Hopefully we have some HVAC pros on this forum.
I have a Lennox hydronic air handler and the coil started to leak. I was told that it would be cheaper to replace the entire unit than to replace the coil.
My unit is 7 years old and out of the 5 year warranty period. The new units have increased their warranty period to 10 years.
So I called Lennox and asked them to see if perhaps they could offer me a discount on the purchase of a coil or a new unit. Flat out they told me to pretty much take a hike.
Needless to say I will not be purchasing a Lennox unit since I've also had problems with other Lennox products. To make this clear I was not asking for a freebie just a small discount or rebate for customer loyalty. Apparently that doesn't matter anymore.
Two years ago the heat exchanger on my boiler also Lennox developed a hairline crack and shorted out the control board.
The heat exchanger was under warranty but of course labor and the new control board were not so $2500 later I have a new heat exchanger and control board. Hope that lasts more than 5 years.
Here is the model number for the hydronic air handler that I had:
AM61V-36C-090 and the new one is CBW-36-090 3 ton, 90,000 BTU variable air handler
Basically I'm looking for a replacement but if the coil could be repaired even better.
So I started to do some research and alpine home air products carries comfort air hydronic air handlers for about $1,500 that are similar.
I got a quote from a local HVAC shop (BIG OUTFIT) that seemed to me to be pretty outrageous for reconnecting the existing condensate, hot water piping , and control and power wiring for $3697 but maybe I need a reality check.
I have a few questions:
(1) Is the coil repairable? If the source of the leak can be found can it be plugged?
(2) If not, I will get a few more estimates, is the above quote reasonable? Seems a bit high to me.
(3) Have to do some research but the $1,500 unit above may not be variable speed.
(4) Could water quality be an issue in breaking down the hydronic air coils? Maybe I should have my water checked since my indirect hot water heat also sprung a leak.
I was hoping to use this money for a backup generator but it looks like I'll be spending it again on repair bills for my heating/cooling system.
I like the hydronic heat but if I had to do it over again I would have gone hot water baseboard heat with a lower efficiency boiler and a separate hvac system. More money but maybe fewer problems.
The savings from an indirect hot water heater and a high efficiency boiler 90% on my gas bill amounts to about $30/month average. Given that I've had the unit for 7 years that's $2500 in savings which was eaten up by the repair on the boiler.
Now that I have to spend more $'s on the hydronic air handler I'm in the red.
Thanks in advance for the help and apologies for the rant.
I have a Lennox hydronic air handler and the coil started to leak. I was told that it would be cheaper to replace the entire unit than to replace the coil.
My unit is 7 years old and out of the 5 year warranty period. The new units have increased their warranty period to 10 years.
So I called Lennox and asked them to see if perhaps they could offer me a discount on the purchase of a coil or a new unit. Flat out they told me to pretty much take a hike.
Needless to say I will not be purchasing a Lennox unit since I've also had problems with other Lennox products. To make this clear I was not asking for a freebie just a small discount or rebate for customer loyalty. Apparently that doesn't matter anymore.
Two years ago the heat exchanger on my boiler also Lennox developed a hairline crack and shorted out the control board.
The heat exchanger was under warranty but of course labor and the new control board were not so $2500 later I have a new heat exchanger and control board. Hope that lasts more than 5 years.
Here is the model number for the hydronic air handler that I had:
AM61V-36C-090 and the new one is CBW-36-090 3 ton, 90,000 BTU variable air handler
Basically I'm looking for a replacement but if the coil could be repaired even better.
So I started to do some research and alpine home air products carries comfort air hydronic air handlers for about $1,500 that are similar.
I got a quote from a local HVAC shop (BIG OUTFIT) that seemed to me to be pretty outrageous for reconnecting the existing condensate, hot water piping , and control and power wiring for $3697 but maybe I need a reality check.
I have a few questions:
(1) Is the coil repairable? If the source of the leak can be found can it be plugged?
(2) If not, I will get a few more estimates, is the above quote reasonable? Seems a bit high to me.
(3) Have to do some research but the $1,500 unit above may not be variable speed.
(4) Could water quality be an issue in breaking down the hydronic air coils? Maybe I should have my water checked since my indirect hot water heat also sprung a leak.
I was hoping to use this money for a backup generator but it looks like I'll be spending it again on repair bills for my heating/cooling system.
I like the hydronic heat but if I had to do it over again I would have gone hot water baseboard heat with a lower efficiency boiler and a separate hvac system. More money but maybe fewer problems.
The savings from an indirect hot water heater and a high efficiency boiler 90% on my gas bill amounts to about $30/month average. Given that I've had the unit for 7 years that's $2500 in savings which was eaten up by the repair on the boiler.
Now that I have to spend more $'s on the hydronic air handler I'm in the red.
Thanks in advance for the help and apologies for the rant.
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