Any A/C knowledgeable people???

[paysensmom]

We have a 36 year old house with the original AC unit in it. The house is 1336 sf and the AC UNIT IS A 2 ton unit.
It stopped working and we have AHS warranty. They sent someone out in April who repaired the unit. It worked until yesterday. They send another company out who recommended it to be replaced. He said the ynit was too small and needs to be a bigger unit.
Now AHS says they arent going to do anything because they dont cover if the unit is too small.
Anyway around that? Were the requirements different in 1978 when the house was built?

 

[WeLuvTink!]

Sorry, not an expert and I can't answer your direct questions. However, I can tell you that the energy savings you'll realize on a new AC should be significant and help pay for a replacement unit. BTW - 36 years on the same AC - That is AMAZING! Count your blessings.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Ditto to the last post. We replaced a 19 year old HVAC system, and our electric in the summer is LITERALLY less than 1/2 what it was before. We got in on an offer from NJNG (gas co here in NJ). And, if you need a bigger AC, you also may need a new furnace.

The deal with our gas co, was new HVAC, new water heater, they re-vent all and the dryer, and they (re) insulate the attic. $80/mo interest free, it is paid on our gas bill. So check with your power company for deals.

 

[tvguy]

This chart indicates....depending where you live.....2 tons would be just barely adequate. http://asm-air.com/airconditioning/what-size-central-air-conditioner-for-my-house/
But, given you have insurance, I'd throw a fit until they fix it. They insured it knowing the size of the ac unit, the size of the house and the age of the unit.
One comment WeLuvTink!'s comment on energy savings. It just depends. My mom had an energy audit done on her then 43 year old AC unit, private contract did all the readings, said she could save a ton of money. THEN he entered the past 5 years of her energy usage and found out it would take over 100 years for her to save enough to pay for the unit because of how well her house was insulated. Just was an 80 year old wants to here. I sold the house 2 years ago to investors who did a top to bottom remodel, they left that noe 53 year old Lennox AC unit there, because their HVAC guy came to the same conclusion, it made no economic sense. And AC units were so easy to fix in those days, and parts are still readily available and inexpensive, so even with a failure, repairs might be a better option.

 

[Bree]

First off....does it need to be replaced? Are the repair costs going to be more than the replacement costs? If the reason the A/C guy gave was "it's too small" then I can see why AHS doesn't want to replace it. The HVAC guy should have an estimate for repair costs vs. a new one. We just replaced two air handlers and two A/C units in our house in March. It was $7000 by the time all was said and done. The old systems were original to the house and it was going to cost more to do repairs than to replace. Our A/C bill was cut in half and it is freezing in here with the temp set to 76.

 

[paysensmom]

This is a rental house.

The AC has been on it's way out for a couple of years now. There is no fix for it. It needs to be replaced. I am just trying to find out if AHS has to replace it or if we are going to have to pay for replacement ourselves.
We have had AHS on this house since 2012 and have had AC repairs several times. Not once was it mentioned that the unit was too small until now that it ia deemed as unfit for repair...

 

[supersnoop]

AHS will find a way out of paying. Just google "AHS scam" to see the types of complaints. They probably have a clause that depreciates the replacement cost, so a 36 year old unit will be mostly on your own dime. Not only that, but it's in the repairman's best interest to invalidate the warranty, because they pay him peanuts, but he can charge you full price for a replacement. The only honest way forward is to hire your own guy to diagnose the problem.

 

[undertheradar]

AC is 36 years old? You know the obvious answer. Just replace it and move on.

 

[paysensmom]

I think you missed the point. I know it needs to be replaced. We have a warranty....

 

[undertheradar]

I think you missed the point. I know it needs to be replaced. We have a warranty....

On a 36 year old unit.

 

[undertheradar]

I think you missed the point. I know it needs to be replaced. We have a warranty....

What did you pay for this warranty and how much do you think the warranty should pay towards a new unit?

 

[paysensmom]

We pay $600 per year. We have had this warranty since 2011. The reason we have a warranty is so we don't have to pay to have these sort things replaced.
Several repairs have been made over the years and it bow needs replaced. The size was never an issue before, now that they recommend it to be replaced the warranty company wants to claim it is too small and will not cover it.

 

[undertheradar]

This is a rental house.

The AC has been on it's way out for a couple of years now. There is no fix for it. It needs to be replaced. I am just trying to find out if AHS has to replace it or if we are going to have to pay for replacement ourselves.
We have had AHS on this house since 2012 and have had AC repairs several times. Not once was it mentioned that the unit was too small until now that it ia deemed as unfit for repair...

2011 0r 2012? What is the average life of this unit? You expect the warranty to cover a unit that has outlived the average for a unit the same size? You did purchase a warranty that covers the use as a "commercial unit?"

 

[paysensmom]

2011, 2012 was a typo. I was asking for input from hvac knowledgeable individuals. I was not looking for a debate.

 

[supersnoop]

I was asking for input from hvac knowledgeable individuals. I was not looking for a debate.

The chart in tvguy's post is a good rule of thumb, but a real calculation is dependent on volume, not area. So, unless you can tell us all about the ceiling height, nobody will really be able to give you the right answer. Older houses tend to have lower ceilings, so two tons might be the right size.

However, repairmen lie when warranties are involved. The only way to get them to pay is to get your own inspection to prove that the replacement is covered. Then they'll you'll have to jump through a few additional hoops as they find other reasons to deny your claim, and you might be "lucky" to end up in arbitration with them.

All the while, you'll likely be violating local tenants' rights laws if you don't repair or replace the unit within a few days. So all that fighting, and you're still going to have to pay someone else to fix it or replace it, and then try to get them to pay for it afterwards. They'll fight you over reimbursement costs, too.

Long story short; the home warranty is worthless. Save your money and just fix it yourself.

 

[My3Princez]

2011 0r 2012? What is the average life of this unit? You expect the warranty to cover a unit that has outlived the average for a unit the same size? You did purchase a warranty that covers the use as a "commercial unit?"

You obviously have no idea what an AHS warranty is. It doesn't come with the unit. It is an annual contract home warranty. Not based on the age of anything. We have had them replace our hvac unit before. True, there are alot of clauses in the contract, but if you qualify, they do replace. And, yes, they cover rental homes. They even offer a discount if you have a policy on your main home and add one for a rental.

 

[seashoreCM]

Did the house have an addition put on? Was an "unfinished" area such as an attic "finished" in the meantime?

If the air conditioner was properly sized for the house when installed, and the house is the same now as it was then, then the air conditioner should still qualify for the warranty. But check the warranty contract carefully.

A "clause the depreciates the replaement cost"? That's just like collision insurance for a car where the maximum payout depends on the current value of the car even though the premium stays the same or goes up year to year. So the warranty can become less and less worthwhile year to year. A true replacement cost policy will cover the cost of a comparable unit. To add to the complexity, you may or may not have to pay more if a comparable unit does not meet today' code or energy efficiency requirements and you have to buy a unit that is yet more elaborate.

 

[undertheradar]

You obviously have no idea what an AHS warranty is. It doesn't come with the unit. It is an annual contract home warranty. Not based on the age of anything. We have had them replace our hvac unit before. True, there are alot of clauses in the contract, but if you qualify, they do replace. And, yes, they cover rental homes. They even offer a discount if you have a policy on your main home and add one for a rental.

Have had one in the past.

 

[tvguy]

All the while, you'll likely be violating local tenants' rights laws if you don't repair or replace the unit within a few days. .

Depends on your local laws. Here in California, where it gets to 110 degrees, air conditioning is not held to the same standard for landlords as water, hot water, heat and plumbing. It is not considered a basic need....there is a term for this that I can't recall. And there are exceptions to the law regarding timely repairs if the repair if parts or not available, or conditions exist that are beyond the landlords control. I think the insurance company refusing the repair it probably would be an exception.....the landlord tried to fix it in a timely fashion, but could not

 

[supersnoop]

Depends on your local laws. Here in California, where it gets to 110 degrees, air conditioning is not held to the same standard for landlords as water, hot water, heat and plumbing. It is not considered a basic need....there is a term for this that I can't recall. And there are exceptions to the law regarding timely repairs if the repair if parts or not available, or conditions exist that are beyond the landlords control. I think the insurance company refusing the repair it probably would be an exception.....the landlord tried to fix it in a timely fashion, but could not

The tenant has a contract with the landlord. The landlord has a contract with the warranty company. It's not the tenant's problem if the warranty company drags their feet. The landlord can fix it in a timely manner, but he'll have to pay for it. I don't believe that would be a covered exception. But it will all depend on state and local laws.