Soooo my 14 year old Trane heatpump has died

PPosey

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
I've replaced the compressor, the condenser, and the fan motor already under warranty,, now the compressor is dead again, My heat pump guy checked everything else and it is all good,,, he is getting me prices today, on a new compressor and or a whole new outside unit,,,


XL15i
Up to 16.25 SEER, 9.00 HSPF
Climatuff® compressor
Exclusive Spine Fin™ coil

this one is the closest thing to what I currently have,,,

any sugestions from you guys that know better than I??

Everything is OK in my inside unit, any problems with keeping it and using a new outside unit?

is the above outside unit a better unit as far as durability???? My current system has had alot of problems! MY parents trane is 29 years old without ever a hicup!
 

nchunt101

Ten Pointer
Replace the whole system if it uses R-22. R-22 (freon) has been phased out and is really pricey if you need to replace after a leak.
 
Mike Noles aka conman

Mike Noles aka conman

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Your heat exchanger will be next. Ours just tapped out at 15 years. Replacing the entire outer unit was the least expensive route. Got everything new with a 20 year warranty.
 
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UncleFester

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
Not trying to open a can of worms here, but would you happen to know how far away you are from the transformer that serves your house? Just curious.
 

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
If you get a new system don't buy a Goodman, or I wouldn't again. They don't want to stand behind their products anymore IMO.. Also the guys who installed our new system told me that no-one is building heating and cooling systems to last anymore. The guys went on to say in their experience 10-14 years was good nowdays, if you can get that much time out of one...Just saying what I was told but of course you buy whatever you want...
 
PPosey

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
UncleFester said:
Not trying to open a can of worms here, but would you happen to know how far away you are from the transformer that serves your house? Just curious.
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I'ts 30 yards from the transformer to my breaker box and 60 feet from the breaker box to the heat pump,,, I am the only one on the transformer and it was installed new at the same time the heat pump was
 
dpc

dpc

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I had a guy do some work on the unit at work. I am not sure if this is true but told me there is only 2 or 3 companies in the world that make all the compressors and they all pretty much have their own design flaws.
 

nckeith

Ten Pointer
dpc said:
I had a guy do some work on the unit at work. I am not sure if this is true but told me there is only 2 or 3 companies in the world that make all the compressors and they all pretty much have their own design flaws.
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I think this is true. If you read these posts, each major brand has its flaws. Trane, Goodman, Lennox etc. I personally have a Lennox setup and they have been nothing but trouble. They are NG furnaces with 16 seer r410 compressors and are 7 years old this past fall. I replaced the A-Coil on the upstairs unit after 2 summers of aggravating leaks and inopportune system failures. Always when it it was 90 degrees. I have had Contactor switches go bad and the compressor fan motors burn up. Not to mention numerous other quirks. I was a GC for many years and so I know better on maintenance so I change filters frequently, clean the compressors 2 times a year, flush the condensate lines etc. However, I would not consider the system reliable by any stretch. At my old place the equipment chugged along this stuff is junk. I had a friend with 5 year old goodman equipment fail last summer. He sprung for some high dollar Trane replacements and they conked out one hot August Day after 2 months.
My sister had some Lennox installed at a small business. Brand new everything installed July of 14. I stopped in one hot August evening a month later and her system was not working already.
What I have noticed with the warranty, is that when installed, the HVAC companies cry how the margin is so tight and the manufacturer makes all the money Then when a part fails likd the fan motor, the labor bill was sky high and the answer is, the part is cheap but our labor is expensive.
 
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bflee

Guest
The compressors are made by three companies mainly. It doesnt matter what kind you get. Alot more important is how it is installed. I have seen systems from every company last 25 years and I have seen DOA's from every company.
It may surprise you that with everyone promoting high SEER units I installed a single stage 13 SEER package unit and a 13 SEER split unit on my house in 2011 from Goodman. They have a 10 year parts warranty and when the warranty is out if my fan quits I can go to the parts house in town and bit a new one for around 100-150. The new "efficient"units have variable speed fans and two stage compressors. After your warranty is out and you have to replace one you just lost every dime you saved with its efficiency. I also find the lower SEER units last longer. I can replace both of these units again and still pay less than one of the 20 SEER super duper models.
The heat exchanger is what your 20 year warranty is on Conman. The rest of the units parts are ten year like everybody else usually. I have never had a question asked to me about any replacement part on a Goodman Firefly. If its registered they send a new part.
Good luck guys! They definitely are not made like they used to be.
Definitely replace both ends if it is an R22 unit.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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PPosey

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
The options I have right now are

$1250 replace the compressor, one year parts warranty on the compressor

$3250 replace the outer unit with a Trane XL15i, I have a XL14i now, 1 seer higher with

12 year limited warranty on compressor.
10-year limited warranty on outdoor coil.
10-year limited warranty on internal functional parts.

Still not sure what I should do,,, this will be the 2nd replacement compressor in this unit in 12 years of use.
 

Treetall

Twelve Pointer
If it's r22 system , as others have stated, change both indoor and outdoor sections. I would hate to see you dump several thousand on a new condenser and find out in a year you have a leaking Evap coil and your still using r 22. Also as others have stated , the quality of the install has a lot more to do with how long unit will last then the name brand
 
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GrizzlyBear

Old Mossy Horns
Suggest having the guy pull a vacuum for a full 24 hrs before installing new compressor(s). Get those lines super clean. Will make a difference.
 

Treetall

Twelve Pointer
Doesn't have to pull a vacuum for that long but when he is pulling it ask him where his micron gauge is at
 
PPosey

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
I found all my info on the heatpump finally,, It went into service in 2002, everything new

the compressor was replaced in 2006,

the expansion valve, outside unit, was replaced in 2008

the condenser???? "inside coils" were replaced in 2010,,,,

The same guy has done all of my repairs that I am talking to now,,,,

right now I'm thinking that If I can get another 5-8 years out of a replacement compressor then I will replace the whole system,,,, hopefully something better will be around by then,,, better as in more trustworthy........
 
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Treetall

Twelve Pointer
PPosey if i were you i would spend the little bit of extra money and get a second opinion and quote. Why was the condenser coil changed? Im assuming it had a unrepairable leak. PM me if you want
 
PPosey

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
Treetall said:
PPosey if i were you i would spend the little bit of extra money and get a second opinion and quote. Why was the condenser coil changed? Im assuming it had a unrepairable leak. PM me if you want
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It had a small leak and I was still covered under a full parts and labor warranty,,,,,

Unfortunately this warranty ran out in 2012
 
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darenative

Twelve Pointer
PPosey, I went down the same path with 2 Trane units that were put into service in 2005. I'd bite the bullet and install a new unit before I would fork over the money for a new compressor. I went the new compressor route and only got 2 years before it bit the dust. Needless to say, neither of my units are Trane today.
 

GrizzlyBear

Old Mossy Horns
A new load calc should be done before replacing a unit. Often they are oversized hurting the performance and life of the unit. When it's 95f outside the unit should run constantly. They dehumidify best that way. If you can reasonably be downsized then it saves the first cost and often the long term cost as well.
 

bigjim

Guest
Seems like you had a lot of trouble with the trane or someone is ripping you off. I have had a rheem heat pump for over 20 years and it has only been repaired two times. Once under warranty when it was new and about three years ago a motor starter capacitor went bad, I replaced it myself for less than $20.00
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
darenative said:
PPosey, I went down the same path with 2 Trane units that were put into service in 2005. I'd bite the bullet and install a new unit before I would fork over the money for a new compressor. I went the new compressor route and only got 2 years before it bit the dust. Needless to say, neither of my units are Trane today.
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So what did you get? How did it last. Digging this post up from the grave. I am in the market as of recently! Crap is gonna cut into my fishing money! Who did you use? I am getting a few quotes. Wrong week for this to happen. I am out every day early and the Mrs. Is busy!!!!!
 
Southern

Southern

Ten Pointer
I got 22 years on my last Trane, replaced it a year ago. Several companies said "don't buy Trane, they are not what they used to be" They recommended Rheem or Rudd. Everybody turned their noses up at Goodman. I put a new Goodman package unit in at my old beach house in 2004 and it is still running which is about 3x what an outside unit at the beach normally lasts. I put Goodman here in Raleigh when I replaced the Trane. Like everything else now, they all suck when compared to 20-40 years ago
 
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