I am at my wit's end and asking for your advice. Just over a year ago, I had a Mini Split System AC installed in my apt. Two months later, one of the units stopped producing cold air, so I called the company and they determined that the coolant leaked. They pumped in more coolant, which fixed the problem another 2 months, at that point I called them again. This time, they claimed to have "found"... [more]
I am at my wit's end and asking for your advice.
Just over a year ago, I had a Mini Split System AC installed in my apt. Two months later, one of the units stopped producing cold air, so I called the company and they determined that the coolant leaked. They pumped in more coolant, which fixed the problem another 2 months, at that point I called them again. This time, they claimed to have "found" the source of the leak where the pipe connects to the outdoor compressor. More coolant, and it was fixed for the rest of last year's season.
Fast-forward to today, weather got hotter and I have the same problem - the coolant seems gone (it must have leaked more slowly this time). What's worse, it's just over 1 year since installation and "installation warranty" is 1 year (while "manufacturer warranty on parts" is 2 years).
The worst part: the pipes were installed inside the wall and we had them filled with concrete (by a different contractor). Doing anything with pipes would be difficult & expensive.
Questions before I talk to them again:
1) Do I have any consumer protection even though 1-year installation warranty expired? The company had "general commercial liability" insurance, etc.
2) What are the odds the compressor or blower unit is at fault, rather than the pipes they installed? Would it be covered by "manufacturer warranty"?
Any other advice? Thanks much,
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Response by alanhart
almost 12 years ago
Posts: 12397
Member since: Feb 2007
Did they run a dye test?
Pipes in concrete sounds like bad news to me, if they weren't very knowledgeable and careful about pipe material, coating, protection from caustic wet cement and from aggregate and expansion/contraction.
Ignored comment.
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Response by levliko
almost 12 years ago
Posts: 31
Member since: Jan 2012
No dye test, but during earlier repairs the technician saw an oily spot around the nut connecting the coolant pipe to the compressor, so he concluded that was it. Now it's no longer clear if that's the only leak.
Did they run a dye test?
Pipes in concrete sounds like bad news to me, if they weren't very knowledgeable and careful about pipe material, coating, protection from caustic wet cement and from aggregate and expansion/contraction.
No dye test, but during earlier repairs the technician saw an oily spot around the nut connecting the coolant pipe to the compressor, so he concluded that was it. Now it's no longer clear if that's the only leak.