Goodman A24-08 coils rusted out on 8 yr. old unit

[pmarie]

Dear HVAC Gurus ;-),

My mom's A/C stopped cooling and a local HVAC tech told her the reason being that the evaporator coils are "rusted out and leaking freon". He gave her a price of $XXX. to replace the unit (she said to replace the coils, but I think the price was for the unit...nonetheless, I told her not to invite him back at that price ;-).

The unit is a Goodman (Janitrol?) A24-08 attic horizontal. While I'm sure it's builder's grade, isn't that a pretty short coil life? Okay, that wasn't really a question so much as a statement. My questions are:

1) From the bid, I'm thinking the coil is inside this unit, right? If so, can she just have the coil replaced?

2) I wouldn't want to see her get the same quality coil for fear the next one would rust out in less time, so is there a better grade coil that will fit this unit? Or...

3) Do y'all believe the coil quality wasn't necessarily the cause of the problem and there is another problem (super humid attic?...she is in a fairly warm costal area) that caused the coil to rust out. I.e., use the same [grade] coil and fix the other problem yet to be diagnosed (such as super humid attic)?

4) She'd like to go as inexpensively as possible for now and then when the next item on the system breaks down replace the whole system with either a heat pump or just a better grade/more efficient system inside & out. So, any advice that fits the current dilemma that will be advantageous for her when she moves to a newer/better systemwould be severely appreciated.

Thanks guys!

Kind regards,
PMarie

<<<edit: pricing removed>>>

[Edited by jrbenny on 07-10-2006 at 11:48 AM]

[smngmu]

We can't discuss price here.If the coil "rusted out" have them explain to YOU why.No offense towards your mother,but something doesn't sound right.The coil is never to be emersed in water so to "rust out" implies that it was.Main drain plugged? Any other damage to the unit or was it just centralized here? Is there an auxilary drain? How old is the unit/coil? I just read your other post about 8 years.

[pmarie]

smngmu,

Oh I wans't asking anything about prices. I _already_ know $XXX borders on price gouging to replace a 2 ton unit ;-). That's why I'm glad there are knowledgeable folks like you guys who are willing to share your expertise as disinterested parties to offset others trying to take advantage of a senior citizen.

And, yes, it didn't sound right to me either that it would rust out in less than 8 years. That's why I posed question #3. But I'm pretty sure she's had no other problems (like drainage/leakage problems) with the unit. And certainly the technician didn't note any other problems or suggest any causes to the problem when he looked at it. He just said "Found evaporator coil completely rusted out and leaking freon" period. If it were the result of a clogged drain or lack thereof, one would think he would have noted that?

He also didn't note if anything else was affected. I was hoping y'all would just tell me that there has been a problem with this particular coil so she could just replace it with a better grade and be done with it. But it doesn't seem right to have "completely rusted out."

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
PMarie

[Edited by jrbenny on 07-10-2006 at 11:49 AM]

[mjk_na]

pmarie,

Are you using copper coils? Copper coils do not rust, only oxide to form greenish layer.

Tell the contractor to do refrigerant leak detection, and ask him/her to repair if one part of the tube is leaking, or replace the coil like-to-like if the coil is leaking.

He/She should be able to repair the leak on the coil if it is minor.

It is good to make an assessment of the magnitude of the problem

http://www.air-conditioner-selection...intenance.html

[dougfamous]

Yeah, that sounds good, have them pay a technician to fart around looking for a leak for a couple of hours, maybe try to find and patch it, I'm sure if it's corroding it won't leak anywhere else in the next few years

If the coil pan is rotted out and it's leaking refrigerant, then replace the coil (at least). If you think the guy was gouging you, then get a second opinion. If you want to get another coil that fits in there correctly, you have to get another Goodman or you have to pay someone to modify the sheet metal to fit a different brand of coil in.

Call someone else in for another opinion.

[a\c don]

Thats a 10 seer coil, lots of luck finding one.

[Gunnery Sergeant Hartman]

I'll take a stab.

I bet the unit was never maintained.
The coil was probably clogged with dirt and dust, the drain was probably plugged, and was probably overflowing through the cabinet causeing it to rot out.

I suspect neglect to the unit.

$XG may not be a bad price for a new "system"...

Thats actually low where I'm from.

<<<edit: removed pricing.>>>

[Edited by jrbenny on 07-10-2006 at 11:50 AM]

[RoBoTeq]

Well, if that unit is only 8 years old it was lying around somewhere for a while. What is the serial number on that unit?

The Goodman A series air handler was about as generic as you could get, but it did have copper/aluminum coils and a plastic drain pan...none of which rusts.

Along with the serial of the air handler, let us also know what the model and serial of the outdoor unit is.

[seatonheating]

Yet another example of a homeowner neglecting their system and expecting us to fix it cheaply. Doesn't work that way, sorry.


I went out on a service call yesterday where lack of cleaning the filter caused them to need their furnace replaced. You think they even listened? No, they thought I was trying to screw them. When I told them that they could've prevented me from coming over by doing something that was free, they were indifferent to me.

I understand that she is elderly, but. Part of being in a home is proper home maintenance. This includes the heating and cooling system. I may sound heartless here, but if she can't maintain, or have her stuff maintained she can't expect fixes to be done cheaply. We are going to charge what we need to to stay in business,,,JMO

[chillbilly]

I agree. The type of quote this guy/gal is charachterizing as "price gouging" reveals a total lack of understanding about pricing in this trade.
The price given is reasonable and the circumstances are suspect.

[Edited by chillbilly on 07-02-2006 at 10:14 PM]

[danglerb]

It could be a perfectly fair and reaonable price, since we know none of the details, and some of whats been said shows that somebody is confused about some of it, the only reasonable action is to get better and more complete information.

Get more bids, get all the details of what the bid entails.

Goodman doesn't hide information from consumers, look it up and make your own mind up about prices.

AARP is just the sort of organization to weed out the HVAC industry.

[sealy b]

Do y'all believe the coil quality wasn't necessarily the cause of the problem and there is another problem (super humid attic?...she is in a fairly warm costal area) that caused the coil to rust out.

I don't find it unusual that a coil in an 8 year old unit is leaking. Tubesheet is likely rusted. Plus, it's in a "fairly warm coastal area".

[mjk_na]

Originally posted by sealy b
Do y'all believe the coil quality wasn't necessarily the cause of the problem and there is another problem (super humid attic?...she is in a fairly warm costal area) that caused the coil to rust out.

Normally that is not the case, but it is possible.

We have air conditioners in very corrosive environment, and it still lasts for a good 10 years.

How well she maintains the AC?