Air Conditioning - Unitary made by York- good deal???

Hi guys. I'm planning on putting in whole house air conditioning in a few weeks. I built my own house 5 years ago with a boiler and radiant floor heat. Now I am adding an air handler with an A-coil and heat coil working off a unused zone off my boiler. I also plan on installing a good quality air filtration unit.

My question is this. I just got what I think is a good deal. I bought a brand new still in the box unused 10 seer 3 ton condensing unit made by Unitary Products group. the plumbing supply house I bought it from sold it to a customer who went bankrupt and they got back all the stuff they sold to him. This was never used or opened and still has all the paperwork including warranty card. I'm told it has a scroll compressor, but I don't know how to make sure, although I may call the company to check.

I bought this for $300. I have a very well insulated house outside of buffalo NY, so it will only be used a few months a year. Payback on a higher seer unit would not be good. 3 ton is the correct size for my house.

I'm told that this unit is made by York. Is this any good?

thank you in advance for any opinions.

Frank D.

I used York for years with very few problems. Only stopped because of price & local availability of parts. Scroll compressors are cylindrical & almost always marked "Scroll".

Thanks Grady.
I just read the fine print on some of the paperwork. It is a model 0361BD and it says it is a "Inertia" compressor. The three models below it and the two models above it are "recip" compressors and only the 0601BD is a scroll compressor.

I know this is a great price.....but is this a good unit? Are "internia" compressors any good? I was told the scroll compressors are the best. Maybe I should stop worrying and just be happy with it.

What do you think?

Frank D.

The Bristol Inertia compressors, as I recall, weren't any more troublesome than anything else. I do suggest a time delay (built in to most digital thermostats) to prevent short cycling in case of a momentary power outage.

thanks Grady.
I planned on buying a 10 seer unit last year before the new law, but never did. I then resigned myself to just paying more for a 13 seer.....I was going to buy a rheem 13 seer with a 5 year warranty with a scroll compressor for around $900 my cost.

Then this deal came along. I should be thrilled with it, but I'm a bit scared because of no warranty and not being a scroll compressor. My A/C friend says it is a great deal, that he would not worry, and that he would put it in his house anyday. He says that it is well worth any risk for $300. He says it should work fine for years and that here outside of Buffalo, it would take years to save the $600 I'm saving now buying a 13 seer.

This is just what I wanted last year at a great price, so i should just stop worrying and be happy. The plumbing supply place will take it back if it does not work right, but it is brand new never used so it should be fine.

The very worse that could happen is that it dies a year from now, and that I'd have to replace it. I have no reason to believe it will.

grady, is it true that I can put a 13 seer A coil with this 10 seer unit? I was told you could, just not the other way around. Maybe I should buy a 13 seer A coil with this, just to be on the safe side down the road.

What do you think? Thank you for your kind help.

Respectfully, Frank D.

You can't go wrong in using the 13 SEER coil as long as it has an expansion valve rather than a fixed orifice. As I recall, York model numbers start with a series of letters & numbers such as X2XX. If you post the prefix, maybe I can give you more info on the condensing unit.

thank you Grady.
The model number is ZBRCS0361BD.
Here is what the tabular data sheet says........
For the 03631BD;
Max overcurrent amps- 35
Compressor amps rated load-16.1
locked rotor-82
Fan motor amps rated load- 1.4
18" fan hp- 1/4 hp
coil sq feet-9.15 one row, 18 fins per inch.
liquid line, 3/8 vapor line 3/4
unit charge (Lbs-oz)3 -3-15
operating weight lbs- 137 lbs

The unit does not seem very big for a three ton....

Thanks! Frank D.

well,
I called the company today, and they said that the unit was actually 7 years old, made in 1999!!
They also said, no problem, according to their records, it has never been registered, and is stil new, which it is. And as long as it was installed by a certified installer, they would happily honor the warranty from the date of install, 1 year parts, 5 years on compressor.

I do not know if this has a thermostatic expansion valve, but I was told I should buy one of those along with a sight glass. Something about it being a good idea living in a northern state.

So I'm feeling better about this unit...for $300 I think it is a good deal. Now i start shopping for an air handler with A-coil, filtration system, hot water heating coil, pad, maybe a UV light, thermostat, lineset, and lots of ductwork.

Frank D.

If I were you, I'd pass on the sight glass & the UV light. When possible & practical, I like to use the same manufacturer's evap coil & condenser. Talk to your local York distributor about which evap coil would work best for your application.

Thanks Grady,
I found out that an expansion valve will come with the a coil that will be in the air handler. Someone told me to get a sight glass so I can tell the R-22 is alright after installation without guages.

I understand that, but if the unit doesn't leak, if it is brazed well, shouldn't the R-22 stay the same forever?

Are there differences in air handlers? Is it better to get a variable speed motor?

Thanks Frank D.

If there are no leaks then yes the refrigerant should stay forever. BUT.....condensors don't always come precharged with the proper amount of refrigerant. The installer should go by the units label on charging specs.

thank you. Yes, my lineset will be longer, about 25 feet, so he will have to add some more. A chart came with the unit to tell how much, but He'll have gauges, so i'm sure he will add enough.
I was told a sight glass is an inexpensive add on that could tell me down the road if I ever nedded more without guages.
The supply house told me not to get it.

Thanks, Frank D.

I would opt out of the sight glass. That's two more joints & two more potential leak spots (not counting the sight glass itself).
A sight glass is only good to tell you that you have liquid going to the evaporator. It will not tell you if the charge is correct.

Thank you Grady,
That makes good sense.
I appreciate the help.

Frank D.

In days of old when charge wasn't as critical, service people could get by by charging to a clear sight glass "and a little more". Today it serves no useful purpose.