May be a simple leak and add some freon.
Why would you wanna spend good money upgrading an old system using R-22 which is being phased out.
Also something else you did not mention: Cost savings.
Your monthly electricity bill will decrease significantly based on a new energy efficient unit.
Buy the new system. It’s a no-brainer.
Get some more bids. We replaced our 20 year old AC & furnace this summer. Those guys are hungry. There are numerous Carrier installers as well as Lennox (my favorite). You NEED to get some more bids then have them compete against each other.
personally I’d go with the new unit. I wouldn’t worry about the tax break, it will come back eventually. Take a look at the energy efficency, if you can make it break even in 3-5 years then it’s totally a no brainer. If your staying in your house for the next 5+ years, again go for it.
We replaced ours June of 2009. I believe, Bryant is the same same as Carrier. Bryant units are made by Carrier. On the 3 estimates I received, same same model of Carrier was 2K higher than the Bryant. We went with Bryant. Same 1500.00 tax credit and then there was a 500.00 mfg. rebate . . . my husband looked the other day for a friend and I believe now it is 1200.00. So you might want to compare the two and see for your situation. 2700.00 and IF the Bryant is another 2K cheaper than Carrier, I’d replace. The Carrier we were looking at was around 6500 and went with Bryant for 4500 ‘ish’ less the rebates.
Replace it, the heater isn’t gpoing to last much longer either. You’ve got 12 years of use out of them both, which isn’t bad, not great, but not bad either. THe both of them will nickle and dime you to death as time progresses.
I just asked my favorite HVAC dude, my husband.
He said it is an old unit and you would be better off replacing with a higher efficiency unit and you will likely have a payback within 3 years if you buy a higher efficiency unit.
Remember the higher the SEER rating the more efficient it is.
Now days you need at least a 13 SEER. We just bought a 17 SEER, Mitsubishi that is amazingly quiet and does a great job.
Your tech is just trying to “upsell” you! Have the next guy top off your freon. Your symptoms are classic low fluid pressure, not mechanical!
Love my Trane 14 SEER
First time we turned it on it blew a bunch of stuff out of the ducts that the previous carrier unit never moved. She was mortified.
4 ton unit is huge. How many sq ft is your place?
Get multiple bids, even for the same brand.
Make double sure the AC and furnace combination qualify for the tax credit. Make the salesman pull up a tax certificate on the maker’s website showing the combination qualifies. You can get a tax credit on the right furnace by itself (regardless of what AC unit you have), but you have to have the right combination AC unit and furnace to get the tax credit for the AC unit. You may have already been over this with the salesmen, but if not, get it nailed down before you buy.
Get a new unit after getting more quotes. I replaced my entire HVAC back in my old house in 2000 and it was the best. No more hot summers and cold winters in the house!!
Make sure they cleaned your coil. I had the same problem years ago.....the coils were clogged preventing airflow causing the coils to freeze up.
The outside motor Could possibly be stopping due to the outside coil being dirty causing the compressor to cut off. It's hard to say without seeing the unit. But the amp reading really dis not that significant. It it was a couple amps over? Yea there might be problem.
The unit is 14 years old sounds like. If you can fix it for around $500-$600 My self I would have it fixed if it were mine. If it is a heat pump? I'd seriously consider full replacement. I am a retired Maintenance Mechanic with HVAC experience. What I told you is just so you can have a general idea of what's working right and what isn't.
As for a new unit? Get several written estimates. A legitimate dealer will not mind doing this and signing a contract when terms are agreed too. It protects both of you.
Wow, finally a topic I know something about. I do HVAC for a living. My two cents. R22 is being phased out yes... In 2020. R22 condensing units were stopped being manufactured this past year. Parts for the existing units will still be made for at least the next five to seven years. Another secret, R410a may not be the next long term refrigerant. It is already being spoken about like the HVAC betamax. My suggestion is to hold off on a new system for a couple of years. The tax credit isnt worth spit when your power company changes seasonal rates. Your system is freezing because it is low on refrigerant. This also causes the larger amp draw. The amp draw you mentioned is less than a full amp? Again nothing to lose sleep over. Tell your tech to pump the system down, pull the evap coil out, clean it, put it back in, put in a new filter dryer, pull a vacuum, and release the freon back into the system and bring it to superheat. Should cost you less than a hundred plus the dryer and maybe a couple pounds R22.
Assuming the system is forced air...change the return air filter. Cheap quick fix to a common problem.
1. Verify that the entering air side of your evaporator coil and blower wheel are clean. Your unit is just about old enough to need a good indoor coil cleaning (no filters are 100% effective at removing particulate from the airstream) and a clogged evaporator coil can cause freeze-ups by preventing the heat in the return air from being transfered to the refrigerant evaporating in the indoor coil. Once this is done your supply grills should all be opened fully, your blower motor amps should be noted and compared to the full load amps (FLA) or running load amps (RLA) on your unit’s data plate. You should be drawing at least 80% of the full load amps listed. No refrigerant charge adjustments should EVER be made until the above has been done, as well as making sure the outdoor coil is clean.
2. Your condensing unit will have compressor and a condensor fan motor. Both require capacitors to function correctly. A weak capacitor can cause the condensor fan motor to draw higher than normal amps, causing thermal shutdown of the motor. If your compressor capacitor is weak or fails it can cause your circuit breaker to trip. Condensor fan motorshut down can also be caused by bearing drag. If there is oil visible on the fan shaft side of the motor around the shaft seal or the fan shaft has play it should be replaced along with the capacitor. If the fan blade is still properly balanced it can be re-used.
3. If your unit has a low refrigerant condition your suction line (the larger copper line on your condensing unit) will be warm to the touch. It should be about 55 degrees with a full refrigerant charge. Your compressor will draw lower than normal amps because it’s not working as hard as it should be. It also won’t be rejecting the normal amount of heat out the top of the condensing unit. Leaks can usually be found with a refrigerant sniffer, bubble solution (just like a tire), and a little motivation/patience.
Long story short, make sure your tech is thorough before you spend a ton of cash. There are also direct drop-in replacements now available for R-22 systems. DuPont has “Iceon” and Nucor has “Nu-22”. Hope this helps and good luck!
I think the advice you have been given that it is low on freon and needs to be cleaned is entirely correct so I will not comment further.
Cheers,
knewshound
Thanks for posting this... facing a similar predicament, got lots of good advice! :)