If you really think your ac guy is not doing things correctly, you should mention to him that you are going to contact the EPA about all the times he's had to add freon to it because of the leaks that he has not properly fixed. I bet that will get his attention and your problem would be resolved rather quickly.
What model dishwasher did you wind up with? It will be an xxx.xxxxxx number on the label.
And the number is...... 665.17464300
Stretch
That's also a Whirlpool.
What's he going to say to the EPA? A licensed, certified HVAC tech. is having trouble repairing a refrigerant leak? Sounds like the guy was replacing items as he found them leaking. "Every few months" sounds like a decent size leak. He's probably got a gripe with the builder or the responsible HVAC company. There really is no issue here that the EPA would be interested in. There's no requirement to fix or replace a "small" system because of leaks. In addition, it sounds like the tech's been making a good faith effort to fix the problem.
Shibumi, Ive read all your updates and the other posts. In a nutshell it sounds like you are trying to get as many bids as you can so you can find the lowest price out there. Your own words: "Hopefully I can beat them down a little lower". Everyone wants the lowest price on everything but you are looking for trouble. The more bids you get, the more you will be confused. Check out their reputation. This means calling and checking...........maybe even look at one of their recent jobs. If they do good work, they will be happy to give you a short list of a few customers they have RECENTLY done so you can talk to the customer and/or look at their work. As far as your current system, dont fix the compressor! If it is shorted to ground, that means it has burnt the windings in the compressor, along with the oil and refrigerant. This requires a very agressive effort in cleanup so your new compressor wont suffer the results of acid in it. It will lead to a quick death of your new compressor. You might also want to consider the use of an R-410a refrigerant instead of R-22? The year 2010 is the cut-off date for R-22 production. Oh, it will certainly be around after that time but just as R-12 did, the price will skyrocket until it disappears. Your system will be 4 yrs old in 2010. That will be just getting into the repairs maybe. Refrigerant leak maybe? What will you have to pay to have that repaired then? This leads up to my next subject. GET a 5 or 10 yr PARTS and LABOR Warranty!! Believe me, it WILL be worth it in just one unscheduled repair. Good Luck. Sounds like you are going to need it. Go get 10 more bids. Bubba
"...even blamed on us that we did not turn on our thermostat low enough in summers when nobody home, and blamed the electric company's power saver device and disabled it..."
These are no reasons for a freon leak - and lying to a customer about why there is a leak is not an indication of a "good faith effort" in any way --- quite the opposite in my book. From what I read here, it just seems like the guy doesn't have a handle on the situation and makes up different excuses for not being able to properly locate and repair the leak. The EPA does have certain guidlines on making proper repairs to a leaking system and not simply adding freon to it every few months. It is the technician's responsibility to properly repair a leak.
I am not sure if the AC installer was lying. I think he just did not know where the problem is. Every time when he visited, he spent a few hours to find where is the leak is, and guess at the causes, like an amature does. He was frustrated that his ultrasonic leak detector was not telling the leak location, and his soup bubble method on the lines in the compressor unit did not work either.
The Trane warranty did notlet him replace the unit unless he locate the exact problem. For 5 years, he and his assistant couldn't locate it.
Anyway, thhe point is the initial installation of AC is very important. If it is not installed correctly, you will have major headache. The installer never answer to our calls. We have to call the bulder for the repair. The builder said we should contact the contractor directly. But the contractor only answers builder's call. It was frustrating to get the system working.
She thinks it's a Goodman....
For a home HVAC unit like this, there is NO issue that would involve the EPA, as long as the tech. is certified, and THE TECH did not intentionally release refrigerant. If a system has leaks, of course they should be repaired, but there is NO EPA provision that forces the repair of leaks on a small system. If the system was leaking that much, the oil alone would have pointed to where the leak(s) are.
Point him/her in the right direction - small claims court (pay someone to fix the leaks, and get reimbursed for the repairs), or the state attorney general's office - consumer fraud, or something along those lines. The EPA would have NO interest in this no matter how much THIS system was leaking, as long as the tech has a card, and was not intentionally venting.
I just got a price on a 14iXL 3 ton system of $ 5100. There was no mention of a rebate from Trane. I have been on their web site and did not see any mention of one. Could you tell me where you found out about a rebate ?
I think I'm at my limit w/ the 5 quotes - I don't think I can deal w/ anymore sales folks! ;)
Regarding the lines, I do have one concern there. One company (higher bid) said they would replace all of the freon lines as part of the install - for basically the reason you just mentioned - They said there could be alllll kinds of crap in there now.
Another company (not the bottom lowest, but a good rep, and the one I'm really leaning towards), has said they will "clean the lines following Trane standards" - or instructions - or something.. Point being - they will clean the lines rather than replace - and they kept insuring me that that would be enough..
Now, if I'm getting the extended warranty 10/10/10 - should I be concerned whether they just clean instead of replace those lines?? I understand that if one of those lines sprung a leak, I'd be left w/ it
- but - as far as any gunk in there causing a problem w/ the compressor, I'd assume that would be THEIR issue as they decided to clean rather than replace..
Or - would there even BE an issue if they do as thorough of a cleaning as they claim?
Thanks again for all of the feedback
REBATES.COM
Feedback? Yeah, Here's feedback. You are picking the almost lowest guy because he is the amost lowest guy. He is going to short cut your job everywhere he can. He wont change the line set?? WTF? Is it buried in a ceiling or something? Id STILL replace it, even if it meant putting holes in a drywall ceiling. Drywall is easy to patch. While you are at it, have the all of the low voltage wiring replaced. You should also have the outdoor disconnect, whip kit, pad, indoor breaker and thermostat, and drain line replaced. That is called a system replacement. Why you would spend $5K plus and not have all those items replaced is beyond me. Those are inexpensive items. It also removes almost 100% of any excuses in the future as to why your furnace or AC doesnt work. Dont go cheap............................But I know you will. "Anything to save that all mighty dollar" Bubba
Hi there - Three of the companies that came out actually told *me* about the Trane rebates - for the particular unit that I was looking at
- the Trane 14XLi, it was a $600 rebate. (Plus there is a $150 rebate from my power company, Progress Energy).
At that price, it sounds like they've already built the rebate in - if NOT, what part of the country are you in, because that is MUCH lower than any of the quotes I've gotten!
Actually, I'm picking based primarily on service and secondly on price. I didn't pick the lowest guy - I went w/ the company that at least SOUNDED like they would give me the best service - now and down the road... They are big in this area (30 years), and they came recommended by my electrician friend who is doing all of the work.
They were one of the first out here, they didn't try to "sell" me on anything, they had lower pricing on the extended warranty (which - is big to me - because as it's a Trane x warranty, they all have the same price - so - charging $100 and $200 more is just robbery), they won't charge me down the road for emergency / weekend service (the others were going to charge me because Trane only reimburses them for 'regular' time), they included the new disconnect in their price - where as the others wanted me to pay to have my electrician do it when they heard he was putting in the new panel (he'll still be doing it, but it will be covered in their price, rather than me spending another $75 - $150 - however much it is...), and they have answered all of my questions in . what sounded like truthful responses - again not just someone trying to "sell" me..
For example, when I went to them about cleaning the lines vs replacing them - they again explained how they follow Trane's procedure for cleanging the lines, BUT, said that if I would be more comfortable w/ them replacing the lines, they would do it - and will not be charging me for it. They also took a few dollars ($35) off because I had recently installed a new Honeywell Thermostat - which had more features in it than what they were going to install, so - they just took it off... things like that.
There were a few other things that they did that made me go their route
- it was all about the SERVICE - at least "pre-sale" has been great! I'm hoping it will continue.
We'll find out today... They're coming out to do the install... for the 14XLi. My electrician is also installing my new panel today - going from 150 aluminum wiring to 200 amp and copper.
I am in central North Carolina. The price of $ 5125 is to install a 3 ton XL14i and new air handler with the heat strips and a low end thermostat. They will also haul off the old stuff and clean up. I don't need the programmable stuff as there is someone in the house almost all the time. No rebate was mentioned to me. From the price you have, it seems like they may be keeping the rebate for theirselves and just just giving me the reduction.
Prices do vary all over the place depending on where you are at I guess. Especially the labor. The area I am in has a wage range of around $ 10 to $
15 for many jobs. The new houses are in the $ 100,000 to $ 150,000 range. This seems much lower than the ones I see on TV on the various programs. It would be nice if there was a place on the internet that had the local prices of the units to compair them in the uninstalled state.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.