WWYD: Central Air Conditioning

[JustineMarie]

If I were you I would go with option 2. The money that you would put out to replace the unit now just doesn't make sense if it is running correctly. Plus, if the compressor does go it will be replaced for the $610 dollars rather than the $3000, and it will be replaced within 2 days bc of you having priority due to the contract. I would not do option 3 bc it doesn't make sense not to cover the compressor, which is the part that would cost the most to replace and most likely be the thing to break.

 

[Green Tea]

I know that some folks have problems with service contracts but that is a personal decision.
.

My 'huh- I don't understand you' comment wasn't about the service contract, it was about the language in the OP's post. It said a lot of words but I couldn't tell exactly what they were saying.

 

[Art 1]

I have owned an HVAC co. for many years. I would not do any of those three options. The first option is silly if someone recommended you do that.

 

[bicker]

I really wish that HVAC repair folks around here were willing to come when you called. It is shame that you have to have a service contract to avoid such a long delay for repair.

 

[Gigi22]

My sympathies. We are going through this too--except our furnace and a/c are going on 19 years old--and the life expectancy for a gas furnace is 20 years, for an a.c. unit, 15 years. So, having just had the a/c unit worked on (cost was just under $140), we have made 2 appointments for estimates to replace both systems plus the humidifier this summer. It was 42 degrees Celsius (about 100 degrees F.) with the humidex here today. It can go down to minus 40 Celsius (same thing in degrees F.) in the winter-so we are definitely replacing our ageing system during the summer. I'm thinking it will be this summer. I just can't stand the suspense!

 

[Art 1]

I really wish that HVAC repair folks around here were willing to come when you called. It is shame that you have to have a service contract to avoid such a long delay for repair.

LOL, you would think they have a guy sitting in the shop waiting just for you to call. We do not sell service contracts, they are a rip off for the customer.

 

[bicker]

No, not really. They provide value to customers that you simply don't feel like offering.

 

[Art 1]

No, not really. They provide value to customers that you simply don't feel like offering.

Paying up front for services not rendered, and in some cases more is not worth it. But if you feel that it is there will be an HVAC co that will take it.

 

[bicker]

Paying up front for services not rendered, and in some cases more is not worth it.

In some cases. I know that, at least until a few years ago, a lot of the younger folks at work didn't carry health insurance. Health insurance, beyond catastrophic coverage, is, of course, a scam. The premiums exceed the costs of the service rendered, not to mention, what you discussed, that you're essentially paying upfront for the small percentage of services you actually are getting in any given year.

Yeah, health insurance is stupid -- right?

 

[Nancyg56]

Paying up front for services not rendered, and in some cases more is not worth it. But if you feel that it is there will be an HVAC co that will take it.

I am chuckling because although I do not have a contract on my AC I do have one on all of my kitchen appliances. The company who offered it is probably wishing that I was one of those who thought that service contracts were a waste of money. I do not abuse the contract but I have had several expensive issues with the electronics on two of the four appliances serviced and can attest to the value of a contract that ensures parts, service and prompt service. My service man told me howe much the parts alone cost on my dishwasher last month and that paid for 1/3 of the entire 5 year plan for 4 appliances. That was not how much the service call and labor would have been.

My double oven would require two service men in the event it needed to be pulled out from it's cabinet in order to be serviced. I would faint if that happened and was not covered by the plan.

I am not a gambler. I never leave the penny slots at a casino and limit my losses to $20 as I am a sore loser. I never tell others that gambling is a waste of money because there is a value to those folks. it may be that they win and seem to come out ahead, to others it is entertainment. It is my opinion that purchasing a service plan is like insurance. It is expensive if you do not use it but it can give peace of mind if you find you need to use it. I look at the contracts I choose to buy as an insurance plan instead of a gamble. Perhaps an expense up front but totally worth it if I need to use the service.

I would never ridicule someone who determined not to make the purchase but I get a little peevish when I get that attitude from those folks. I will admit that I have had a "Neener Neener" go through my mind when one in particular had a very expensive service bill on their cooktop. The electronics on that bad boy are expensive. Mine was replaced twice and I never broke a sweat.

 

[bicker]

I am chuckling because although I do not have a contract on my AC I do have one on all of my kitchen appliances. The company who offered it is probably wishing that I was one of those who thought that service contracts were a waste of money. I do not abuse the contract but I have had several expensive issues with the electronics on two of the four appliances serviced and can attest to the value of a contract that ensures parts, service and prompt service.

The nine year total has come to $3,734 (it obviously went up over time, both due to inflation but also due to the equipment aging). In that time, I've had the humidifier replaced, along with a half-dozen damper motors. I've also had routine maintenance on all the equipment twice a year, and have had a few "emergency" repairs. (I think one was just a fuse, but don't ask me... none of that stuff really makes sense to me.) That last bit is the hardest to quantify... if you ask my wife, though, the value of having the a/c back on in a few hours versus a couple of weeks is superlative.

I am not a gambler. I never leave the penny slots at a casino and limit my losses to $20 as I am a sore loser. I never tell others that gambling is a waste of money because there is a value to those folks. it may be that they win and seem to come out ahead, to others it is entertainment. It is my opinion that purchasing a service plan is like insurance. It is expensive if you do not use it but it can give peace of mind if you find you need to use it. I look at the contracts I choose to buy as an insurance plan instead of a gamble. Perhaps an expense up front but totally worth it if I need to use the service.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well I am going to weigh in here after reading this thread. I voted replacing it now.

Since having a good working system and a service contract is something important to you, then get a new system. The efficiency of a new system will probably save you money in energy costs.

I am basing this on the general knowledge and what the manufacturers say although I suppose it is based partially on how efficent your current system is. Hard to say how much you will save in energy costs.

Did You Know?

Heating and cooling costs the average homeowner about $1,000 a year - nearly half the home's total energy bill. If your central air conditioning unit is more than 12 years old, replacing it with an ENERGY STAR qualified model could cut your cooling costs by 30%.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=CA

 

[bicker]

Note, though, that to garner that 30% reduction in power consumption, you'd need to replace the whole system, something that would cost about three times the replacement of the condenser alone.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Note, though, that to garner that 30% reduction in power consumption, you'd need to replace the whole system, something that would cost about three times the replacement of the condenser alone.

I thought your first choice was to get a new system?

 

[bicker]

I thought your first choice was to get a new system?

Well, first, if I had a "first choice" then I wouldn't have asked the question. The choices presented are presented in the order they were presented to me. I didn't have any idea which of the three I should pick. (I still kinda don't really know. )

That first choice there replaces just the condenser, not the whole system.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well, first, if I had a "first choice" then I wouldn't have asked the question. The choices presented are presented in the order they were presented to me. I didn't have any idea which of the three I should pick. (I still kinda don't really know. )

That first choice there replaces just the condenser, not the whole system.

Oh. Well not sure what to tell you then. I would replace the whole system instead of replacing just the condensor. I thought 3000 was pretty cheap for a new system, which is why I picked it.

So it is 9000 to replace the whole system?

I would just go with option #2 then and continue with that course. I would also be saving for a new system. I would not dump 3 grand into an old system.

There, that is my 2 cents.

 

[bicker]

Thanks! And yes that's resonating very strongly with me... the idea of not putting $3000 into a system that is such that the replacement (of the condenser) wouldn't even qualify for an energy credit.

 

[Nancyg56]

I agree that replacing the condensor alone would not be an option for me either. If I did not replace the air handler as well I would opt to continue the full coverage or replace the entire system. I do not think I would dump 3 grand into a system that old.

 

[Art 1]

In some cases. I know that, at least until a few years ago, a lot of the younger folks at work didn't carry health insurance. Health insurance, beyond catastrophic coverage, is, of course, a scam. The premiums exceed the costs of the service rendered, not to mention, what you discussed, that you're essentially paying upfront for the small percentage of services you actually are getting in any given year.

Yeah, health insurance is stupid -- right?

You have an interesting attitude. I think you know that an illness could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and that you can't compare the two. I was willing to have you fax me all the info and help you out since you have asked for help but you seem to know better. I will tell you that in most cases changing the condenser only is against code and would be impossible to do as the refrigerant of the new condenser and indoor coil are not compatible. Even if you could, $3000 as way too much money and $9000 is way too much for a whole system. Good luck.

 

[bicker]

Don't you think that if something other than the three choices I outlined were even remotely under consideration that I would have said that they weren't? I only said that those were the only three options because they are, for the reasons I alluded to earlier. I assure you, I wish it was not the case, that there was more flexibility. There isn't. So the challenge here was to choose among the choices outlined, not to open the entire issue up to what might have been an interesting and potentially useful, in other circumstances, direction.