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July 8, 2008
Price quote sound right?
I have central air and the condensation from the pipes is leaking down to the apartment below. I had someone come in today to look at the pipes and he said that some were poorly wrapped and some were not wrapped at all and that he would have to break through at least one wall to get to all of the pipes to wrap them properly. He quoted me $1800 for the job which he says will take 2 days (and does not cover fixing the walls that he breaks through). Does this price quote sound right? It seems a bit high to me, but I've never had a/c problems before so I don't really know.
Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!
Comments
$900/day to wrap some pipes with a hundred bucks worth of rubber jackets? Has he got a PhD in HVAC?
FWIW, for semi-skilled tasks like this, there's a trick my daddy taught me years ago. If you find an A/C crew working in your neighborhood, find the kid who looks like the helper and offer him $400 + materials to come by on his day off. He's the one who usually does jobs like this. He'll jump at the chance.
Posted by: Steve at July 8, 2008 1:22 PM
or do it yourself...This is not a complicated job if you have the right materials. Do some research, buy the materials and wrap it up...No big deal and nothing to F- up.
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 2:42 PM
I'd do it myself. Then there's the other 90%.
Posted by: Steve at July 8, 2008 3:12 PM
How about calling the original installer and tell them to come back and finish the job they left half done.
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 4:01 PM
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately doing it myself is not really an option. Does anyone know any reputable HVAC companies that I can get a 2nd estimate from? Thanks!
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 4:03 PM
So the advice so far is:
1. Research and buy the materials (1" thick fiberglass pipe covering, plus elbow and valve covers at $3/ft), then do it yourself (covering yourself in fiberglass and breathing it in unless you buy a proper respirator mask {they're not cheap, and they're not the disposable ones} then probably not doing it right, all the while cutting your hands and arms in the process while reaching through holes you made in your walls).
2. Hire a kid for $400 plus materials (who will undoubtedly do it half-assed and not give a damn because he has no boss watching him and his girlfriend is calling...) which leaves you no recourse when the same or different leaks develop in your walls.
GREATEST ADVICE EVER!
Save money at all costs!
FYI, my company doesn't do this kind of work. This was not our estimate.
$1,800 is not a lot of money for this kind of work done well. What is costly is having it done poorly.
That said, $1,800 sounds low to re-insulate an entire system.
Posted by: Master Plvmber at July 8, 2008 4:12 PM
my advice is to speak with with person who will be fixing the hole (mason, carpenter, etc) and have them fix the pipes and any mess made in so doing. Guarantee it will save you money as they will take more care in fixing the issue and the closing up the wall
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 6:54 PM
Do a bit more research on your own and get another one or two estimates. It is always smarter to know a little bit ahead of time to make sure things are done properly.
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 9:07 PM
Do a bit more research on your own and get another one or two estimates. It is always smarter to know a little bit ahead of time to make sure things are done properly.
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 9:44 PM
I can do this work for you. Give me a call for an estimate. Ifathom Construction 6462458388
Posted by: guest at July 8, 2008 9:47 PM
I realize you've got a profession to protect but how do you "botch" a job this simple? You wrap a copper pipe with an insulating sleeve and add a tie every 6" or so. I've got fifty feet of it in my basement ceiling and that's exactly how it was done. It's worked fine for five years and it's directly over my table saw which rusts if you breathe on it.
A ten year-old could do this job.
Posted by: Steve at July 8, 2008 11:02 PM
It's not my profession to protect.
Insulating A/C and refrigeration pipes is not like insulating heating or domestic water pipes at all.
If it was, the original poster wouldn't be having this problem.
Posted by: Master Plvmber at July 9, 2008 3:39 AM
You're right, it's not the same as insulating a hot water pipe. For instance, you don't use fiberglass insulation, as you made such a fuss about. In the presence of condensation, fiberglass would get soggy, lose its insulating properties and attract mold.
You use light-weight, split rubber sleeves which are made for this job. Just cut it to length, push it around the pipe and wrap some ties around it. Done.
As I said, I've got fifty feet of it in my basement ceiling feeding my upstairs split-unit Fujitsu A/C. In fact, I had to fix the sloppy job the professionally-licensed installer did when he left a foot of the pipes exposed in my mechanicals room, right over an electrical outlet. Fortunately, he left several feet of sleeving behind.
Posted by: Steve at July 9, 2008 1:48 PM
Unless of course you apply fiberglass insulation properly and eliminate the condensation....I give up though.
You win.
OP, get a ten-year-old to do it.
I have no idea what I'm talking about.
Posted by: Master Plvmber at July 9, 2008 10:28 PM
From the sounds of it, insulating the pipes is not so much you problem, rather the absence of a condensation drain. Insulating will only delay the problem or provide a short term repair. I believe this can be an easy fix. Your options A. Call in the service # (on the installer service sticker, somewhere on the equip.) With a min. service call of apprx. $300.00+labor and material. Option B.It might be even easier if you a have a floor drain. a 1/2" pvc drain line, can "direct" connect to the floor drain directly from the equip. and the problem is miraculously solved. Call that guy from ifathom. It's small outfit with a large presence in the Slope. I met one of their project managers and was impressed. Good luck.
Posted by: guest at July 11, 2008 12:32 AM
Listen to the Master Plvmber!!! I agree with the previous comments by "guest".
Posted by: guest at July 11, 2008 12:37 AM
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