizza from the local online pizza app, so I cashed that in and it should arrive around noon. Wasn’t my intention to be off today, but after 3 hours of restless sleep and having had no appointments scheduled, it seemed like a good day. The only question now is whether the tech will arrive before the torrential rain we’re expecting. |
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Post by budg on May 16, 2022 12:17:56 GMT -5
And per usual, the big tech left and I am waiting for a small one. The big guy wouldn’t even check the outside unit for a leak, because he said it wouldn’t matter because he couldn’t check the inside part. To me it means half the job would be done before the next guy comes, but what do I know, apparently. 12-4 for the new guy, and it looks like I’m taking a day off of work. Mike , there are plenty “repairable “ leaks in the outdoor unit . A fair amount of piping going to and from the compressor and the compressor itself. The thing is , it’s quicker sometimes to just swap out the whole outdoor unit and if the outdoor and indoor coil is not covered , they can charge you for it rather than having it covered under your plan. The only way I can see condemning the coil is if there is a leak in the coil itself . If it were me , I would want them to verify a coil leak before I pulled my wallet out. Easy enough to do . |
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 12:47:38 GMT -5
^ When they came last year they injected dye and a sealant to try to fix any undetected leak. The guy who came this morning wouldn’t even check the outside unit for the due, leaving it up to the next guy instead.
I am assuming at some point they will verify the location of the leak.
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 14:05:12 GMT -5
Got really hot here last night and I flipped on the AC; and it’s blowing warm air. We attempted a fix on it last year for an undetectable leak. It appears that was not fixed. HomeServe will be here between 8-12. I assume a larger repair is coming. The condenser coil is NOT a covered item, but I think is still under warranty from the manufacturer. We shall see. I’ll be interested to see where the leak is Mike. Those hard to detect leaks often times are in the evaporator coil . Those are really hard to get to. Good luck on your repair. it is the evaporator coil, and it is very hard to get to. I’m told they may have to cut the ceiling from beneath it. Now he is looking at the outside unit, under a blanket to block out the outside light. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 14:33:03 GMT -5
The news is good and bad.
There is just enough room in the crawl space to replace the coil without cutting through the ceiling.
The coil should be covered under the manufacturer’s 10 year warranty.
But, there is an attic beam in the way. He said it doesn’t look like one that can’t be cut, but they aren’t allowed to do it. So I have to get a contractor in to cut, and if necessary, replace the offending beam.
The idea of removing a beam makes me very nervous, obviously, but I expect someone qualified will know what they are looking at.
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Post by Leftee on May 16, 2022 15:19:53 GMT -5
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Post by budg on May 16, 2022 19:41:09 GMT -5
The news is good and bad. There is just enough room in the crawl space to replace the coil without cutting through the ceiling. The coil should be covered under the manufacturer’s 10 year warranty. But, there is an attic beam in the way. He said it doesn’t look like one that can’t be cut, but they aren’t allowed to do it. So I have to get a contractor in to cut, and if necessary, replace the offending beam. The idea of removing a beam makes me very nervous, obviously, but I expect someone qualified will know what they are looking at. A good contractor will be able to figure the best way out. I’ve seen more evaporator coils leak than condensers. I’m glad I never did much residential hvac. Some really tight spots for sure. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 16, 2022 20:21:42 GMT -5
Honestly, this crawlspace is ridiculous. It’s almost impossible to access. They tell me you need to be under 150 pounds, for sure. Which is amazing, because the guy who installed it was probably about 6’3” and 400 pounds. I think perhaps the Homeserve guys are divas. That said, I have only been to the top of the ladder to store a couple things right next to the opening. I have never been back that far.
It rained for a bit and the temperature cooled off significantly, presently about 66°. However, it has not cooled off inside, despite the windows being open and the ceiling fans on, I’m still at 76° downstairs and 78° upstairs. Sounds like it’s going to be another uncomfortable night. I like it to be very cold when I sleep, last night I got only about two hours because it was so hot.
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Post by modbus on May 17, 2022 6:55:30 GMT -5
How did they get it in there in the first place? Build the house around the AC unit?
From afar it seems like there would have to be a nondestructive way to get it out.
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Post by Leftee on May 17, 2022 7:08:35 GMT -5
I’d guess they got it up there in pieces.
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Post by modbus on May 17, 2022 7:28:33 GMT -5
That's how they put ours in. It seems like taking it out in the same way would be preferable to cutting out beams.
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Post by Leftee on May 17, 2022 8:11:08 GMT -5
We’re fortunate that, in this house, the air handlers are so easily accessible that the techs ought to pay us to work on them.
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Post by Laker on May 17, 2022 8:12:52 GMT -5
Honestly, this crawlspace is ridiculous. It’s almost impossible to access. They tell me you need to be under 150 pounds, for sure. Which is amazing, because the guy who installed it was probably about 6’3” and 400 pounds. I think perhaps the Homeserve guys are divas. That said, I have only been to the top of the ladder to store a couple things right next to the opening. I have never been back that far. It rained for a bit and the temperature cooled off significantly, presently about 66°. However, it has not cooled off inside, despite the windows being open and the ceiling fans on, I’m still at 76° downstairs and 78° upstairs. Sounds like it’s going to be another uncomfortable night. I like it to be very cold when I sleep, last night I got only about two hours because it was so hot. Is this the type of set up you have?  |
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Post by budg on May 17, 2022 9:40:41 GMT -5
A lot of times the air handler goes up in sections. I installed my upstairs unit in the attic and had to fit it in the access inside a closet,which is the only access to the attic .Plenty of room once you get up there , but I had to be selective in picking out the air handler. We have a crawl space beneath our den that has 2 steam radiators along with steam pipes. I can’t imagine servicing it if there was a leak. It always amazes me the lack of thinking that goes into engineering something without any thought that one day it will need serviced once it’s built.
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Post by Mfitz804 on May 17, 2022 10:00:16 GMT -5
Honestly I have no idea how it went in, but it was during the food raise so I don’t know the level of completion at the time it was put in.
I assume sliding the coil out is the issue (pulls out like a drawer), and the entire handler could probably be removed from behind the beam, sliding it out sideways.
It was suggested that perhaps the entire handler should be replaced due to the age of the system.
$3100 for the coil, I’m working on getting a second estimate.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 17, 2022 10:11:18 GMT -5
Like a generator, I'll never be without a portable and/or window AC unit again as backup. I grew up without AC in Detroit until around the early/mid 70s and had stretches in adulthood without it up north. But I just don't understand how people lived in Texas without AC.
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