AC question , house outside unit

[long coat]

The wife and I are looking at houses. One we looked at had this on top of the outside unit. Is this a DIY fix? The unit is from 2013.

 

[blain]

Either a DIY or bad "professional" work.
If the system is running fine, I would definitely add a full Heating/AC inspection to the offer (if you make one). This should be redone correctly as well as any other "fixes" discovered in the inspection.

 

[Brandon]

Looks like the fan motor gave out. Common to see it this way.

As said I would get that inspected by a company.

There is suppose to be a flexible plastic tube running from the hole in the metal where the wires are upto the fan motor.

Most companies offer 10 years warranty (manufacturers) and it is reduced to 5 if sold. Being almost there and some bad looking work done you maybe able to negotiate a new system or maybe half of it.

 

[long coat]

The company that has the house for sale will not fix anything, from what we have found out about them.
The sticker on the inside unit with inspection dates shows that it was low on freon over the summer and they put some in, a later date also said it was low, but didn't say they put more in. So I'm thinking leak, how bad, where, can it be fixed or is this replace the unit?
There is other stuff that makes the house so-so, but it could work for us, but stuff like this that makes us wonder whats going on with it, what else was done half way and will need fixed/replaced.

Thanks for the info.

 

[rhamersley]

The company that has the house for sale will not fix anything, from what we have found out about them.
The sticker on the inside unit with inspection dates shows that it was low on freon over the summer and they put some in, a later date also said it was low, but didn't say they put more in. So I'm thinking leak, how bad, where, can it be fixed or is this replace the unit?
There is other stuff that makes the house so-so, but it could work for us, but stuff like this that makes us wonder whats going on with it, what else was done half way and will need fixed/replaced.

Thanks for the info.

If it's low on Freon, especially if it's R-22, don't take a chance. I haven't priced it out recently, but last I knew R-22 was at least $40 a pound to the technician...not sure retail to customer, but thinking probably double or triple that plus service call costs.

The picture does look like the motor went bad, they didn't get the correct motor (see the redrilled holes in the center plate...bolt diameter is different than original) with the correct quick connects on it, so they spliced it into the existing wiring and grounded it to one of the fan bolts. It probably worked, but isn't a real good way to do things.

I'd probably negotiate an updated R-410a unit or walk away, but your mileage may vary.

 

[laf]

I had a 32 year old unit die on me this spring. In '21 I had it filled with a two and a half pounds of R22 at $120 a pound plus service call. You're right to be skeptical. Mains wire sitting out in the open on a vibrating fan cover does not bode well. I've taken my pocket electrical outlet tester with me to showings before to just try a few out at random and see if they were wired correctly, especially in newly painted rooms or homes that were flipped. I treated it like the no green m&ms in the concert rider for the band; if you miss the small things, you probably missed some bigger things.

 

[dieselrealtor]

If it is going to be a financed purchase, the lender will likely require the HVAC to at least be in working condition. If the AC is not cooling it (depending on the competency of the appraiser) will likely be a required repair. If the seller will not perform any repairs then the buyer will have to pay for the repair to get it to closing.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I had a new HVAC installed like 10 years ago... Whole she-bang.

That GD thing needed re-charged like every summer. Finally I'd had enough and had another exterior unit + lineset installed a few years ago. So much nicer now to not have to worry about dragging someone out to re-charge it.

Thankfully I've found a few really good / competent HVAC guys through INGO who've been able to help a feller out.

 

[Brandon]

Many times the inside coil on the backside is where it will leak. Sometimes its the ac itself. The lineset can, especially at a joint but its more likely the inside coil....... OR who ever put it in orginally burned the service vavle and sent it home anyways.

R22, not worth fixing at all.
Spend their or your money and get a new unit and coil... may as well do the furnace as well.

And what ever you do, don't fall for the free furnace with an ac BS.

 

[Leo]

Looks like sloppy work trying to keep the connector and the wires from falling into the moving fan blade. To tidy it up is pretty straight forward. Freon leakage, especially since the 1995 Montreal Protocol against freon and additional legislation since, has made leakage leakage issues complicated and expensive.

Remember throwing a $1.29 can of freon from Kmart into the car A/C every spring and paying the a/c guy $30 for a quick top up the house as needed? My system has been perfect for 10 years, but the lines are under the garage concrete slab, I am crossing my fingers that the lines will last as long as I do.

 

[long coat]

When I said freon, I used that as general term, the sticker on the side said R410A, so I assume it's not R22.
If its in a line from the inside to the outside, that could be a problem, its a slab house. I don't know it they run a large pipe so the lines could be replaced or if the lines are old, never replaced when the unit was replaced.

 

[DocIndy]

That fan motor is an aftermarket motor that has reversible rotation. You flip one side of the connectors and the motor will run the opposite direction. Everyone wanting to comment about a hack fix…. Unless you are in the trade, you need not comment. Someone replaced the OEM motor with an aftermarket. The OEM could have been out of stock which is the normal now a days and the aftermarket was in the shelf. Usually at a lot less money too.

 

[blain]

I had a new HVAC installed like 10 years ago... Whole she-bang.

That GD thing needed re-charged like every summer. Finally I'd had enough and had another exterior unit + lineset installed a few years ago. So much nicer now to not have to worry about dragging someone out to re-charge it.

Thankfully I've found a few really good / competent HVAC guys through INGO who've been able to help a feller out.

Yikes! What brand did you have installed?
My Trane unit was installed 17 years ago and only needed a little recharge this year.
I replace a blower cap and compressor cap last year. But beyond that it's been chugging along pretty good.

 

[ghitch75]

That fan motor is an aftermarket motor that has reversible rotation. You flip one side of the connectors and the motor will run the opposite direction. Everyone wanting to comment about a hack fix…. Unless you are in the trade, you need not comment. Someone replaced the OEM motor with an aftermarket. The OEM could have been out of stock which is the normal now a days and the aftermarket was in the shelf. Usually at a lot less money too.

this

 

[printcraft]

When I said freon, I used that as general term, the sticker on the side said R410A, so I assume it's not R22.
If its in a line from the inside to the outside, that could be a problem, its a slab house. I don't know it they run a large pipe so the lines could be replaced or if the lines are old, never replaced when the unit was replaced.

Could be the A coil on the inside as well. Maybe a dye inspection is in order?

 

[long coat]

They dropped the house another $10K and it went pending that night, not us.
That price change put the price about $10K less than they paid, then did work to it, paint, carpet, appliances, normal flip stuff.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Yikes! What brand did you have installed?
My Trane unit was installed 17 years ago and only needed a little recharge this year.
I replace a blower cap and compressor cap last year. But beyond that it's been chugging along pretty good.

I don't exactly recall the brand. I THINK it was Goodman. I am not 100% sure.

 

[DocIndy]

I don't exactly recall the brand. I THINK it was Goodman. I am not 100% sure.

Not a Goodman… a junk Rheem…. I remember taking it out really well….lol

 

[Creedmoor]

Could be the A coil on the inside as well. Maybe a dye inspection is in order?

No comments unless your in The Trade!

 

[printcraft]

No comments unless your in The Trade!

I run the peanut gallery around these parts mister!