We have a HVAC unit for a townhouse. It is 10 years old. We live in Virginia. The unit has been slowly leaking freon over the past 2 years, such that we have had to fill up the freon every spring in order for it
to cool properly. This spring, when we had the freon filled, we asked the guy to add dye so we could find out where the leak was. Today he checked the unit, and said the leak was mostly in the coils of the inside unit, and that we would have to replace both the inside unit and the outside unit (at a cost of $5500) in order to fix the problem.
I asked if we could repair the coils and he said you can't repair coils. I asked if we could replace the coils and he said he can't buy replacement coils because the efficiency standards have changed. I asked if we could replace just the inside unit (and not the outside unit because
the outside unit works fine) but he said this wasn't possible because then the two units wouldn't be compatible. I asked if we could just keep adding freon each year, and he says this is illegal, as it violates EPA rules about letting ozone-depleting freon into the atmosphere. He swears the only solution is complete replacement of the whole system.
Does this sound right to you? Could he be trying to take us for a ride? Should I get a second opinion?
If we do have to replace the unit, is $5500 the right price range for such a job, or should I shop around on that? How do we find the best deal for a new one?
Thank you so much!