New Condensor installed - nasty rattle afterwards.

[meagan43]

Hello all.

I live in a 3-story townhome. Our AC was not working, found out our compressor in the outside unit was bad (this is located under our stairs in a crawlspace, with the face of it flat against the brick outside. Hope that makes sense.

Anyway, we have a wonderful senior AC Tech who has done all our work for about 6 years now. He is wonderful, and often you have to wait for him to service things because he's so in demand (everyone else requests him too). So, no trust issues, and I trust his knowledge.

He told me I needed a new compressor, and called around for about an hour to find one he could install that day. He installed a 2 ton 1PH compressor/NCD ADD R-R-R/R-22. He did all the other maintenance with that, charged the system, etc. He was here for hours, from start to finish.

He had mentioned that this was better than our original compressor. It is working GREAT. Very cool in here, and upstairs, even on 95 degree days.

A day or so after he installed it, I noticed a rattle coming from the face of the unit outside. It kept on for days (though there is NO disruption to the effectiveness of our AC), and he came back out.

Got on his hands and knees w/ his ear to the unit, went under the crawlspace, etc. He said it may be a bearing in the compressor. I asked if the company would replace it, but he said no, not as long as it's working properly. The part is only under warrantee for a year, and I'm obviously afraid it will leave me sitting - and I sure can't afford another one!

He then put his screw driver in between the brick wall and the frame of the unit. At one point, the insertion of the screw driver seemed to dull the rattle. He said that "these units are known to rattle." I have a Bryant/carrier system, FYI.

He put something in there to soften the rattle, but it's back today louder than ever.

Should I really be satisfied with "I don't think it's an issue?" Is he right? I have trusted him in the past, but it seems odd I spend so much money on a part, then it begins to rattle. Isn't that bad, and won't that eventually contribute to some part biting the dust?

He said also maybe it needs to break in. I didn't know whether to call the company, but he said that would do no good, as long as the part is functioning.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Is a rattle just a rattle, or should I be worried? I do NOT want to spend thousands again next year when this may shut down right after warrantee. Seems like one short warrantee.

THANK YOU!!

[Gunnery Sergeant Hartman]

Should have replaced the entire system if it was out of warranty.

So much for the "trusted" tech... Bad Advice...

[meagan43]

OK. Well, I don't think he's untrustworthy. What you didn't ask me was could I afford a whole new system. That is something my tech understands, and cares enough to ask. Many techs don't give a crap what you can or can't afford. That's not realistic, and this man works with you. And, after working with him for years, and having absolutely none of the repairs he's made go "wrong," I think I know if I can trust him or not. This is the first issue I've had. I don't appreciate my opinion of this man being questioned. I think being a smart consumer with over 6 years of experience with him speaks for itself. This is an isolated issue. And, the reviews for this man are through the roof superb.

No, of course I couldn't afford a whole new system. Who can? But I COULD afford the new part. So, while bashing my tech, you really didn't explain your answer. I've also read on other threads that's it's perfectly OK to just install a compressor.

Any helpful advice out there??

[jtrammel]

Its hard to say if its normal or not without being able to hear it. It shouldn't rattle but it could just be the bolts that hold the compressor down are loose or even a loose screw on the cabinet.

[pacnw]

Its hard to say if its normal or not without being able to hear it. It shouldn't rattle but it could just be the bolts that hold the compressor down are loose or even a loose screw on the cabinet.

X2!!

from my seat in front of my computer and the explanation given there is just no way to tell.

as for bashing the tech, I might call it poor information to the customer(you). but without knowing your situation and what the costs are for comparison, we have to wonder aloud sometimes.

I might question the non-replacement of the compressor if it is indeed a noisy(bad) compressor.