AC Motor replacement (home, heat pump, neighborhood)

[JustTess]

I wanted to know if this sounded like a usual charge for repairing a 5 yr old AC unit. The AC was blowing warm air and I had check the filters which were only a few weeks old. The unit outside made a loud humming noise so I turned it off. When I turned it on 2 minutes later, the inside unit worked but the outside unit wouldn't turn on. I then shut the AC off for 30 minutes. The same thing happend again when I turned it on.

After calling various AC repair places, a number of them thought the fan motor needed to be replaced because that seems to be the issue in the neighborhood I live in. First guy estimated about $500 + $89 service charge. The 2nd guy estimated near $500 = $49 service charge.

I did go ahead and get motor replaced for a total of $540 however, the service guy who came suggested I might want to get a better unit because the one I have isn't very good. It is a Lennox heat pump about 5 years old (just 2 months past any warrantees)

I'm just surprised about the cost of repair and the suggestion. I thought AC units last about 10+ years. The last time I got an AC unit repaired (different house), it cost $300 to replace a burnt out wire to the fan motor.

Has anyone else paid this much for AC repairs or am I just handing out excess cash to these guys?

[JL]

I had a similar problem a couple of months ago where warm air was blowing and my AC unit was only 6 yrs old. The AC guy said the builder of my home installed a low end line of my brand and that the capacitor went bad. He replaced the capacitor and also suggested installing a 5-2-1 Compressor savor and it works great now. He charged $350 bucks, but from what i heard, that is pretty expensive for doing both jobs. I also found out that you can install the 5-2-1 compressor yourself. It costs $70 bucks online. There is a video out there on how to install it. I heard it is good to install it for future preventive problems with your compressor . It supposedly puts less strain on your compressor from what he said. Anyway, i found a link to the video on how to install it. I hope people can save some money if they're mechanically inclined to install things. This should save people some $.


‪521 Compressor Saver - Residential Installation Video‬‏ - YouTube

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

A heat pump isn't really the best choice for the DFW region. It has problems with both extremes of temperatures. Regular a/c and a gas furnace are more efficient in that climate.

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[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

A heat pump isn't really the best choice for the DFW region. It has problems with both extremes of temperatures. Regular a/c and a gas furnace are more efficient in that climate.

Has problems with both extremes? Huh? Heat Pumps are fine in our area, but generally aren't used because they cost more than an HVAC system + gas furnace.

[dallas90210]

Heat pumps are more expensive than standard A/C units to fix, or buy. Also the larger the "tonnage", the more expensive it is. E.G. A 6-ton A/C condenser will be far more expensive than a 2-ton.

But anyway...that's probably not too bad a price. Especially if you've shopped around.

I would NOT replace the unit. Some A/C units will last 20 years - you just got a bad motor that died before it's time. Just get the motor replaced. You are probably looking at a $2000+ for an entire unit (just a guess-timate, but again that varies greatly depending on how large the unit is....that is based upon the square footage of your house).

Also one thing to note is that with heat pumps, the outside unit runs year round. In standard HVAC systems it only runs in the warm/hot months...so it does run twice as much...but it still usually lasts a loooong time.

Originally Posted by JustTess

I wanted to know if this sounded like a usual charge for repairing a 5 yr old AC unit. The AC was blowing warm air and I had check the filters which were only a few weeks old. The unit outside made a loud humming noise so I turned it off. When I turned it on 2 minutes later, the inside unit worked but the outside unit wouldn't turn on. I then shut the AC off for 30 minutes. The same thing happend again when I turned it on.

After calling various AC repair places, a number of them thought the fan motor needed to be replaced because that seems to be the issue in the neighborhood I live in. First guy estimated about $500 + $89 service charge. The 2nd guy estimated near $500 = $49 service charge.

I did go ahead and get motor replaced for a total of $540 however, the service guy who came suggested I might want to get a better unit because the one I have isn't very good. It is a Lennox heat pump about 5 years old (just 2 months past any warrantees)

I'm just surprised about the cost of repair and the suggestion. I thought AC units last about 10+ years. The last time I got an AC unit repaired (different house), it cost $300 to replace a burnt out wire to the fan motor.

Has anyone else paid this much for AC repairs or am I just handing out excess cash to these guys?

[Twincam666]

I paid about $335.00 for a similar job in 2006. So it's probably fair.....

[mco65]

got same issue. I have had two companys come out and look. One said replace the entire unit which is about 18 years old or just the fan motor for $650. One guy said he could replace the fan motor for $250.00

Both said a new more efficient unit would decrease my electric bill by $100 plus a month during the summer months. Both quoted me ~2k for a new unit with new condensor coil.

debating on what to do all the while roasting in the heat..

I wonder if I could pick up a motor my self and replace. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me.