[canadianchick]

Does anyone know how many people in the villages have had a problem with the line that goes under the house from the central air conditioner to the garage. I am asking on behalf of my neighbour a widow who lives alone. She has leaking freeon from the line and the house is only 5 yrs old in May of this yr. Back in 2005 she had a sinkhole where the central air condtioner unit is located. The villages fixed the hole but now the lines are leaking freeon and I seem to think the lines should last longer than 5 yrs. She wrote a letter to the villages but they said it had nothing to do with the sinkhole and of course the warranty on lines are expired after 2 yrs. Her lawn guy siad there is a group of people in the villages with this problem ( he could not provide mor info)and wondering if anybody out there know about it and if anything is being done about it. It will cost about 600 to 700 to fix according to Sun Kool.

[mokey]

The lines should last many years, unless they are bent and straightened and was probably the case. The lines are copper and do not rust. Another thing is if they had the old r22 freon and the unit was changed to the new Puron gas which runs a much higher pressure. Are the lines leaking under the house for sure? Have someone like KT Management give a second opinion on the job. By federal law they can not continue to add freon without fixing the leak. When they backfilled the sink hole they probably stressed the lines and now from vibration from running they have cracked. Hope this helps.

[canadianchick]

Thanks so much for your reply. She wrote to the supervisor at home warranty and what really bothered me was the fact that the response was "I do not believe your current issue could be difinitively associated with your settling issue back in April 2005" Now keep in mind he did not even bother to send anyone out to her house to verify anything so how could he tell without a site check

She does not want it to ruin her central air so plans on fixing it soon but does not want to get taken to the cleaners. Who is KT Management? Do you think she would have to pay for a second opinion? I did not understand your comment on the different types of freeon but you would think the Sun Kool people would mention that if it was changed. Any other suggestions on options she could take to get help on this issue or other people she could contact. I just would not like to see her ripped off.

[mokey]

It is unlikely with the age of the unit that the unit had been upgraded to the new freon. KT Management is an ac company in the area with a good reputation. They do not charge was 2nd opinions. The problem is if the the line is leaking under the house the only way to correct is bring the lines out of the condenser unit(outside unit) run them up the outside, which they cover, into the attic, then over and down to the evaporator(air handler). This is the only way the lines can be run now. Sounds big, but any ac company can do it. Don't know much about Sun Kool except for they do all of Home Depots work. Have not heard good or bad about them, but would get a 2nd opinion and price anyway. Good Luck

[ricthemic]

It is highly improbable and not likely that an HVAC mech could install Puron Refrigerant (Carrier's 410A R-22 Refrigerant replacement) or Refrigerant 134A industry wide R22 replacement. Neither of these replacement non ozone depleting refrigerants are compatible with R 22 systems. It is unlikely that anyone could install the the new into the old systems because the mechanical connections on the refrigerants and gauges are different.
Your new refrigerant line set piping if installed from garage air handler up to and across attic then down the outside of house to condensing unit should not exceed fifty total feet. It -should also be pressure tested to assure there are no leaks. The suction line (larger of the two should also have excellent tight insulation or it will sweat in the attic causing moisture/mold problems as well as high super heat causing early compressor failure. It is also critica that they install the proper amount of refrigerant.
PS: Is the air handler condensate piping by gravity in the garage or is there a condensate pump?

UA leads the way

[canadianchick]

I advised her to contact KT which she has and they are coming out tomorrow. You all talk about the lines going to the attic but is it possible some of the lines are actually under the house? Anyway the guy at KT seemd very nice so we will see what happend next.

[canadianchick]

Just an update. She contacted KT and was really happy with their service. They put the piping thorugh the attic instead of the way it was before(underground) anyway for those that responded thanks again.

[santiagobob]

I replaced my heat pump in March as my original unit was 10 years old and not as efficient as the newer units. As part of the new installation they ran a new copper line under the house from the outside unit to the inside (garage) unit. There is a 4inch plastic pipe called a chase pipe that the new line can be snaked thru unless that pipe has been damaged.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by santiagobob

There is a 4 inch plastic pipe called a chase pipe that the new line can be snaked thru unless that pipe has been damaged.

Interesting and good to know. Thanks.