My question to an Air Conditioner Contractor, do you guarantee your work and equipment for 5 years?

Question

We purchased a house about 2 years ago and which the previous owner replaced the air conditioner / furnace with a new system. The problem is that sometimes the condenser wants to start, or runs for about ½ or 1 second and stops and keeps going ON and OFF but never runs. Or sometimes the condenser will run and cool the house for about 15 to 30 minutes and stops cooling (although the condenser keeps running). We called an independent AC repairman, he immediately “found the problem” and told us that the new AC was not properly installed. He indicated that there was excessive high pressure of the refrigerant in the copper lines due to a plug in the system. He said he would never have installed this unit at this house and did not want to get involved trying to fix a problem cause by the installer of the new AC unit. He indicated that the old AC system used R22 refrigerant and the new Trane XR12 AC unit uses R410 refrigerant, and should have never been installed because any trace of the old R22 refrigerant left in the unit is not compatible with the R410 refrigerant and will cause the oil in the refrigerant to “harden” and cause the line to plug up and stop the AC from operating properly.

We then called the AC Company that installed the new AC, they have been to the house twice, the first repairman did not find the problem (we told him about the incompatibility of the R22 and the R410, and he said that he has never heard of this problem). The second repairman that came out and verified the very high pressure in the system and indicated that R22 and R410 refrigerants are not compatible and will cause the system to plug up and stop functioning properly, he indicated that the system needed to be “flushed out’ and that the “dryer” in the system needed to be replaced with a new one. I indicated they should be responsible for both labor and materials since the unit was not properly installed. He said they would call me back the next day (this was about 1 week ago); at this point I do not believe they are going to call back.

My question to an Air Conditioner Contractor: Do you guarantee your work and equipment for 5 years? And would you come back to fix the incompatible R22 and R410 refrigerant problem on a unit installed 4 years ago. Also, would you still come back even when there has been a change in home ownership? And yes we have the original contact for the unit in our hand and it indicates a 5 year warrantee.

Answer 1

I carry a one year craftsmanship warranty on my work. The equipment is covered under manufactures warranty. Full parts and labor warranty for one year and 5 year on compressors. That is a standard warranty, but there are other ones out there and your specific one would have to be checked for sure. Does the contract say only to original purchaser.The contractor has voided the manufactureres warranty when reusing the old lineset from the r-22 system. That is a big no-no. Even if he flushed the lines, that doesn't guarantee he got all the oil out from the r-22 and obviously he didn't. At this point you need to replace the entire system to do it right. I know that sounds extreme but that is the right way to do it. The manufacturer won't like the installer screw up with there equipment, but that also depends on the companies reputation and relationship with them. I personnally would replace the system, but would not try to repair it for you because that is not the thing to do. There is no filter drier in the world that will correct that problem. The oil contanmination is now throughout the sysytem and in the compressor oil. If I tried to fix it cheap for you then you would hold me responsible from there on and you would waste your money and be mad at me when the repairs didn't work which makes me look bad . Thats just how I operate. I do the right thing the first time and give my opinoin to you the owner on how to repair or replace the system properly. If you choose to not agree and want me to cheat it then I just politley refuse the work. Your best bet at this time is to have a good hvac company replace the system, pay the contractor, and then sue the oringinal one for damages if they don't take care of the problem first with you.Best luck but get ready for a headache.

Answer 2

This sounds like a pretty serious screw up. Document everything, and take it to the Registrar of Contractors in your area. Get the license # of the HVAC company. They will be forced to make this right, or lose their license. I typically offer a 1 year warranty on labor for small stuff, 2 years on compressors and whole units. This goes beyond a warranty problem, though. I would also call Trane, they usually are interested in helping to solve problems caused by mistakes made by distributors.

If it was just the condenser that was replaced, and the air handler was the the same one, It needed to be cleaned before the new unit was installed. It may be too late for that now, the whole thing may have to be replaced.

Answer 3

The standard labor warranty is one year. You are probably out of luck. That unit will never work properly. The system must be properly matched. Mixing R22 and R410a is a big problem. Its' going to be very expensive to fix.

Answer 4

I wouldn't, for one thing there's to many possibility's and if the house sold, the contractor , has fulfilled his part, the a/c company that made the unit, should be responsible if there's a warranty,