a/c compressor burned out?

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And I'm guessing you don't get laid much. Sorry just stumbled on this thread and had to laugh. I mean, geeze guys, if your start brokering in pedantry, at least be right. CJT was quite accurate in his nerdy foray into units, and didn't really need Rich's further intellectual masturbation trying to correct that which didn't need it.
So on a practical note, Rich, unless you know of any air compressors for filling automobile tires in places with a different gravitational constant than what we have here on earth, there is a rather well defined relationship between a pound as a unit of force and the corresponding mass. But yes, we're all impressed you know the difference. And if you go down to 3 significant figures and start waxing about differences in that constant based on elevation or something, I'll have to ask you to give yourself a wedgie and flush your own head in the toilet.
Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net /

Todd H. writes:
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More of a schoolboy snigger at your own command of naughty words. Let us know when you get the joke.

Richard J Kinch wrote:
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Hmmm, No sense arguing with whom flunked out of HS physics class, LOL!

Richard J Kinch wrote:
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Make that lbm, then.

wrote:
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Now was that nice?
:p
tom

Yep, them BTUs are dissolved in the freon. Ask the tech to put in a couple pounds of freon.

meant that I didn't take the trouble to read the BTU or tonnage rating on the unit before I posted.

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Well poo. Sorry to hear of your trouble.
Given that the industry now has a mandated 13SEER efficiency on A/C units, it may be that you won't be able to get away with just replacing the compressor without also doing the coil inside. At 10 years, may as well just do the system I suppose. Plus at 10 years... it's not exactly a spring chicken.
I have some recent estimates for A/C for a 2 story colonial of around 2400sf in Chicagoland. 3TON 13SEER a/c + coil installed was $2000-3200 depending on how quiet ya want it to be outside.
The low estimate broke it out: Frigidaire R22 unit at $1400 with a $550 coil. Carrier systems using R410A ran between $2600-$3200 for basic/comfort/performance series. A Ruud 3TON (R22) came in at $2889.
Hope that helps ya with some ballpark numbers before you start gathering estimates. If you're comfy with Carrier (which you may not be with this failure), have a Bryant dealer quote ya too -- same stuff, same factory in Indiana, less expensive paint and label. Rheem and Trane seem to be very well respected. Ruud is another brand of Rheem equipment.
Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net /

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Thank you. It's a real problem for me. Does the idea of a 'booster' make any sense? It might be a good idea to not replace everything until next year at the start of the summer season, no? I live in the desert so we still need it now, though. Really thanks.

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I'm not familiar ?
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You may get a benefit from it not being the frenzy season for A/C installations, and you can start saving on electricity right away, if you have to dump out the cash anyway. And prices next season will probably rise.
-- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net /

AKA Gray Asphalt wrote:
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Being an a/c guy myself the booster {hard start kit} would help in diagnostic. Why didn't he try it ? Is the outdoor fan running ? IF not Pwer may not be on at braker. Could have run capacitor bad if its a duel cap- that would keep both moters from running. You would hear the comp- try to start {slight hum for a few seconds}.

Lives in desert. Fins packed with dust. By holding a light behind my crystal balls I can see dirt packed condensor. Though, it's a lot easier to hold the light behind the fins.
Please call a company to clean the outside unit. They should use water and chemicals.

Thanks for your help. I did call a company but they said that chemicals are no good and that I could do it with a hose. It sure seems like a good place to start. Do you suggest I keep calling until I find someone willing to clean the unit or do it myself and what chemicals? Thanks again to everyone. This ng is a public service.
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I'd suggest rinsing the fins with a garden hose. Pull the power disconnect out, first. So you don't kill yourself or damage the electrical.
If you're mechanically minded, take a couple bolts out, and pull the fan off the top. Rinse from the inside out. Worth a try, before you spend money on a paid service. If you don't want to take the unit apart, spray from the top, pointing mostly down. Rinse the dust and dirt out the bottom.
Try to keep any wires or electrical dry.

Stormin Mormon posted for all of us...
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Especially when it rains...

AKA Gray Asphalt posted for all of us...
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I am not in a/c but I know the tech should be able able to diagnose the problem without the "booster". Have him define exactly what this piece is supposed to do. I suspect it's to boost his wallet. But it may be what's called a hard start kit, which should be after a proper diagnoses. NOBODY can tell how much it will cost because we can't see it, touch it, know it through a screen.

I'm getting sense that the outdoor unit needs professional cleaning. If the fins get packed with dust (as they do every couple years), then the compressor will overheat and shut down. The booser can help for awhile, but it really needs professional cleaning.
If you replace the outdoor unit, you'll get nice clean fins. And $pend more buck$.

Well, a second tech came out to my house and looked at the unit. He did some checks on the pressure and found one low and one high so he added some freon to maybe flush out a blockage. Then he rechecked the system with the new freon and declared it fixed. As he was packing up the compressor stopped. He said that he could tell the temperature of the compressor by the pressure in psi and that there was a conversion on the guage to shoe how hot the compressor was. I don't get that at all. I've never heard of a pressure to temperature conversion table/convertor. He called in and got instructions on what to do and took the fan off and did something and said the senior tech would have to come out. He didn't leave a bill but the owner's wife called and said I owed them $70 plus freon. Nice people but I doubt that the tech was experienced and she said that putting freon in the system was not a treatment for blockage of the lines. She also said that he should not have quoted me $1500 for a new compressor 700 for the compressor and 800 for 4 hours of labor. I'm afraid to stiff them for the service call because they know where I live but I don't think I got much more than a sweaty shirt from sitting out in ths sun watching and hour of wasted time.

My problem seems to have been a block in some line, I guess that carries freon. The third guy, a freind of a relative charged me $300 to fix the problem and charge the system w/ 4 lbs. of freon. I don't know if it was a good price but it was far less than the estimates I got and he didn't have to replace the compressor or "boost" it or anything else.

AKA Gray Asphalt posted for all of us...
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So he gave it a laxative?