It depends. Some old evaporator coils can be used with new refrigerant, some can not. This is an in person kind of job that requires technical skill.

Because of the 'technical skill' aspect, most companies will require you to replace the whole system as opposed to only a part of it. (IE: they have installers, with low to no skill and their technical department is probably over worked due to mistakes of those installers.)

It's either that or they want more money for the jobs they do. Take your pick.

But some older coils are not compatible with the new refrigerant. Guessing is dangerous.

Also, you won't qualify for a rebate without replacing the whole HVAC system.

If you plan to live in this house another 5 years then there is a high probability you will be changing the coil and line set before you move. In that case do it now and enjoy the reduced operating costs. If the system is working well then wait until you have the funds available to do the complete replacement. Rebates are also available in spring which is a good time to replace an AC system.

agree with Mike...this is not time for a cheap shortcut that could bite you later...replace AC outside condenser and include a matching evap coil...have refrigerant lineset inspected and if in good condition and correct size, then have it flushed properly to handler new refrigerant...unless you have a relatively new furnace with high eff blower motor or var speed blower motor, then no need for condenser to be more than rated 14-15 SEER.

IMO

We have leaks in our old system. Our local guy, whom I sincerely trust, suggested that we get a new system because the cost of the old Freon has already gone through the roof and is still climbing. He does not quote a price for Freon until he checks with the guy who sells it to him. He says it changes a little every day.

My thoughts on a mini split system. We have two of them.

1. They Offer Highly Flexible Solutions - I agree with this

2. They Save You Money - Not sure how this works. My regular thermostat can be programmed to save money, but not the Mini split

3. They Improve Indoor Air Quality – Happy Breathing! - What? How?

4. They Are Quick and Easy to Install - ours took 3 full weeks to get it working. In the mean time they blew some of the motherboard circuits which did not get recognized until 2 years later. Turns out none of the installers had seen this new model unit.

5. Ductless Air Conditioning Lowers Your Carbon Footprint - again, what? Are ducts made of carbon?

'This is not a time for a cheap short cut that could bite you later'

Then count how many on line reviews there are of people who replaced the whole HVAC system and are having trouble with it a few short years later.

Just because you do or don't do the whole system change out does not devoid the risk of another failure.

It's mechanical equipment. While age of the equipment is typically used as an existing life management threshold, this means little to someone who replaced an entire HVAC system that is broken a few years later.

Could of, should of, maybe?

With that said Rebates (if available) for AC related installations will require more than 14 or 15 SEER and to get the SEER rating higher than 14, you will have to replace the whole HVAC system.

If you spend money on a condenser (entry level only) now ( the indoor coil is ok and can be reused) --- you save the money on having to replace the coil now. (requires skill to work properly).

When that coil fails (refrigerant leaks) you replace the coil.

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Or you buy a new condenser and new coil (entry level typically because of your older furnace) --- newer coils are not made as well as older coils. So the risk of that new coil failing is marginally higher than just reusing the old coil.

Efficiency lost. --- marginally. The amount this translates into dollars is typically much less than the physical cost of replacing that indoor coil.

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planning to move / selling home / rental unit etc. ---- all of these factors come into play because the manufacturer's drop the warranty on whatever you buy to 5 year part once ownership of the home changes. Unless the unit is attached to an extended labor warranty. BUT --- that extended labor warranty requires annual maintenance to remain valid which will increase your overall cost.

Do what you want --- everyone has reasons for doing what they do.

HVAC equipment fails. It's what it does --- no brand or model is immune to this. Skill is required to minimize this as much as possible.

An AHRI number is merely a number stating what the efficiency should be if certain models of equipment are chosen and installed *PROPERLY*. It is not an end all be all for everyone and it is certainly not a guarantee of long equipment life without any repair issues.

In areas where labor costs are high, it may be more cost effective to install new components rather trying to spend the time to recondition the old components.

Mike, what I describe is not reconditioning in the true sense of the word. These options are considered 'Retrofit Repair'.

Which more or less means replacing 1 or 2 defective or worn out pieces of an HVAC system with 1 or 2 *brand new* pieces of equipment --- that is not reconditioning in my mind.

Those *new pieces* get similar warranty coverage and in some cases even include extended labor warranty if you want to pay for that kind of coverage and perform the annual maintenance required to keep that coverage valid.

So if you can get similar to just as good warranty coverage from doing a retro fit repair with lower cost the only real advantage in replacing a whole HVAC system really amounts to better features and functions and higher efficiency --- but only if you spend the money for the higher efficient equipment --- we are talking Inverter 5 stage AC with 2 stage gas and variable speed blower and efficiencies approaching 24 SEER depending on the size of the equipment. (entry level is 14 SEER by comparison)

You *CAN NOT* get no where near 16 SEER by doing retrofit repairs (replacing pieces) on existing system unless the furnace is already a variable speed 2 stage gas furnace or variable speed AH. If you want more features like better dehumidification control, smart thermostat that enables system wide communication which delivers better performance and better control of the equipment this can only be done by replacing the complete system and that costs more money.

If you buy a nest thermostat you might fool yourself into thinking you have a better system, but by and large a nest thermostat will fall short in controlling much of anything (my opinion). It varies widely and depends on your comfort level, your climate and literally what you expect in terms of comfort. In other words does it really make sense to have a 'smart thermostat' paired with 'dumb' HVAC equipment?

Smart HVAC equipment talks with the thermostat. (communicating HVAC systems)

Reconditioning would be taking your current HVAC system and replacing various smaller parts within the equipment without actually changing any equipment.

(In regards to reconditioning: Most manufacturer's if you buy a complete HVAC system and the compressor fails (burn out or other problem) the compressor is replaced --- congratulations you now have a *reconditioned* AC. I say most do it this way, but one manufacturer gives you a new condensing unit if the compressor fails within your lifetime. Hint: It's not Trane, American Standard, Carrier or Lennox--- so you can avoid *reconditioning* all together.)

New equipment is still new. The caveat of 'Retrofit Repair' is finding someone skilled to do this kind of work.

Ray, I am not sure what point you are trying to make. I was suggesting that reusing the existing coil and line set may be a similar cost than replacing them in a high labor cost area.

A 17 year old coil might last another 5 years, but if the OP plans to live in the house more than 5 years, when the coil is 22 years old, then it would make sense to replace everything at the same time.

Mike,

To replace a evap coil is typically a 10 hour endeavor. You may be able to cut that in half by adding another person, but then it's still 10 man hours. 2 x 5 = 10.

Labor is the primary cost factor in installing an evaporator, not to mention something that could result in a lawsuit if the coil is not installed right and floods the house. (HVAC units are in the attic here, a flood happens from the AC you will notice it.)

An AC condenser on the other hand is about 4 hours typically. So by doing a condenser only you save 10 hours of labor and material costs.

You may wind up paying more doing the system in separate pieces, but it isn't significantly more, really the cost of having to prep the old coil to work with the new condenser.

The old coil *may* fail in 5 years anyway. I'm not a psychic. I have no idea when a piece of equipment is going to fail or not. I live in the here and now, not 25 miles down the road. I run a service business... you're going to need service regardless of what you do. They all break remember?

Again, you'd be surprised how many homes I go to with newer equipment that is broken (badly) --- they ask me how could that be - The system is new, they say. So sorry you were sold this 'hard to stop a ______' gimmick. I only sell solutions and reality - not gimmicks.

So do whatever you want, I live in reality and the statements I've made to this thread are grounded in those truths. Just realize there are different HVAC skill levels and to my knowledge there is only one Ray Austin. Plan accordingly.

"You may wind up paying more doing the system in separate pieces, but it isn't significantly more,.."

Ray, that is the point I was trying to make. The OP will initially save money up front by only replacing the condenser, but in the long term it is going to be about the same amount of money when the coil eventually fails.

Yes, so the thought is 'if it's the same amount of money' why spend more now rather than only if it's 'necessary' later.

If you have the money go for it. If you don't have the money, it presents other options.

What's the difference: you buy the condenser now, you pay less --- get up to a 10 year warranty even extended labor warranty if you want to buy it for the new condenser.

If the indoor coil fails: you buy the indoor coil, get up to a 10 year warranty from the time of installation. Even if you want extended labor warranty, it's available.

If you are looking for High efficiency: you have to buy the whole HVAC system, there is no piece meal solutions for that.

The only other thing outside of buying what you want: Skill level of the person installing it. Oh, I knew there was a catch. Bingo. But just because you buy a completely new HVAC system does not mean you won't ever need to repair it. Darn it with all these 'gotchyas!'

If you live in or near Katy, Texas --- you're in luck. This is my service area and I come skilled in handling these kinds of solutions.

It's your choice. *Conditions may apply.

#HowToSaveMoneyOnAirConditioning

It's your money use it the way you want to.