Forgive me if this has been discussed before.
Last year we bought a property here in west palm beach, FL. We got quite a deal because the property and it’s 3 structures were in quite a state of disrepair. We fixed the garage apartment up first, and it’s been booked about 85% of the time on Airbnb. We the. Did the kitchen in the main house and some other things.
the house was built in 1924 but renovated at some point. It’s a 2 story main house with about 2800 total square ft. The upstairs has very little insulation. I have an a/c system for upstairs and on for downstairs. I’ve had the upstairs one filled with R-22 twice now and it’s freezing up again- even when it’s only 78 or so outside. The units are 20 year old goodman’s and probably undersized. They are slant cool. In the summer- the upstairs will not cool below 80* in the daytime. I’ve already coated my roof in the white stuff.
So I realize I need to replace my units, but is there some reasonable way for a homeowner to do this diy? I put a split ductless system in the apartment- but I’m afraid I’m going to be stuck putting in larger supply lines if I increase the size of the units in my home.
I do have a neighbor who is a licensed electrician and can buy units wholesale- is that the way to go?
Thanks for the help.
This seems like one of those times where "pay the man" is the best option.
I am Mr. DIY but I still let my buddy do my HVAC work. Homeboy hookup and all.
In reply to 93gsxturbo :
Yeah, they may be where I settle- just wasn’t sure if I was missing something. That 5-7k would buy another fun little project.
I just paid 3500 too have the man replace mine, the warranty alone made it worth the extra money.
I had the same problem with my duplex, it would only cool to 78. Tennants from up north would set it at 72 and it would never shut off. We replaced the old windows with double pane hurricane proof, about $700 a pop from HD. Also shot insulation and it made a huge difference. Try finding the leak, if it' a heat pump odds are it' the evaporator, change that out and have some money left for windows. My units are Goldman's but about 12 years old. Merry Christmas and good luck.
In reply to tooms351 :
I would LOVE to replace windows, but I’ve got 37 in my house :/
Putting any effort or money into fixing 20 year old units is a waste at this point. The cost of freon makes replacing parts really not worth it.
Higher seer rating, and maybe bigger units might be your answer. It's free to shop around and get multiple quotes. I had both of my units replaced this year. The difference from one company to the one I chose was about 30%.
Wow! 37 windows and in Florida, no wonder it won't cool below 80. Hopefully you don' have to use hurricane windows, maybe do the windows that get the most sun exposure, or reflective film works really well on the windows you have. Since I can buy r22 and had a friend in the a.c. business changing the evaps bought me a lot of time, it really depends on where the leak is, it could be the Schrader valve where you fill the system.
