Heat Pumps and Electric Heating - Please help, emergency heat pump issue

I live in a house built in 1990. I am not 100% sure, but I think both the heat pump and the air handler were installed when the house was first builit. Thats puts both of them at about 17 years old.

The heat pump is a Ruud, and is a 2 ton, 10 SEER unit.

Earlier this winter, we noticed that the auxiliary heat was on quite often. Even when the outside temperature was only 40-50F, the auxiliary heat would have to come on to keep the house warm.

I checked outside, and the heat pump was not running.

I had a service technician come out and look at the unit, and he could get the compressor to run and the line to get hot.

He installed a new board into the heat pump, and everything seemed to be working.

The coolant pressure was low, however, at only around 100, so he decided to refill it.

Unfortunately, he could only get it to about 150. After disconnecting the freon, it dropped pretty quickly back to 100.




He told me this means there is a leak in the heat pump, and that I probably should replace the unit. Unfortunately, since the original installation, the basement was finished. That means if I get a new 13 SEER unit, they'll have to repalce both the air handler and the unit and rip up the ceiling to replace the refrigerant lines.

He told me it was possible to find someone to replace just the outdoor unit to another 10 SEER, but that some people don't recommend this.

He estimated the cost of getting a new 13 SEER unit to be around $6-$8,000 and to replace just the outside unit to a new 10 SEER unit would be about $1600


I have NO IDEA what to do, or even what most of this means. The house cooled OK in the summer, so I dont get how we could suddenly have a huge leak now.

Is it worth it to try and find a leak?
Is it a bad idea to install a new 10 SEER unit?
Is $6k-$8k really how much an overhall is going to cost?

Any and all help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

At 17 years old Id say for sure get all new units. It will pay. Now you dont need new lines there. Tell them to stay with R22 freon. It will be around till 2030.
Also go for a unit with a seer of 15 or more cause you also need it for the heatpump HSPF. Also a blower unit that has a V/S blower in it. If you will be in this home for 10 more years it will more than pay you back.

Besure and get 3 bids for the job and go for the 10 year warranty on it all .

Thanks for the help so far. Unfortunately, Im very new to this terminology, so I dont know exactly what those terms mean. Let me ask a few more questions :)

1. I dont need new lines? Will my lines from the outside to the inside work on a different unit even if the seer is different?

2. What did you mean about freon? Is it being phased out or something?

3. What is HSPF and V/S?


4. What sort of cost am I looking at here? Just a ballpark would help me out immensley. $2,000? $4,000? $8,000?

5. I am only planning on living here for 4 more years. Is it worth it to spend $5,000 on a much nicer unit if I could spend $1,600 and get myself through the next 4 years?

If it has a leak the system would not stop at 100 it would over time go to 0.

#1 Yes if you go with freon R22 Thats all wee try to sell for now it will be here till 2030

#2 Yes but will be here till 2030

#3 HSPF is for heat just as SEER is for cool
V/S is a variable speed blower motor in the blower unit

#4 Ok 5 years will help resale all new in and out. you will save more till then on power. Also the inside coil can be bad later on

Now cant see the job But like here On your pad your lines and your electric and duct work. A 2 ton 10 Kw ,15 seer heatpump with a V/S blower about $6K.;)

Thanks so much for the help so far! Its been really amazing

I spoke to another hvac tech in my area, and he guessed it wasn't a leak but a pressure problem with the compressor. Does that sound more likely?

Yes,
Most comps have valves in them and if any debris breaks loose in the system that can get in the valves and make you pull your hair out.

So do I still need an entirely new unit, or should I try and clean the valves of the compressor? Is that even possible?

I know the unit is 17 years old, but I'd rather not shell out $6000 right now if I can avoid it. $30 a month off my heating bills is not enough to convince me as the interest Im going to accrue for borrowing that kind of money is more than $30 a month :)

If I could get this guy to make it through the year, I could afford it a lot easier

If the compressor is bad thats about it. In no way would I try and tell someone to just put a new compressor or outdoor unit on a 17 year old system.. If its hard to do $$$$run on EME till next summer. As I said dont forget the resale of the home

Here is what I've been told so far. Please help me decide what to do:

Options:

1. Install a new 10 SEER, 2 ton unit outside. This would basically just replace the outsdie unit with exactly whats there already. Manufacturer is King (Ruud?) and comes with a 5 year warranty.
Price estimate - $1600

2. Install a new 14 SEER, 3 ton unit outside and replace the airhandler inside with a matching unit. These come with a 10 year warranty.
Price estimate - $4,000-$5,000


Keep the following parameters in mind:
My house is 1300 sq foot of space upstairs, with a 900 sq ft finished basement

My wife and I will only live in this house for 4-5 more years (most likely)


Thanks!

Unless you buy old stock 13 SEER is the lowest sold today.
I have seen 10's on the net. Earlier this year I found a 4 ton 10 seer AC only unit for 500. Then whatever a certified Tech charges to install. I bit the bullet and installed a 5ton Trane XL19i heat pump with variable speed air handler, new duct in the attic, old under floor duct removed for less than 10k one thing I wish is I would have went heat pump and NG furnace. O well.

One of the HVAC techs in my area has old stock of heat pumps that are 10 SEER, 2 ton units

He says he can do it for about $1500 installed

But do I need a larger unit since I've finished by basement?

I now have about 2200 sq ft

Also, if I go larger, do I need new refrigerant lines? Because I dont really want to rip up the ceiling to install that