New Homeowner - Replace or Repair

[ReggieN]

Hello, I'm a new homeowner. In my younger days I used to be a helper for a HVAC company in VA.
I just bought my house last Friday. When I came home from closing I found that the Central Air was not working and the breaker had been tripped. When I reset the breaker, I still got no air. The unit outside was spinning rather slowly and then breaker tripped again.

I wrote down the specs for the unit Goodman (Janitrol) and called to see if it was still under warranty. Just so happens that it expired early this year.

So my question is should I have a technician come out to repair or should I buy a new one? I know that seems like a crazy question since I don't know what the problem is, but the unit is a Janitrol and its only 10 SEER. In my day Janitrol (Goodman) was a low end product. I heard that they are better products now, but I'm sure 10 SEER is well below industry standards. I don't want to waste money and time trying to get it repaired when I should be buying a new one.

Here are the specs for my current one.

Goodman Single Package Gas-Electric Heating-Cooling Unit
Model Number GPG10481151A
Model Description 4T PKG Gas 10 SEER 115k 1PH

I have 2 systems, a small one with air handler for upstairs and the one in question (Gas Pack) for downstairs.

Thank you for your time.

[Dr.phil]

the fact the breaker didn't trip immediately, is a good sign. Every tech that reads this will more than likely know what is wrong with it. Yes, call for service.

[jtstuart]

I 2nd that! call for service!

[ReggieN]

Ok, I will make the call. So the 10 SEER shouldn't be a concern?

[5thRoot]

Find out what is wrong before you decide to replace it. 10 seer is low but not overly low. Find out what the repair is first, compare the price and then decide. IMO its a terrible idea to decide to replace a unit before you know whats wrong with the old one.

[hvacvegas]

Ok, I will make the call. So the 10 SEER shouldn't be a concern?

You could get a unit with a higher seer, but I wouldn't advice swapping out a 10seer at 10 years old, for the sake of a few extra seer.
If we were talking low seer, I mean 8 or under, then I'd might agree, but then again the unit would probably be a good deal older also.
It would depend on what the issue actually is.
Also, it sounds like you've got a self-contained unit. From what I recall, even the new units don't get that high (such as an 18 seer) in their ratings.

Something NOT mentioned alot on here, is that there are still units being sold at UNDER 10 seer.
Some speciality systems are not subject to the federal minimum standard, which is 13 seer.

I'm installing a 9.5 seer magicpak system soon. It is not subject to the 13 seer federal standard.

[ReggieN]

Thanks for all your responses. I had a serviceman come out yesterday. When we trip the breaker, the compressor blew right there on the spot. Freon was everywhere.

He told me that he could replace the compressor, but it would be better to replace the unit. I was shocked to find out how much a "Gas Pack" cost. This would have been a deal breaker if I known before I closed.

Thanks for info.