Carrier Evaporator coil replacement and other considerations
I have a 2.5 Ton Carrier Air Conditioner with the Evaporator coil mounted on top of gas furnace. The unit was low on refrigerant, so the service technician recharged it and checked for leaks- found one in the evaporator coil. He recommends replacing it. It will probably have to be recharged by the end of August based on what happened last year, if I do not replace it now. It could also leak more rapidly with age. His estimate for the coil replacement is $675 Parts and 3-4 hours labor. So it will be approx. $1000. Wow! Is this a very high amount for a replacement coil? Is putting a leak sealant an option? The unit was built and installed in 1999. Already, a control board has been replaced last year at my expense. The year before that, Carrier provided a new compressor -- I paid the labor cost. I have had it recharged once in each of the last two years. Maybe I should just let it leak. If the evaporator coil costs so much, should I just replace the unit, given the fact it is a lemon. If so, what would be recommended brands? Appreciate your advice on this problem. Having had to replace a compressor, board, now an evaporator, if it were me, I'd be replacing the whole shooting match. I'm a believer in matching furnace A/C brands particularly if the furnace is not old. With the trouble you've had, I wonder is there is some underlying cause, such as insufficient duct work. If the ducts are not large enough, this can lead to all sorts of problems. Some A/C units are more forgiving than others when it comes to poor air flow. I don't want to bad mouth any product but Goodman has a reputation for being air flow critical. On the other end of the scale, with the old Trane equipment you could get away with almost gross air starvation. Don't know much about anyone's newer stuff other than 90%+ of the problems I find are directly traceable to installation. It really sounds like you have a contractor that is trying to take shortcuts...and trying to make a HUGE mark up on their equipment. I would guess they did not run a manual D calculation when your unit was last changed out, and failed to realize you aren't getting your proper air flow and/or static pressure. They need to find the root of all these problems before you agree to replace your coil. And I would try to talk them down some because $600-$700 should be all it costs you to change out a 2.5 ton coil.
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