tldr: $1600 to do "rqd permit/code work" to replace a Evap coil under home warranty sounds crazy right?
We have a leak in one of our Evap units and our home warranty will replace the entire unit - so that's good news and we only pay $125
The bad news is the HVAC company told them we need to pull a permit for the repair. And the HVAC co won't order the new coil until we approve their quote for required upgrades per code to pass inspection.
For the "code" work They've quoted us about $1600 including:
1. $350 for 10lbs refrigerant
2. $178 for Condensate Float Switch
3. $235 for Emergency Drain Pan (coil only-new coil larger than old)
4. $348 for Drain Line
5. $268 for Mastec (seal supply/transition)
6. $95 for Access Port Locking Caps
7. $187 to pull Permit
I called the city and at first the inspector I got on the phone said he probably wouldn't even require a permit for a coil repair inside the attic for existing construction (our house was built in 2002). But he mentioned the permit can be done online for $30
After that he said he'd dig into it and called back and left me a voice mail saying we only needed a permit if we either a) exceeded 10lbs refrigerant (Purin in our case) or b) had a greater than 1hp motor (we do but no one can tell me exact size)
I guess my question is how do I find out what exactly is needed to meet code and what should be part of the repair?
and is $1600 reasonable?
If we have to for sure do all this work, I'm going to call home warranty and ask why they don't pay for it - they are obligated to replace the unit per contract and it's not our fault if it's no longer available (per repair tech)
The inspector has been pretty cool so far but has basically said "I can't help you with their quote". When I called to speak with a manager at the HVAC co, he said they only just stared having to pull the permits in the past couple of weeks and said we were over 1hp motor so it's required.
In theory we're getting a new Evap for $125 but it sure sounds like a shyte load of extra BS $$
I'd like to call out another service but it'll take us another 48 hours to get someone out thru the home warranty company and we would be lucky to get it all repaired next week
TIA
We have a leak in one of our Evap units and our home warranty will replace the entire unit - so that's good news and we only pay $125
The bad news is the HVAC company told them we need to pull a permit for the repair. And the HVAC co won't order the new coil until we approve their quote for required upgrades per code to pass inspection.
For the "code" work They've quoted us about $1600 including:
1. $350 for 10lbs refrigerant
2. $178 for Condensate Float Switch
3. $235 for Emergency Drain Pan (coil only-new coil larger than old)
4. $348 for Drain Line
5. $268 for Mastec (seal supply/transition)
6. $95 for Access Port Locking Caps
7. $187 to pull Permit
I called the city and at first the inspector I got on the phone said he probably wouldn't even require a permit for a coil repair inside the attic for existing construction (our house was built in 2002). But he mentioned the permit can be done online for $30
After that he said he'd dig into it and called back and left me a voice mail saying we only needed a permit if we either a) exceeded 10lbs refrigerant (Purin in our case) or b) had a greater than 1hp motor (we do but no one can tell me exact size)
I guess my question is how do I find out what exactly is needed to meet code and what should be part of the repair?
and is $1600 reasonable?
If we have to for sure do all this work, I'm going to call home warranty and ask why they don't pay for it - they are obligated to replace the unit per contract and it's not our fault if it's no longer available (per repair tech)
The inspector has been pretty cool so far but has basically said "I can't help you with their quote". When I called to speak with a manager at the HVAC co, he said they only just stared having to pull the permits in the past couple of weeks and said we were over 1hp motor so it's required.
In theory we're getting a new Evap for $125 but it sure sounds like a shyte load of extra BS $$
I'd like to call out another service but it'll take us another 48 hours to get someone out thru the home warranty company and we would be lucky to get it all repaired next week
TIA