A New A-Coil...and Water Heater?

My HVAC guy came over to install my new A-coil today.  I was originally slated for last Thursday...then Friday...then Saturday...my parents told him not to come on Sunday...so he finally came back on Monday.  Long story short, since my house is empty, he takes care of the "inhabited" ones, as he called them.  I get it.  But we were left in the dark those days!  I kept expecting an install!

Thankfully, the installation went as planned.  Only the A-coil was replaced (due to the leaking drain pan), but while they were doing that new installation, I had them re-route the refrigerant line and drain line so that a filter could be slid in and out easily.  For whatever reason, the previous installer covered up the filter installation area!  You had to bend the filter in order to get it in and out!  C'mon, folks!  That is just crazy!

I also had them put in a condensation trap.  I learned all about these with the "yellow house."  This house didn't have one.  Basically, it prevents the A/C from pulling in outside humid air into the A-coil.  It only pulls in air from the house (and through the filter).  The air is cooler, less humid, and cleaner.  Why I have to fix "professional's" jobs is beyond me.

I purchased this condensation trap to prevent humid air from being sucked into the unit from outside.  The original never had one installed.

But the install went great.  AND the cost came in much lower than expected!  The installer was able to trap and use the five pounds of freon from last week ($200), and with the purchase price a bit lower than he expected (I was quoted at $600 last week for the A-coil), the total replacement cost with the freon was $654.98!  I was again ecstatic!  Yes, I was terribly frustrated that I had to replace the A-coil at all, but getting a new one for $454.98 that should last another 15-25 years is just wonderful.  I appreciate the integrity of my installer SO MUCH.  He passed on the savings to me when he could have just kept the higher price that he quoted.  THANK YOU, Shane.

The new A-coil is in!  And working great!  Notice the hole in the middle of the floor there in front.  That was the old drain to the crawlspace that blocked the installation of the furnace filter!  But now that the lines are re-routed to the left, a home-owner can put in a new filter regularly!

I was on the road during all of this, and Dad was handling the opening of the house for the installers.  Well, last week, after we turned the water on, he figured out that one of the heating elements on the water heater was bad.  So he was going to drain the water from the tank and install a new one while the A-coil was being replaced.

The old heating element.  Should just be a 20-minute fix, right?  Oh, but wait...

But he had a problem.  The tank wouldn't drain.  Of course, that didn't surprise me one bit after I had seen all of the gobbledygook in the water lines when I changed out the shut-off valves last Thursday.  I knew that the bottom of the tank was just covered in more of the calcium chunks, preventing him from draining the tank.

After removing the drain, it was readily apparent exactly WHY the tank wouldn't drain.  More calcium deposits just like in the shut-off valves in the rest of the house!

I was informed that the tank was a 1993, and we then assumed that it came original with the house.  Again, all of this was done via texts.  But I was given the model and serial numbers to verify.  I had some time to kill, so I plugged away at the numbers.  Hmm.  The model number didn't match up to anything.  It was a text from Dad, so I asked for pictures instead.  Sure enough, the model number was missing a number.  Yet the serial number (used for dating) showed a newer style.  Hmm.

A 1993, you say?

So I plugged away some more.  I asked not just for the model or serial number but for the ENTIRE tag.  And that's when I knew that this wasn't an old unit at all.  The tag was the newer style, AND the tag had a smartphone bar code in the bottom right!  Smart phones (let alone cell phones!) didn't exist in the early 1990's!  What did I have here?

After dating it, I was shocked to see that I had a 2013 model on my hands.  "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dad!!!  Hold the truck!"  I was told that they were cutting it out, replacing the shut-off valve, and I had no idea what was happening to the unit.  Being rolled out?  Dropped from the kitchen to the garage since it's junk anyway?

The water heater is out!  Was any damage done?!

The HVAC guy was already asking if his friend could have it for scrap.

"Just wait!!!  The unit is NOT from 1993!  It's from 2013!!!"

Thankfully, I was informed that the unit was cared for in its handling from the laundry room to the garage.  In other words, it would still be usable if we could get the gunk out.  So after some research, it looks like one just needs to tank off the drain valve and rinse out all of the gunk!

I asked Dad if he would be willing to do that since I didn't want the chunks of calcium to dry in there if they were in a pasty form from being in the water all this time.  He obliged.  And after doing so, he said chunk after chunk came pouring out.  The opening clogged, and he had to break them up, but a white mess came pouring out.  Aha!  Perfect!

So this tank just might be usable after all!  I'll do another thorough cleaning when I get back home (probably with two people so we can swirl the tank), add a $5 new drain valve as I'm sure the other one has chunks inside it), and get that new heating element installed!  With new pipes and a shut-off valve above it, I might be in it for $25?  That sure beats $450!  And the tank should last at least another five years!

With it out, though, I'll let the contractor put new flooring into the kitchen next week.  His job will be easier with no circle cuts, and the flooring will look better, too!

So a new A-coil (which Dad said is working wonderfully), the ability to slide furnace filters in and out, and a scare with the water heater which looks like it is manageable.  Yet another productive day.

The house is getting closer to being finished!!!  That HVAC fix was HUGE!!!