AC issue - coil leaking freon

[gecko]

I got a quote from an AC repair company to replace my AC coil on my upstairs unit for $1650. What I know about AC could fit on the head of a pin, so I agreed -new coil to be installed on 4/9.

While singing the $1650 blues my wife comes upon a co-worker who's brother is in the AC repair business and he believes he can do it for between $800 and $900.

Any perspectives on which number looks correct...? Anyone else been through this recently...?

 

[14tokihorn]

I bet the co-worker can get the part far cheaper... that's likely the $ difference - markup is incredible!

 

[brntorng]

First, make sure they're talking about the same exact replacement part. Is it an OEM part or a generic? Is it specified to match the rest of the system? This is very important to maintain the SEER rating of your AC. If you're not sure, provide the AC distributor of your brand with the model of your unit and the part number they're quoting and make sure they're a match. Some shady contractors will install any cheap ol' evaporator in the unit. It will work, but it won't be as efficient as the right one would be and that will end up costing you a lot of extra cash over time.

Other than that, it's the cost of labor. Will one do a quick and dirty job while one does a job that's well-done?

 

[gecko]

Thanks to the above.....who doesn't want to save money these days, but the price difference is so large it has me wondering. I've always felt you get what you pay for so when big swings like ths occur on a system I don't understand, I get real stupid, real fast.

 

[orangecat]

learn from my mistakes. I had a rusted coil, two years ago, A/C man said three options, 1. clean coil 2. replace coil, 3. replace entire inside unit. price difference wasn't that much between #2 and #3, so I went with #3, thinking it would be more energy efficient.

Big mistake, in hindsight the guy made some mistake, energy bills higher after new unit installed.

Advice is try to observe exactly how unit sounds when it turns on and off. both inside and outside units. I wasn't as aware as I should have been, until I noticed the higher bills, said something was told nothing was wrong, etc.