Rusted air handler

[John D'Ausilio]

I'm selling my house, and the buyers had a home inspection done last week. The inspector reported three issues with the first floor a/c .. sagging ducts, some missing pipe lagging, and a plugged condensate line causing leaking water. I called in a contractor who reported no visible problems with sagging ducts or pipe insulation, but stated that the air handler was 'rusted out' and would require replacement. Of course the system is 20+ years old and really needs a complete replacement, but I don't want to do that .. it wouldn't be a good deal for the buyer 'cause I'd buy the cheapest one I could find.

I'm considering 2 options .. finding a sheetmetal guy to come in and fashion a replacement pan and slap it on the existing air handler, or telling the buyers what's up and offering them a couple thousand dollars towards a replacement system. First options would certainly be less expensive, but I'm not sure if it's feasible. Has anyone had this problem that could offer any advice/ideas?

jd

[Dr. Hardcrab]

"John D'Ausilio" wrote

Offer a reduced price and let the buyer get what he wants. True, it's the more expensive option, but a "band-aid" fix may not be acceptable to them.....

[m Ransley]

Now the buyer knows, dont offer anything off and see what happens at 20 yrs they may really want a 94.5% VS DC , new 600$ air filter, variable humidifier and all. Unplug the line yourself, strap up the ducts if you can, and see what happens.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

First here your fixing what the buyer is not awear of or has not stated is a problem. The Buy would only want what their inspector found wrong and your off to the races on a completely new system race. You need to slow down here and just fix what the buyer's inspector stated that was a problem.

1) Sagging duct work. Your man looked it over and fix it with a little flip or two or it was not a problem by his inspestion.

2) Some insulation on the pipes of the freon or the duct work. Have your man fix any duct work problem if any and report your man took care of it.

3) Plugged up condensate line. Have your man clean the drains out and run bleach through them and just clean them out good.

Look Just fix what the buyer's inspector stated that was a problem and tell your HVAC man who wants to sell you a new air handler to kiss off. Just fix what your told is a problem by the buyer's inspector and move on. Don't make a mountian out of a mole hill.

TURTLE