GAH!!! seems that the freon in our AC unit has been used up, anyone know how much it might cast to get repaired?

*is a rather warm r0oface*

IMO, you'd be better off buying a new A/C. IIRC, last year the pricing could be around $100/lb. I think a lot of home A/C window units are 2-8lb...

It mostly depends on the age of the unit though. But the old R-22 is being forced out of production by the EPA because of HFC's (2018 is when it's not supposed to be used any more??). They're now using R-410A.

-J

Edit: I just realized how sad I am that I had to look up the size of window units, but I frickin' knew the R-22/R-410A & EPA ruling... Ugh... I need to ... to... I don't know what, but something. *sigh*

I agree, it might be cheaper to just get a new unit.

Try calling around and getting quotes. It can't hurt anything, and will give you a general idea of what you're facing. You may be better off with little mom and pop shops compared to national chains. Sometimes they will give you a better deal that a chain won't.

In my area, it costs at a bare minimum, $60 to get someone just to come out on a service call, and if the unit is not worth repairing, that's money that could have been put toward a new unit, which, according to what I've been told, would cool better using less energy than the old one. Air conditioning units are really heavy, so taking one in to a shop for service would be a lot of work. Then, the shop would most likely charge you about the same as a service call to diagnose the problem. I don't like the idea of throwing something away and buying new, but maybe this is one of the times when that is the most practical decision. Lately, some utility companies have been offering incentives for replacing old appliances with energy-efficient new ones, it might be worth a phone call to your electric provider to see if they have anything like that going on. My dad got $100 for an old refrigerator...

ah! but it's not a wall unit or something it's the WHOLE AC unit for the house. replacing would be about $5000 i think.

In that case, sweets, you'll have to call a repair guy. There just isn't any way you can get around it, I'm afraid!

So sorry, r0opants... dunno how you folks stand the heat and humidity on "normal" days down there, much less in the middle of the hot season!!!

~~me~~

EDIT: Given the prices for coolant vs. the cost to replace, you will obviously be better off repairing your current unit. That's assuming that the unit isn't TOO old to be able to use the current coolant. Even so, there's a lot of places that sell the old coolant still, even if it's pricier.

WiccanMethuselah wrote:


So sorry, r0opants... dunno how you folks stand the heat and humidity on "normal" days down there, much less in the middle of the hot season!!!

~~me~~


Keeping hydrated is really the key. Hydrated and cooler clothes. Things that can easily breathe.

Even if you do all of those things, some days are just flat out miserable.

MomoDesu wrote:
WiccanMethuselah wrote:


So sorry, r0opants... dunno how you folks stand the heat and humidity on "normal" days down there, much less in the middle of the hot season!!!

~~me~~


Keeping hydrated is really the key. Hydrated and cooler clothes. Things that can easily breathe.

Even if you do all of those things, some days are just flat out miserable.

How you folks handle the "tropics," as I like to call 'em, is totally beyond me. Even hydrated, wearing loose clothing and hunkered down in the A/C, this Michigan gal can't handle the upper 80's/low 90's that we're having with the humidity. *shudder*

I give y'all props for dealing with it, that's for sure!

~~me~~