Weatherking Heat Pump popping breaker

[kasper04]

So my wife and I just purchased our first home. The home came with a WeatherKing heat pump, which was built in 2003. We have had several service calls on the heat pump / air handler through our home warranty company since we moved in. First repair was for a bad sequencer. Second service call revealed that the heat pump had been overcharged. On a 15 degree day the main suction line was 60 and the other line when the heat pump turned on went over 300 until the relief valve kicked in and relieved the pressure. During that service repair our HVAC tech was convinced that we needed a new air handler as he thought something was wrong with the inside coil units I asked him to correct the over charge issue first before we decussed the air handler. Low and behold that corrected the issue. My trust in his judgment has been hampered and feel he wants to go for the most expensive repair every time.

Current issue that I am having is the breaking is being tripped. With the thermostat switched to emergency heat I was able to reset the breaker but as soon as I flip it to normal heat pump.mode the breaker immediately pops. I had this same service contractor come back out today, as he is the only one my home warranty company has a contract with in the area apparently. Within 10 minutes he told me the compressor had gone bad, and probably from being overcharged previously.

Maybe I'm incorrect here but it seems to me if the compressor was the issue the breaker would not be popping immediately after switching back to normal heating mode. Since there is about a 5 minute delay on our heat pump, seems that if the compressor was seized that the breaker would trip once the system attempted to start the compressor, and couldn't.

My home warranty company left me a voicemail today making it seem as if they were willing to pay for the replacement of the compressor minus about 125$ for disposal and transportation fee. But I don't want to repair the compressor if the issue is elsewhere. Any and all advice is welcomed and appreciated

Thanks in advance

Matt

[toocoolforschool]

Take all you can get cuz it's gonna keep breaking till you reach reach deep down in your pocket and soul and pay a real company to fix it right.

[beshvac]

The time delay starts from the last time the compressor shut off. When you ran in emergency heat you satisfied the 5 minutes.

[JEG8233]

Get a second opinion from a reputable contractor. If the compressor is toast the tech will be able to show you while he is there. Home warranty companies are infamous for using bottom of the barrel contractors.

[kasper04]

Thanks guys for the replys. I know the inevitable is coming sooner than later, but would like to try and get through this year before having to replace the whole system. Wish I would have researched the heat pump before buying the home, as it surely would of ran us off.

I guess as long as the home warranty company is willing to keep covering the repairs, then I'll continue to have the service done. It will give us more time to evaluate how long we plan on staying here vs the cost of replacing the system. However from what I've read on this board and elsewhere most of the entry and mid-range level heat pumps are pretty much junk regardless of the brand.

[beshvac]

Deductibles...couple of electric bills... Go fer it!

[toocoolforschool]

Thanks guys for the replys. I know the inevitable is coming sooner than later, but would like to try and get through this year before having to replace the whole system. Wish I would have researched the heat pump before buying the home, as it surely would of ran us off.

I guess as long as the home warranty company is willing to keep covering the repairs, then I'll continue to have the service done. It will give us more time to evaluate how long we plan on staying here vs the cost of replacing the system. However from what I've read on this board and elsewhere most of the entry and mid-range level heat pumps are pretty much junk regardless of the brand.

Junk=NOT.

[HVAC_Marc]

dump the home warranty company and the hacks associated with it.

a tripping breaker can be anything from broken wires to a fried compressor. it's time to get a reputable company out there that can look into it for you. one that you pay for. perhaps searching the contractor map here can help.

[kasper04]

dump the home warranty company and the hacks associated with it.

a tripping breaker can be anything from broken wires to a fried compressor. it's time to get a reputable company out there that can look into it for you. one that you pay for. perhaps searching the contractor map here can help.

I used the map but the two contractors that pop up are not comfort institute certified dealers. Which of the two should hold more weight. I feel like obviously if we have techs / companies on here helping the average consumer they more than likely are going to be a good contractor for work but... I want to make sure I get the best.

Also, just looked at their websites one is a Lennox dealer the other is an American Standard dealer. I haven't heard anything good about either one of these products :-/

[catmanacman]

both lennox and american standard make great products , you need a contractor that will go over the complete system to include verifing your air flow then offer a solution to the problem . with home warranty you never get the good stuff just a quick crappy repair

[HVAC_Marc]

you havent heard anything good about Am.Stand./Lennox from WHO?

i dont put much confidence into a business or marketing rating such as comfort institute, nate, bbb, angies list, etc. Just because they are a member does not mean they paid additional money to take the training classes, business courses or other programs.

When you're dealing with a home warranty company the tech tries to make a huge sale, because it's easy money for them. OR they hack it together because they dont care about you. You technically aren't their customer, you are a customer of the warranty company. If you want the "best" I highly suggest you get away from the warranty company. In my experience they only hire hacks. There are exceptions to the rule but you've already seen the hackery.

It might be that you need a compressor, but it might not. Really, all you need is a good tech who knows how to run his meter.

PS - less $125 for "disposal fee and transportation"? umm, what's that? don't you pay just your deductible and that's it? there's no special disposal required for a compressor and travel is part of the hired company's bill that would be submitted to the warranty company.

[kasper04]

So they gave me a buy out quote for the compressor repair at $$ dollars. If you don't put much faith into any of those organizations how do you suggest going about finding a good contractor to come check out my heat pump? I'd like to have a second opinion on the repairs. If indeed it is the compressor I'll more than likely just replace the system.

If it comes to that I'll surely be seeking some advise on good options for my current situation.

Thanks for all that have replied

[pecmsg]

Knowing where you are would help

[second opinion]

So they gave me a buy out quote for the compressor repair at $$ dollars. If you don't put much faith into any of those organizations how do you suggest going about finding a good contractor to come check out my heat pump? I'd like to have a second opinion on the repairs. If indeed it is the compressor I'll more than likely just replace the system.

If it comes to that I'll surely be seeking some advise on good options for my current situation.

Thanks for all that have replied

Take the buy out and run and do not look back. Then cancel and choose a legitimate contractor.

[kasper04]

Knowing where you are would help

I'm located in metro Louisville. To be more exact southern Indiana. My zip code is 47143.