Compressor gone bad?

[atxjax]

Unfortunately my a/c quit working in my house. Luckily I had purchased a home owners warranty which covers the a/c. I had a service company come out and find that the evap coil was all rusted up and leaking. The system had no freon in it at all.

The owner proceeds to tell me that being how the system is 7 years old, the new parts they will have to order might require that the a/c ducting itself be modified and retrofitted to fit the new parts.....which the home owners warranty wont cover.

The charge would be xxx bucks to do so. I said " fine " ......the parts come in 1 week later. The evap coil is a direct swap. No modification needed to install it. I was thnking to myself that I am off the hook on those charges since it was a direct swap. The techs he sent came out and got my a/c finished up. Works good and all. Just when they are about to leave, they ask me about the non covered charges... I proceed to tell them that there shouldnt be any because the parts were a direct swap. They wouldnt leave without getting paid and I couldnt get a hold of their boss so i decided to give them my CC # and talk to their boss before they charge it later on in the day.

So next day comes and no call as of yet. They charged me the xxx for the non covered items which they didnt do and no call back as to why they charged me. I gues smy only option left is to either call the BBB or file a small claims suit. It really pisses me off that companies would do shady **** like this.


A day later the system stops cooling. It blows semi cool air. I go and check the lines. The high side line is cool and the low side line is not cold at all. If the system is charged does this mean my compressor went out?


Thanks guys.

[beenthere]

First no prices, its in the rules. Please edit them out.
Thank You.

Are you cure the compressor was running. Also they could have a leak.
Call your warranty company back, and have them send that company back out to check it.

When someone comes out, call that company about the charges. Unless its the boss that come out, then ask him.

[atxjax]

First no prices, its in the rules. Please edit them out.
Thank You.

Are you cure the compressor was running. Also they could have a leak.
Call your warranty company back, and have them send that company back out to check it.

When someone comes out, call that company about the charges. Unless its the boss that come out, then ask him.


Thanks for the heads up on the price thing. I edited that. Not sure if the compressor was running. I guess I can check that. The fan on the whole outside unit is spinning if the compressor is actually functioning I have no clue.

[luckyair]

Luckily I had purchased a home owners warranty which covers the a/c.

Take a dollar and tape it to the warranty, now it will be worth something.

[atxjax]

Take a dollar and tape it to the warranty, now it will be worth something.


Luckily I didnt pay for it. My realtor actually bought it for me...( she is a friend of the family )......but now I know not to renew it.

[beenthere]

Not to bust on companies that do home warranty work. But if it wasn't for the things that teh warrranty company doesn't cover, I don't think any company would do the work.

[atxjax]

Not to bust on companies that do home warranty work. But if it wasn't for the things that teh warrranty company doesn't cover, I don't think any company would do the work.


I can understand making a little money on the side but not ripping people off with service they didnt even perform.

[beenthere]

I agree with not ripping people off.

Thats why I posted that you should contact that company.
What they may reply with is.
Warranty Company doesn't cover refrigerant, brazing charge, vacuum charges, etc.
Not saying how much that should add up to. Just saying what he may try to counter with.

[beenthere]

I agree with not ripping people off.

Thats why I posted that you should contact that company.
What they may reply with is.
Warranty Company doesn't cover refrigerant, brazing charge, vacuum charges, etc.
Not saying how much that should add up to. Just saying what he may try to counter with.

[atxjax]

I agree with not ripping people off.

Thats why I posted that you should contact that company.
What they may reply with is.
Warranty Company doesn't cover refrigerant, brazing charge, vacuum charges, etc.
Not saying how much that should add up to. Just saying what he may try to counter with.


Warranty company covers everything for a direct swap. Already talked to them. And they agree that I shouldnt have been charged xxx amount of money.

[beenthere]

Then it sounds lie yoour on your way to a refund. Congrats.

Different Home Warranty companies have different policies.

[atxjax]

Then it sounds lie yoour on your way to a refund. Congrats.

Different Home Warranty companies have different policies.


Yeah. I went through it with them in depth and they agreed that they falsely charged me. I filed a complaint against the company with the home warranty co.

I also filed a complaint with the BBB and againt their license # with the state of Texas. if those 3 things fail I will take them to small claims court.

[super_tech_1]

Im just curious what kind of changes were they saying are needed and why cause im not understanding how changing a coil would cause duct issues

[atxjax]

Im just curious what kind of changes were they saying are needed and why cause im not understanding how changing a coil would cause duct issues


My point exactly. Especially if the coil was a direct drop in replacement. They are just trying to double dip from the ins company and sucker me as well. But they arent gonna get me without a fight.

[captube]

Im just curious what kind of changes were they saying are needed and why cause im not understanding how changing a coil would cause duct issues

I think they were telling him upfront that there maybe charges if the new coil didn't fit the existing plenum. It fit so he shouldn't be charged for that.
Thays what i got out of it, could be wrong

[atxjax]

I think they were telling him upfront that there maybe charges if the new coil didn't fit the existing plenum. It fit so he shouldn't be charged for that.
Thays what i got out of it, could be wrong



Exactly. Thats how they worded it initially. On a separate note. What does TU-line mean?

[Daltex]

My point exactly. Especially if the coil was a direct drop in replacement. They are just trying to double dip from the ins company and sucker me as well. But they arent gonna get me without a fight.

Just call the cc company and dispute the charge. That way the ac company will have to prove you are wrong.

[atxjax]

Just call the cc company and dispute the charge. That way the ac company will have to prove you are wrong.

Ive called them twice and the owner gives me the BS excuse that he has to talk to his techs to see what exactly was done. The third time I called and left a message. Im not calling them anymore. Ive done due diligence with trying to follow up with them.

[Daltex]

Ive called them twice and the owner gives me the BS excuse that he has to talk to his techs to see what exactly was done. The third time I called and left a message. Im not calling them anymore. Ive done due diligence with trying to follow up with them.

I mean to call the credit card company to dispute the charge. I realize you've done due diligence with the ac contractor.

[atxjax]

I mean to call the credit card company to dispute the charge. I realize you've done due diligence with the ac contractor.


Ive thought about it but the CC company wont drop the charge.

[the dangling wrangler]

Again , we are only hearing half of the story.

[atxjax]

Again , we are only hearing half of the story.

True. Although I've been honest about everything. The charges they stated were xxx to transition plenum and xxx to TU-line. They did some reconnectingof the lines and whatnot. I can see them earning that xxx but not the xxx for the plunum transition because they didnt have to do anything to it but seal it back up after installing the evap coil.

[IrishJoe]

I may misunderstand, but i think the a/c business is totally stressfull in texas for a shop owner. They get swamped and it could literally take a few days for a shop owner or manager to get back to you on a legitimate (sp?) issue due to sorting through actual emergency calls vs. otherwise. I agree it sounds "fishy" but a face to face visit to his shop may call him out on a scam....or better yet, alert him to misguided techs. Just my 2-cents

[atxjax]

I may misunderstand, but i think the a/c business is totally stressfull in texas for a shop owner. They get swamped and it could literally take a few days for a shop owner or manager to get back to you on a legitimate (sp?) issue due to sorting through actual emergency calls vs. otherwise. I agree it sounds "fishy" but a face to face visit to his shop may call him out on a scam....or better yet, alert him to misguided techs. Just my 2-cents


Yeah, Ive written the local news channel also. Im pretty sure the owner will not want his company name being the subject of the local news channel investigation.

[the dangling wrangler]

True. Although I've been honest about everything. The charges they stated were $300 to transition plenum and $150 to TU-line. They did some reconnectingof the lines and whatnot. I can see them earning that $150 but not the $300 for the plunum transition because they didnt have to do anything to it but seal it back up after installing the evap coil.

Well, I think you got out cheap. I charge thousands to do
a TU-line (what the heck is a TU line?). You might need to
take a chill pill. All this talk about suing, calling the
licensing board, tv stations. Ever here the old saying,"You catch more flies with honey, than with $hit". Try a little harder to mediate this. You'll be miles ahead. Probably cooler, too.

[atxjax]

Well, I think you got out cheap. I charge thousands to do
a TU-line (what the heck is a TU line?). You might need to
take a chill pill. All this talk about suing, calling the
licensing board, tv stations. Ever here the old saying,"You catch more flies with honey, than with $hit". Try a little harder to mediate this. You'll be miles ahead. Probably cooler, too.


I got out cheap with a a/c that broke the next day? These jokers just slapped the thing together and were out of here. They didnt even check to make sure that the thing was cooling right and all. All they did was put there hand to the vent ,feel the air and say that its working now. Thats what really makes me mad. The same day I noticed that the high side line was cool to the touch and not hot. Im done dealing with them after 3 phone calls.

I went and checked the contactors and made sure that the compressor is humming when the system is turned on. The compressor is humming but the high side line is still cold to the touch. Leads me to beleive that the R-22 has escaped or the compressor is bad.

[Redsheanazar]

What are they saying the actual charges are for?

[classical]

My question is why would you want a new coil installed and not replace the old dirty plenum.

I agree you should not be charged for work not done but it is rare that I will install a new coil and not replace the plenum and transition.

[Mr Bill]

What you just experienced is the "exact" same thing I just experienced with a homeowner last week from a warranty company. I basically even got into it in the front yard with one of the punks from the warranty company, I told him she would be taking the buy out and he needed to pick up his tools and move on before I had to pull out Brother Sig, and he did and even later called me back to personally apologize for the way he acted and even said Bill this is the only way we can make any money on these jobs, I told him I know that but this was just the wrong place at the wrong time. :eek:

[atxjax]

I had another reputable company come out today. very professional and courteous. He found that my pressure was at 50 when he said it should be between 70-75. So he checked for leaks and charged the system. Said that the other guys should have ran it alot longer to make sure it was charged properly since the coil was new. Its possible that they neglected to do that and undercharged it.

The temps at the plenum was 49.6 degrees. House is cooling good now.

[Mr Bill]

He found that my pressure was at 50 when he said it should be between 70-75.

If he said that I doubt it's "correctly" charged, he should have been charging with temp.
meter probes strapped to the lines.

[the dangling wrangler]

Got a quick question for you Bill , what is a TU-Line?

[Mr Bill]

Got a quick question for you Bill , what is a TU-Line?


Don't start me to lying. :D

[atxjax]

If he said that I doubt it's "correctly" charged, he should have been charging with temp.
meter probes strapped to the lines.


Yeah, he put a fluke meter across the low side line and charge dit that way. Also inserted a thermometer thing inside the duct above the evap coil. That was 49 degrees.

[the dangling wrangler]

Well AT, sounds like you're a happy camper now. You got hooked up with a poor contractor the first time around. Good luck with this.

[atxjax]

Well AT, sounds like you're a happy camper now. You got hooked up with a poor contractor the first time around. Good luck with this.


So far so good. I'll run my a/c again in a few days to see if the charge held up. If it does I'll be 1/2 a happy camper. Once I get my money refunded from the first company I will be a complete happy camper....:D

[the dangling wrangler]

So far so good. I'll run my a/c again in a few days to see if the charge held up. If it does I'll be 1/2 a happy camper. Once I get my money refunded from the first company I will be a complete happy camper....:D

If the refrigerant leaks out in just a few days , then you've got a rather large leak. I'd run that baby on cool right now. Don't wait a few days. Seems like you hooked up with a decent contractor now. Enjoy.

[atxjax]

If the refrigerant leaks out in just a few days , then you've got a rather large leak. I'd run that baby on cool right now. Don't wait a few days. Seems like you hooked up with a decent contractor now. Enjoy.


Thats the thing. He asked me if the a/c only ran good for one day. I said yes. Then he said that usually if the system is fully charged it will run good for like a few weeks before it starts warming up. Thats what led him to believe that it wasnt charged correctly from the start.

he said something about since it was a new coil that it needed to be run and given suffcient time to get " wet " and then check the charge on it. That might be lingo you pros understand.

[the dangling wrangler]

Sounds like the installers were rushed ,and in fact didn't have a full charge. Hows about asking what that TU-Line is. I'm stumped.

[atxjax]

Sounds like the installers were rushed ,and in fact didn't have a full charge. Hows about asking what that TU-Line is. I'm stumped.


I have no idea what that is. Transition Upper line? I have no clue.

[Daltex]

...... Hows about asking what that TU-Line is. I'm stumped.

That's the "Tech Upcharge-Line". A monofilament line to hold the old plenum together. Only 5 lb. test I bet. Cheap ba$$turd.;)

[the dangling wrangler]

That sounds about right.

[atxjax]

A/C still blows cold so I beleive Im running right after the second contractor came out. The guy was very cool about everything and knew his stuff.

On a second note......he recommended that I change my thermostat to a digital one. Ive been wanting to do it but been scared to. he told me that its just 4 wires and its simple. To go to home depot and get a good Honeywell one from there. This is what Im looking at.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100400023

My current system is 4 wires. Red, White, Green, Yellow although they are not marked as that respectively on the plate of the old thermostat with RWGY.

Should I go by the colors and attach them to the new thermostat even though the instructions say not to do that if the base isnt marked with the first letter of the color?

[the dangling wrangler]

Should I go by the colors and attach them to the new thermostat even though the instructions say not to do that if the base isn't marked with the first letter of the color?

We're not supposed to give DIY info. But , I feel safe saying to make sure you kill the power going to your furnace / air handler before doing this change out.

[cep a/c]

I though you had found a good tech until he began telling you to go to Home Depot. I would suggest that you call your trusted tech back and have him purchase and isntall one for you. Honeywell 5000 or programmable 6000 should be fairly reasonable in cost. Or they 8000 if you cant something fancy.

[beenthere]

A service tech should have a stat with him.

[Senior Tech]

A/C still blows cold so I beleive Im running right after the second contractor came out. The guy was very cool about everything and knew his stuff.

On a second note......he recommended that I change my thermostat to a digital one. Ive been wanting to do it but been scared to. he told me that its just 4 wires and its simple. To go to home depot and get a good Honeywell one from there. This is what Im looking at.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100400023

My current system is 4 wires. Red, White, Green, Yellow although they are not marked as that respectively on the plate of the old thermostat with RWGY.

Should I go by the colors and attach them to the new thermostat even though the instructions say not to do that if the base isnt marked with the first letter of the color?


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