Evaporator coils are 9x out of 10 the first components to leak these days. Almost all mfg’s have recently been hit with class action lawsuits because of this issue. It really stinks for the contractors because homeowners look for fault with the company or person that installed it, when it’s actually a manufacturing issue. Nothing we can do about it. Our complaints go unheard. The only thing they listen to is class action suits I guess…

To make matters worse, many replacement coils are on back order. I replaced a 1.5 year old coil in May this year. Just this week I finally received the replacement coil. Lucky for my customer, I had a brand new unit in a box that I used the coil out of and waited for the replacement. Had no idea it would take 4 months! Yeah, they would have been without AC all summer. Imagine how that looks on the contractor that installed it. It sucks…

Sad, I know.

The warranty specifically does not cover labor or incidental materials. You can contact AmStd. warranty department and raise a stink with them. Don’t know if it will get you anywhere, but it may be worth a try.

 

Answers by number:
1 - Very common, nothing lasts today & evaporator coil leaks in less than five years are very common.
I just replaced an evaporator coil yesterday on a new construction house four years old too.
It is most likely a manufacturing problem being that it is a common failure.

2 - I would only get a second opinion if:
If you don't trust that the tech actually found a leak at the evaporator coil & you think he is just guessing or,
You think you can get a better deal considering you'll have to pay not just another service fee but probably for a leak test too.
Most likely the tech is right about a leak in the system because it's a pretty easy diagnosis, especially once you've added the gas & see things getting back to normal operating pressures & temps.
3 - I don't know of any manufacturer that would help on a four year old system other than the warranty part but you could always call customer service & try.

 

My wife just told me the tech specifically said he could not find the leak - does that change anything on alternatives

 

My wife just told me the tech specifically said he could not find the leak - does that change anything on alternatives

 

Was he able to identify exactly where the leak was? Or did he just figure that it must be the evaporator coil?

 

That definitely changes things because then he's just making a guess based on the experience of so many leaking coils.
He could be right or he could be wrong & there is no way to know until something is done or the leak is actually found.
The problem I've seen with these aluminum coils is that they might show a leak one day & then a few days later they won't.
It's like they expand & contract & leak at different times. I don't know what it is but it's something I've never seen before in all my years in the business.
I think I would ask the tech why he wants to change the coil if he didn't find it leaking.

 

Unfortunately not.

 

Thanks, Garyed - if it took gas to get pressures up and cooling properly, what else should I have him check for - could there be a leak in the condenser or line set, or could he have added gas when it didn’t need it, but it’s masking a non-leak problem.

Thanks in advance, I just want to be prepared with all my questions


Also, I went to your website - all those calculators are really cool. I wish you worked in Houston, by I would not trade Myrtle Beach for this concrete jungle!

 

Your best bet is to have the tech comeback and throw a spectroline dye pack in it and then return to find the leak easily and most important "accurately". They'll be no guessing as Dye doesn't lie.

 

If you registered your system, the compressor, parts and coils should be covered for 10 years ( labor and refrigerant and what not chargeable ) if system never got registered you probably have a 5 year warranty, meaning one more year left.

 

If the ‘tech’ does not have an electronic leak detector, get a new tech.

 

If I understood you right he either did not check or did not tell you what superheat and subcooling were. You also said he did not find a leak.

Most AM Std coils, sister to Trane are TXV coils. A failed TXV will mimic a leak and if you add enough refrigerant it will cool and pressures will be in the neighborhood, but that does not mean the charge is correct.

The leak needs to be found, as much of a pain as that can be. What if the coil is changed and the leak is on a access fitting later? Some on here have seen a lot of Am Std alum coil leaks, I have only seen a few, and they were older than 4 years. I would want the leak located before changing a coil.

 

The Owner/Tech needs to at least come back and try and search for the leak, granted, most of us don't like doing this, but it's part of our job. If the leak is in the evaporator, and if the system was registered, it should have a 10 year "parts" warranty. Even at that, there might still be an issue, as Trane has had a lot of issues keeping up with the equipment demand since their mfg. plant in Tyler, Tx. had the roof collapse in during our big freeze. Not sure the AS coils/equipment is made there, maybe they're made in a different location.

 

Personally I've never added dye to a system for locating a leak.
Always used a electronic detector to locate area followed up with soap and bubbles.
Just this week I replaced a evaporator coil after initially getting a hit on said detector in the coil area. I just went ahead and ordered a replacement. Now out of curiosity I'll typically take the replaced coil and test it to confirm my suspicion.
Case in point .....

 

Personally I've never added dye to a system for locating a leak.
Always used a electronic detector to locate area followed up with soap and bubbles.

This! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^