I have a 13 year old Amana 12 seer 4 ton unit that needs a new blower motor. AC guy is saying I can replace the part but may not want to put money into a system that is toward the end of its life. Question is how long I should expect my unit to last. I have started regular maintenance but have only been in the house a year and half so no idea if the prior home owner kept up with it or not.

That's a loaded question without knowing it's history, but he's probably right. 10-15 years is average depending on use and history.

It depends but if it's operating correctly otherwise, you'll probably be better off repairing it. Sometimes they barely make 10 years, others I've seen hit 20.

So the A/C guy wants to sell you a new A/C huh? Shocking...

How much is the part? If say $500 gets me another 3-5 years out of a system vs. say $6k for a new one, I'd go ahead and fix it. If it's $2k to fix, that's different...

Replacing a blower motor shouldn't be an expensive fix, I wouldn't get a new system unless there was something else going wrong.

My upstairs 3-ton unit went pretty quick. 9 years.

My downstairs 5-ton unit is still going strong at 14+ years old. During the last maintenance service I was told it is operating fine and should last many more years.

Parent's ac units lasted about 20+ years with a little tlc near the end. But ran well for about 17 years.

It was a Goodman.

~egon

Man that's a stretch to suggest changing the system over a motor that has gone bad...I could understand if the condenser or the coil is shot but not a motor.

Where do you live ? If you're near the woodlands I have a good a/c guy to recommend.

[This message has been edited by Lostinla07 (edited 4/5/2014 7:54p).]

I live in Frisco. I agree the motor being out should not cause me to replace the system by itself. My thinking was that if I will have to replace the whole unit in a couple years, may be worth doing now and not spending 600 (parts and labor) on a new blower motor. However if I get another 3 to 5 years then I would agree to repair and not replace

My ac at my last house (sold to a friend) is still going strong after 36 yrs.

It's incredible. I always expected it to die, but it never would.

I don't have too much to add on the age of my AC unit, but I've got a great AC guy for you. He's an Ag who helped me out on Labor Day last year. His names Jason Curtis and his company is Pasco air - (214)551-8606.

dlance. I own EnviroMax Services and we service the Woodlands. http://www.emaxteam.com

We use DB A/C
281-370-8828

600 for a blower motor is robbery. I replaced mine last year and the motor was $120 from Grainger.

Having a second opinion on the blower motor and on the AC on Monday by reliant air conditioning who I have seen recommended here before.

My builder grade unit went 30 years. It wasn't very effective and it cost a lot to run, but it was still running when we replaced it a couple of years ago.

A 12 seer unit is still pretty efficient so I'd first look at replacing the worn out parts. If it were an older or cheaper unit, then yeah, I'd bite the bullet.

The design expectancy is 15 years.

I've seen 50 year old units running, but there are plenty of exceptions on either side of the 15 year life expectancy.

Unit was original 1976 and leaked freon a couple times so we had it refilled then replaced the coil finally. Had the blower motor replaced when unit was so old they had to use a salvage motor, probably 25 years! At 29 years it died right before entire family was due for son's graduation and it was time so it was replaced with a larger, more efficient unit.

At new install they said expect 10-15...no way newer models would last 30 years!

Built my house in 86. Replaced heat pump 3 years ago. 6-8 years ago it quit blowing cold, so i had a neighbor that owned HVAC business send someone over. Tech said it was DOA and gave me 1 quote....$8000. Called a one man shop that had done work for my brother and he found pin-hole leak ins copper line. Brazed it, recharged and gave me bill for $250. Had to replace two electrical components in all that that time. Had service on new one twice already.

"I could understand if the condenser or the coil is shot but not a motor."

This quote is absolutely correct.

Unless you have had to add refrigerant in the past few seasons or see a potential risk for a leak in the condenser coil, evaporator coil or weakening compressor replace the blower motor and say a prayer over it. The life expectancy question is multi-layered on refrigerant circuit health, cleanliness of indoor and outdoor coils and design.

I hope this helps!

Jason

What did reliant say?

Had Relient come out and take a look. They agreed that my unit could be near the end of its life and at risk. They also pointed out that I was fairly low on freon which could indicate a coil leak in addition to the blower motor. Gave me plenty of options but appears the replacing the unit is probably the safest call. Gave me a quote for a carrier 13 seer, 4 ton unit for $6110 which is better relative to my last quote of approx $7200 for Lennox with same specs. Is this a reasonable price?

I would think it's decent since we spent about $5K in 2005 for the same thing

I've been working with Kris. He first quoted 5912 for 3.5 ton so your number lines up. He's answered all of my questions and is professional. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I have six bids so far. Trane Carrier Lennox and Rheem. Most of the shops want to earn the business so I've found they will price match. The goal is to find the best installer. Reliant is right up there. My dilemma is upgrading when the original 1992 system still functions. It is surviving on home warranty patch jobs and routine tuneups. I've lost an outdoor unit in my previous home over the 4th of July and got robbed as I had no bargaining power. This is why I'm trying to be proactive with this one. Good luck and update if you can.

I wish both of you guys were in the Houston area I could help you out and save you money and give you a 14 seer Trane system with all components matched. I don't know any A/C guys in the Dallas area though.

The average cost for base model equipment of most manufacturers should be $1500-$1700 per ton without any ancillary add-ons based on difficulty of installation etc. When Peak hits in July & August this can rise in general with most.

Again if you don't trust a reference or somehow know their work your rolling for a 7 or 11.

Get a quote from John Roberts AC out of Rowlett. I used them to replace a condenser last year. I own a condo in Coppell that my sister lives in. AC went out & I had a guy come out that gave me a crazy quote. He must have thought I was an idiot. I called JR AC based on a rec from Tx Ags. I was about to leave the country so I essentially bought the AC over the phone & they installed while I was out of town.

So let me ask...after reconciling the bids the current number I am looking at is 10200 for the upstairs and downstairs systems, 13 seer builder grade inside and out. That includes duct mods and a return install to help with the airflow upstairs along with wireless t-stats. Also..the applicable permit work. I have a choice of Trane, Carrier, Lennox, or Rheem. Does that number seem fair on paper? I've been trying to stick with reputable folks that have been in business over 10 years so I have a basic assumption about their installation practices.

[This message has been edited by REOAggie (edited 4/9/2014 10:30p).]

Both of our units have been Rheem!

I think John Roberts AC only installs Rheem. The first guy that came out tried to tell me I needed to replace my entire unit (inside/outside) because of the new freon. My inside unit was only about 3 yrs old. JR AC replaced the outside unit & said there was a part that could be added on the inside unit for waaay less $$$.

Good afternoon board, just a quick note for those considering 13 SEER equipment, the new regional minimum will be 14 SEER starting Jan 1, 2015. Something to take into consideration when making a large investment in terms of being "behind the curve" and true value. I am the operations manager at Classic Heating and Air based in McKinney and Plano, it would be my pleasure to help Ags in any way possible.

Thanks and Gig 'Em

Dane - Can you elaborate on the "true value" in the higher seer unit? I am looking at a 13 seer because the future savings do not seem sufficient enough to cover the increased cost of a higher seer unit until 7 to 10 years down the road.