Air Conditioner Charge

[Steve@Advance]

I'm in process of selling a house. The prospective buyers have asked for an $800 price reduction. They had their brother in law, who is an HVAC contractor check the air conditioner. He reported that it was low on refrigerant because the suction pressure is "extremely low" and his "opinion" is there is a leak in the evaporator, and will cost $1200 to replace. To my knowledge he did not leak check, just an assumption it is the evaporator.

This system is only about 6 years old, there have never been any complaints from my daughter who has lived there for 2 years since the property was bought, I have not added any refrigerant, nor had any issues with the system.

Here's the kicker... The day he supposedly checked the refrigerant charge, the temperature was a low of 33*, high 39*! This is an R22 system, I don't know if it is a TXV or fixed orifice, that it would matter, but what else would he have gotten but "extremely low" suction pressure? Is there any way to check the charge at that low ambient temperature? I'm getting ready to call their bluff on this, just want to get my facts first!

Agree? Disagree?

Thanks!

 

[old]

To me I would say well pay for a A/C guy who is not related to you or sorry find some place else. If your hard up then ya but the way things are now if you sell today or tomorrow who knows. Or in other words sounds like they are trying to scam you

 

[M-MAN]

The only way you are going to check the charge on a straight ac at that temp is by pulling it down and weighing it. The contractor may have told them that but if he did he was blowing smoke. If he even hooked up the gauges he wasn't too bright. JMO

 

[Dick2]

Write down his name and don't ever call him to do any of your work! We had a local guy that people called "Compressor Joe". He always told people there was a problem with the compressor, so he could charge them $1,000 for a replacement compressor. Got to really watch the A/C repairman around here. They do TV stories about which firms are honest and which are fraudulent, but the crooks still stay in business.

A local widow called a repairman. He told here that she needed a new capacitor that cost $700. She told him: "Just wait, I have to call the consumer fraud desk in the state attorney general's office". Guy ran out the door and disappeared in a hurry! I bought a new capacitor from Amazon for $22.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Are you selling the house with a warranty? If so, it would cover any future A/C repair, less a deductible.

It is entirely possible there is a leak, but I don't know how one could properly check the system when the outside temperature is below 40F. Of course it will get you nowhere to tell the buyers that their beloved brother-in-law is a liar and a crook.

Are you sure it's only six years old? R410a has been the standard for many years.

How desperate are you to sell? Did you leave some room to negotiate in your asking price? Clearly, what they really want is to knock you down on the (already negotiated) price. Either make a counter-offer or tell them to pound sand. In most areas it's a seller's market these days and some buyers are not worth the aggravation to deal with. If the buyer says the house failed their inspection, then the deal's off, right?

 

[Gambles]

Call their bluff and don't budge on the AC system.
You could always tell them that since they have an brother-in-law who is an "expert", he could fix it for cost, since he obviously checked the AC system for free.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Call their bluff

 

[DENNIS MIN]

Steve,

I'd probably ask their expert what qualities of air where present at the time...ie psychometric chart.

If he cannot answer that, then I'd get a tad sarcastic and ask him where he keep his Ouija board.

This is a pre-coffee answer, may sound cranky!

D.

 

[jr1983]

Ya pick a neutral party. Been hvac certified for fifteen years never heard anybody that was that brazenly crooked. I put an A/C unit in my house last year it was r22 but it probably had been on the shelf a while. I betting they will back off or go elsewhere if you want a third party opinion.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Hi Steve, We too are selling properties. For us this is the very first time and it sure is an interesting process. People will come at you with all kinds of reasons to drop the price. My instinct is like the others, the guy is FOS about the unit however my Realtor gave me some good advise when she told me to stop fretting over the reasons given and make a decision based solely upon the price. In other words would you consider the offer it they said we love the place but simply offered $800 less money for it?
We have had people ask about warranty on major items and we have stood hard on nope! your buying it just like I did. Look around all you want and make your determinations and make your offer, your buying what you see,, but it hasnt sold either. Activity is pretty light this time of year and smart buyers know that and take advantage of it, we plan on sitting on our price and conditions until spring and see what happens.

 

[John,PA]

I would simply block off the air coming over the condenser by wrapping some plastic over the condenser coil. Thus raising the discharge pressure to approx 200 psig. Then check the suction pressure. Should be approx. 55 psig. Or checkl the suction pipe for cold while the liquid line should be warm.

If the above conditions are met, then the charge is OK. Ambient temp. is a little low to just assume system is low in R-22.

John,PA

 

[Bob - MI]

You have a couple of options depending on how tolerant you are.

If the unit is only 6 years old is it still under warranty? If it has a scroll compressor it's likely got a 10 year warranty. Call your HVAC guy who installed it and ask him. If it's under warranty you can state that to the buyer and that should calm the waters. yes the evaporator is being singled out as the issue but until you have a leak test performed you are catering to an HVAC guy who has a conflict of interest.

Check into a home warranty and it may be the cheapest route to go. My suspicion would be that you haven't heard the last of these people and you should take steps to protect yourself.

Offer to split the cost with him. In the big picture, $400.00 is nothing to worry about. If they do accept however you need them to sign off that they are accepting the home as-is.

Lastly you can give them the $800.00 discount and move on. Once again I would make sure that they sign off on the property as-is with no warranty.

Had a very similar thing happen to me last house we sold. Brand new furnace and AC system that the buyer's friend (hvac tech) said was improperly vented due to pipe size and they wanted $600. Told him it was installed by a certified tech with a warranty and if he could provide me with the documentation showing the vent was wrong for that unit I would go back on the installer. Suddenly the issue was dropped and the sale went through.

A** holes are everywhere.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Mark,
2010 EPA put a ban on the production of 22, but they didn't put a ban on making 22 replacement parts. Because of the higher pressures of 410a, there are issues. For that reason, I think you can still get a new 22 AC. If you like, I will call BIL and ask him. He has been in the HAVC business for 50 years. I think a replacement for 410a is already in the works.

Like having a cheap electrician, and it always nice to know someone to get cheap HVAC parts. My sister is in charger of ordering parts. She can have her supplier drop ship anything I need to my house. The older I get, I find it's who you know as important as what you know. Geo

 

[guido]

Hello DENNIS MINN,

A psycho what!?! He is just that....... psycho!!! I looked and some of the answers as well. Very entertainig ..


Guido.

 

[guido]

Hello Steve@Advance,

Cover your liability legally. I had mine serviced and left the name of the company to tbe buyer. Three months later unit was replaced at the buyer expense,

Guido.

 

[dr sportster]

I watched a hidden camera tv show where a tech disconnected a wire on a unit . Every guy that came told them it was an expensive repair . Not one of them simply reconnected the wire . So I concluded that whole trade is dishonest. Funny thing was it was filmed in my state and I had heard of some of the contractors . Not one HONEST.

 

[Dblair]

M-man got it right , and I just did my bil heat pump by pulling the charge out and weighing in the right amount. no way to tell at 33 outside on either an expansion valve or cap tube unit .

 

[ss55]

If the purchase agreement has an inspection clause, the buyer can back out of the deal. Counter offer to pay half the cost of a one year home warranty? Those warranties used to cost around $500 total, check what they cost now.

 

[da.bees]

Unless the sales price is below $40k I would reduce the price $800 and not waste time aurguing about it. I wish 1 or 2 % was the most reduction I ever had to make on a sale. Now if they ask for another consession I would tell them no more games. Anyone here that buys sales and trades will tell you majority of buyer will ask you to reduce price regardless how good origional price is.

 

[pete 23]

I'm at the point in my life where we may have to sell this house in a year or maybe a few. I have thought about all the different things a buyer may bring to my attention. I have thought about my answer also. It's a 75 year old house, not new and this is what I am asking for it.