Richmond, TX · Member since 2017 · 34 posts · 10 votes
After buying rental property I found that AC is not working at all. When I did inspection it was working fine. I am not planning to keep house more than 2 years. AC is not fixable. What should I do? Try to find cheapest fix.
Property is vacant now. I called Dee technician and they said it's old machine and might be leak in coil. I will go with refill freon which will give me year atleast. If that doesn't work, I have to change coil for 1600.00
With a system that old, you'll want to replace it and reduce your repair / recharge costs.
Older refrigerants are VERY expensive if you can get them at all and require special training and licensing to use due to environmental requirements.
You can reduce your maintenance costs (repeating expense) by replacing the system (one-time expense).
I would start with calling a repair man to figure out what is wrong with the unit and assess from there. Double check everything is on, breakers are not tripped, and panels with kills switches are installed right. You need to understand the problem before you can decide on repair vs replace. If its over 20 years old you may want to consider replacing.
Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9y
Are there renters in there now? The cheapest fix could be to use window units instead, although you may have to take less rent and a lesser quality tenant.
Who sold you the property? It's odd it would all of a sudden go from working to unfixable. It could be bad luck, but I'd double check to make sure something sketchy didn't happen, like them taking the unit and replacing it with a dead one. It's very unlikely, but not impossible.
Richmond, TX · Member since 2017 · 34 posts · 10 votes
9y
Property is vacant now. I called Dee technician and they said it's old machine and might be leak in coil. I will go with refill freon which will give me year atleast. If that doesn't work, I have to change coil for 1600.00
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
" I will go with refill freon which will give me year atleast. If that doesn't work, I have to change coil for 1600."
It's the price of doing business as a landlord. You take the cost of repairs off your taxes. If you end up needing to change the coil and you believe $1600 is too much you can always get a second opinion from another HVAC repair person.
Property is vacant now. I called Dee technician and they said it's old machine and might be leak in coil. I will go with refill freon which will give me year atleast. If that doesn't work, I have to change coil for 1600.00
With a system that old, you'll want to replace it and reduce your repair / recharge costs.
Older refrigerants are VERY expensive if you can get them at all and require special training and licensing to use due to environmental requirements.
You can reduce your maintenance costs (repeating expense) by replacing the system (one-time expense).
Richmond, TX · Member since 2017 · 34 posts · 10 votes
9y
I did final walk through and it was working fine. AC pressure is 50% only. Don't know what happened in between. Well I just need to digest those kind of cost as landlord. I might keep house for few years only so that why not spending too much money on new equipment. I just fix it temporary and move on.
Broker/Flipper · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
I second that I would not repair a system of that age. With some looking, you will be able to get an entirely new system (inside and outside unit for approximately $3500 installed
If you recharge this twice you basically paid for a new unit ($3200). Whos to say a recharge will last a year if you don't fix the leak. When you sell this you may get stuck putting in a new one anyways. I would get a multiple quotes that includes a) fixing the issue and b) replacing the unit.
@Jim Adrian makes a good point. When you go to sell, the buyer may ask you to replace it then. I suppose you could counter with a price reduction - or the buyer may cite that as a reason for a below-market offer, but that's still money out of your pocket, one way or another.
Professional · Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2017 · 624 posts · 147 votes
9y
@Shal Patel Do you suspect foul play or that anything was misrepresented? How does the AC go from fine per property inspection to 'not working at all' after sale? Was this a licensed person who performed the inspection?
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
@Shal Patel Do you suspect foul play or that anything was misrepresented? How does the AC go from fine per property inspection to 'not working at all' after sale? Was this a licensed person who performed the inspection?
After buying rental property I found that AC is not working at all. When I did inspection it was working fine. I am not planning to keep house more than 2 years. AC is not fixable. What should I do? Try to find cheapest fix.
Shal, what is the cost to replace or repair ? What is the area you are in? Is AC something other rental offer as an amenity? Does this change your opportunity to get max market rent? Can you capture a better quality tenant with this amenity for a longer period of time ? Most of my residents enjoy this amenity, I am in Cleveland, Ohio and summer gets hot, humid and uncomfortable its a feature most appreciate it is a luxury item, so if the repair or replace is really all that cash prohibitive your call.. run a simple cash flow model on your opportunity cost, I know it sounds like a lot of work, but should only take 2 minutes you know your market, your renter profile, your rent potential, your sale potential - let the numbers do the thinking :)
After buying rental property I found that AC is not working at all. When I did inspection it was working fine. I am not planning to keep house more than 2 years. AC is not fixable. What should I do? Try to find cheapest fix.
Just a speed bump. Do what you gotta do to get it up & running and move forward.
After buying rental property I found that AC is not working at all. When I did inspection it was working fine. I am not planning to keep house more than 2 years. AC is not fixable. What should I do? Try to find cheapest fix.
Shal, what is the cost to replace or repair ? What is the area you are in? Is AC something other rental offer as an amenity?
He is in the Dallas Tx area. Air conditioning is not an amenity it is a necessity
Property is vacant now. I called Dee technician and they said it's old machine and might be leak in coil. I will go with refill freon which will give me year atleast. If that doesn't work, I have to change coil for 1600.00
IF you are really at $1,600, you should just get a new one. The cost wont be that much more (if you find an investor (not retail) friendly AC guy. Plus the older units use a different type of Freon that is becoming increasingly expensive.
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
Wanted to pass this along ...
Did a quick Google for R22 and found that there is a replacement refrigerant which may be useful once the leaks are found and fixed.
Google R-438A. It looks like a fairly direct replacement. You will need certain skills (possibly hard / soft / silver soldering) to replace specific components, especially the filter / drier.
Remember, however, that is NOT for DIY - you need licensed professionals to handle and dispose of replaced refrigerants.
Here is a link to a page from the owner of the "Freon" trade name (there's no such thing as "freon", actually - it's a DuPont (now Chemours) trade name for their line of refrigerants) including a video showing how to convert an existing R22 system to R-438A. If you're not licensed to handle refrigerants or don't understand the terminology used in the video, call in a professional.
Richmond, TX · Member since 2017 · 34 posts · 10 votes
9y
Thanks a lot for your great suggestions. I have to look around for more quotes. Also I found that Can called EasySeal to fix leak in system. I will replace unit once I get tenant and start making money till then will fix temporary.
Broker/Flipper · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
9y
I would still suggest you bite the bullet and replace the unit. The $3500 will solve the problem. The temporary fix or the freon substitute is going to be +-50% of the cost of a totally new system with a 5 yr compressor warranty
The home warranty will not work as pre existing conditions or repairs during the first 30 days are limited. Basic warranties only cover $10 a pound for freon and the typical charge is $75 per pound