I have central air and concerned that I may have a problem developing. I have a two story house with one central air unit. I have noticed lately that the air flow seems somewhat reduced from what it once was. It is still putting out cool air. The air flow just isn't what is once was. I have always changed the air filters. The reduced air flow seems most noticeable in the upstairs vents. Maybe I freaking out a little because the extra high temps lately. Just curious if anyone knows anything about a/c units and if I may be developing a problem. Thanks
Oh boy we just went through central air repair - we weren't getting cold air - ended up our air handler was totally shot -- hole in it. Had to replace it and now my house is cold. Night time I have to turn the thermostat up to 78 because it gets too cold.
If you have a gas pack there is a filter in the unit outside. Usually a side panel near the connection through the wall. We removed ours and put better filters inside to compensate removing it. You can google your unit model number for schematics to locate it.
If you have a heat pump low freon will cause your air flow to slow down. The coils freeze up b/c the freon is recirculating too much. Call a tech and have it checked. Freon is a pretty cheap fix.
Same thing happened last week to us. Our house is only 2 years old and the coil was replaced twice. Last Sept and now again this morning. 1st time was under warranty and today cost us $654 plus $200 previous week for a temporary fix. So A 2 yr old unit has had major repair twice in one year. It is a Goodman unit and a piece of garbage.
I'm living on borrowed time with 2 Goodmans here. Got a leak in my indoor coil for the upstairs unit. Capacitor went out last week. It was HOT up there. Had to camp out in the LR downstairs. I'm going to take advantage of the tax credits and go ahead an replace the one that is leaking soon. Goodmans are crap.
Y'all are scaring me with the Goodman info... I have two Goodmans that have been working strong for 2 years. I hope and pray they keep on truckin'.
Goodman isn't top of the line but this problem with leaks is with most of the new homes.check this article out about a study that was done by carrier.......... http://www.af1ac.com/pdf/indoor_coil_corrosion.pdf
www.myspace.com/chrissyb_18 same thing happened to us, at 2 yrs and a goodman. also the line that are corroding cause they are on the ground, shouldnt the people who replaced them pay for it? also i dont understand the warranty,your car warranty covers labor also. i wish we could replace it but we are on disability and can barely afford to eat!
Mine have lasted since 01. Some fail much sooner. My neighbor has one newer than mine he's already replaced. One of mine is just fine, the other one has "issues." Talk to me about it tonight. 8)
The reason you pay labor with an A/C unit is because the companies who install them are not affiliated with the manufacturer of the unit, other than they sell their brand. The manufacturer offers a product warranty, but they do not reimburse the installer for installing the parts. The installer (HVAC company) cannot afford to pay a service tech hourly pay and install the part for free. If that was the case, no one would be in business, you can't do work for free. With cars, a GM dealer is directly affiliated with the manufacturer of GM vehicles, totally different concept than what you see with HVAC companies.
Goodman makes great units. They are a little loud, but they hold up as good, if not better as anything else.
That aspect is not really an obstacle since there are private warranty services on other things like appliances where the labor is reimbursed to the local shop by the warranty grantor. The issue is more probably with installation errors the manufacturer does not cover. I have had the same company service all ofmy HVAC work, which included replacing seven systems over the years. A couple of the replacement units have had failures under warranty, which included the labor to relace the faulty part, but not the associated labor and material charges for recharging the system. That was not the case with units they did not install, however new they may have been. BTW, GM reimburses the shop for warranty labor at a set rate they determine, but they are billed like any other customer.
The unit we just put in was not a Goodman (only reason why we had to change the heat pump was because our air handler finally died and had to replace it, which was a 10 SER; can no longer buy 10 SER, which is what the heat pump unit is and they have to match so when we upgraded the air handler, we had to upgrade the heat pump) Any way, our new unit came with a 10 year warranty. It did not qualify for the tax break - had to be a 15 SER in order to qualify.
Most of the problems that us homeowners incur with our HVAC systems come from our home builder. The builder chooses to put in what they want, not what the builders chosen HVAC company recommends. Most of the time that means, the cheapest unit possible. However, there are some builders who like to put in quality HVAC equipment.
To those posting prob's with those newer units: Check the closing papers on your house for a HOW, (Home Owners Warranty), their typically good for 10 years after closing date.
My son just set up to get a new HVAC system for his house, which also had an older system. The quote for teh qualifying system was a little more expensive now, but once the rebate was included was cheaper than the less efficient system. Thus, he ordered the more efficient system to save money over time and the rebate to make it cheaper in the short term.
