Oh boy.

It's been in the 100's for 2 weeks and looks like it's going to stay there for a while, so guess what my home AC decided to do? Yep- it died. Compressor locked up and is toast. It was having trouble 2 years ago and I put a hard start capacitor on it, but it's locked now. Oh well...

Are there some companies on line that sell pre-charged condenser units retail? Do I need a license to buy one? Can I get one with enough charge for 25' of line? Can I get just the compressor? Can I get that pre-charged?

Sorry for all of the questions at once, but it's hot and I need to get this going.

Oh, and this is sort of a DIY thread. I know I can call the AC guy and it will be good, but I'm really not in a position to spend that much money right now. It may come to that, but not until I look into this first.

Thanks!

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1986 SE Aero coupe. 3.4 DOHC swap is underway!

You sure can get them and install them your self. Just get a vacuum pump and some silver solder. Generally you don't need a pro to install it. But you can get someone on Craigs list cheap. The AC manufacturer might not honor the warranty if you don't have a pro install. They usually only come with 15' of charge though.

Here is a company that sells them, don't know about their rates or anything else, just used it to show my AC guy where he could get some parts under warranty:
http://www.acwholesalers.com/

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'84 3800SC, XP cam, 3.2 pully, HPTuners, N* TB, 4sp, SPEC 3+ clutch, Aluminium flywheel, pacesetter headers, F355 body kit, weight reduction

nothing comes full of gas ie precharged except a window unit

yes you can buy a compressor or a whole outside unit

but that will need to be hooked up vacuumed and charged

I have gone to a wholesale A/C shop and asked guys buying stuff there
if they wanted a moonlite job
for a $100 I got my unit soldered lines vac and charged

Im with Ray. How would you connect a new unit up and not have to charge it ? Soon as you crack a line loose, the freons gone. ONLY way I can see this is if both lines have shut off valves. And why would any company precharge them anyway. To me its like buying a new gas tank and wondering if it comes full of fuel

Almost all condenser units come precharged for a certain amount of line. The data plate on the unit even tells you how much refrigerant to add or subtract per foot of line added or subtracted from the precharge line length.

The plate on my recently deceased unit says it was precharged with R-22 at the factory with enough refrigerant for the a-coil and 25 feet of line. Add/subtract .45 lbs per foot of line accordingly.

The units I have seen on line say they are charged for 15' of line, but they require a certified tech to verify and/or adjust the charge to validate the warranty. I'm looking for something I can do myself because that's the kind of guy I am. If I can't find a precharged compressor, I'll just evacuate and charge it myself. You can buy 410a without a license.

The getting a dude at the HVAC supply to moonlight deal sounds great, but I live deep in the middle of nowhere...

It's pretty simple to pre-charge them. Simply put more pressure than the operating pressure...
When the valve is opened into a sealed system, the pressure drops in the compressor unit and it fills the vacuumed out lines. You are supposed to test for proper pressure and fill or discharge as needed.

Many DIY shops sell the compressors like this, they also sell Mini-splits like this. This allows a DIYer to do it with a few hundred dollars worth of tools. Consider the AC guys mark up the equipment they sell sooooo much, it is worth it to go this route.

That's what I'm looking for. I want a compressor- where can I get one? Also, what's a mini-split? (Not gonna let a learning opportunity slip by...)

You can get a compressor at the link provided. Click on Air conditioners to start. Be sure to get one that matches your evap coil, or you will freeze it up in a block of ice.

Mini-splits:
http://www.energysavers.gov...ex.cfm/mytopic=12430

They can be crazy cheap to run I have seen up to 28 SEER, but get pricey if you want to do a whole house.

I bought a pre-charged condenser, line and coil... I can't help you on this, but I believe those are now sold by places like Menards and Lowes. Hamilton Home Products is the manufacturer have.

Keep posting on this as I'm quite confident on working on my vehicles' AC but when the house unit goes down I always call the repair man. My last compressor was $1,400.

Yes, the condensing units can be bought precharged. When my house was built in 2009, the inside unit went in, then a couple months later, they brought out, installed, and turned on the pre-charged Trane condensing unt. I helped set it up on it's stand, and watched the whole install. They never put a drop of freon in it and you can still hang meat in this house, with my elec bill under $200 even in the hottest of E. Texas months. Nothing Runs Like a Trane, but they ain't cheap.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Im with Ray. How would you connect a new unit up and not have to charge it ? Soon as you crack a line loose, the freons gone. ONLY way I can see this is if both lines have shut off valves. And why would any company precharge them anyway. To me its like buying a new gas tank and wondering if it comes full of fuel

Same here, once you open it to connect it all leaks out so whatever was in for 'protection' is long gone.

I believe the connections on both my condensing unit and evap unit were sealed. Perhaps the evap unit was in a state of vacum. IIRC, it used some sort of self peircing connections to break the seals.