Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing - Advice, Discussion and Tips from ARS®/Rescue Rooter®. Welcome to the ARS/Rescue Rooter Home Connect, your online resource center for information, answers and interactive advice about air conditioning, heating, plumbing and drain maintenance. As part of our commitment to providing exceptional service, we created the ARS/Rescue Rooter Home Connect to be a useful tool with many helpful ways to find what you need.
I am an insurance adjuster. We have a policy holder whose 4 to 5-year-old AC unit was damaged by a power surge. A HVAC contractor said that the surge caused failure of the control board and burnout of the fan, resulting in slogging of the compressor because of the fan not engaging. He says that the system can't be repaired, and that both the condenser unit and air handler will have to be replaced at a cost of $4200. Does this seem reasonable, or is it likely that he is trying to take advantage of the insurance company?
I would recommend you get a second opinion from a licensed, reputable company. Anything can be fixed although sometimes it makes more sense to replace equipment due to age. Since the unit is just 4 to 5 years old, the parts should be available. A power surge that takes out a unit’s compressor can create a real mess sometimes, causing acid to form in the refrigerant system. That does not sound like the case in your situation. The definition of "slugging" the compressor is totally different. This usually occurs from the mechanical failure of a part inside of the compressor which could have occurred if the outdoor unit ran without the indoor fan. But here is my question: Since the air handler control board was damaged, how could the outdoor unit have continued running? That same control board sends a signal to the outdoor unit telling it to operate. My suggestion: Get yourself a second opinion! Contact a professional HVAC contractor, like the ARS/Rescue Rooter branch in Fort Worth, TX at (817)888-8000, for assistance.
Have a question you need answered by our experts? Click the above button, then type your question in the form provided. Watch for your question, along with an answer from one of our experts, to be posted to the blog. You can also click on the profiles below to learn more about our experts.
Joey Dooley I'm 39 years old and married to the most wonderful person in the world. I have a 13 year old son. I love to spend time at the shooting range.
Bruce Bates I've lived in 10 different states and worked in more than 30 different ARS/Rescue Rooter locations in my career.
To search the entire site for specific information, type in the key word, words or phrase you are looking for and click go.
To view topics and general information about specific categories, click on a category below to view information relating to that subject.