I had a brand new Heating and A/C unit installed in 2008. The heat currently only works in Emergency Mode. A technician came out and said the TXV needs replacement. A) Should it need to be replaced so soon? B) Is a TXV the same as the heat exchanger C) How much should a replacement cost?
While its not common its not uncommon if that makes sense. A. The typically answer would be no, but depending on who made it then yes (that is brand of equipment) B. No the TXV is a thermal expansion valve, the heat exchanger would be for the gas furnace part. C. Cost depends on labor charges. Its a 2-3 hour job. It awful high to me. The warranty ONLY covers the part not the labor. Unless you bought an extended warranty that pays labor. So, the part its self is Free. Everything else is not. But, lets do some number working here. Lets just say THEY say its 4 hours. 4 @ 90 is $360 dollars. Throw in some misc stuff 50 bucks. That puts you around the 400ish. The problem here is you need a detail quote from them that breaks down how they got to the 650 bucks. I mean yes, they are replacing the TXV which is free. Are they doing a total evacuation of the refrigerant? Or simply shutting off the service valves, and recovering the gas thats left over in the line set / evaporator coil? Personally thats too high if you ask me. but I dont know where your at. But thats about a 400 deal out the door. Call another company and ask them to give you a quote over the phone. They dont need to look at it. Just give them the make and MN# SN# of ac unit outside. They should be able to tell you that A. the TXV is a warranty part. And the labor + tax = xyz.
yep, warranty issue. the installer should be able to make the claim for you.
if you had it installed in 08 then it should be under warranty,if the company that did the install wont replace it then you need to contact the mfg. look on the unit and you will find the mfg. name and add. then go on line and tell them,you shouldn't have to pay for anything
TXV stands for Thermal Expansion Valve, a device which converts liquid refrigerant into a gas to create cooling in the AC coil. Replacement would involve evacuating the refrigerant , installing the new valve, and refilling and testing the equipment. Most warranties would cover this part for 5 or 10 years. Two years is an extremely short life for this part, which could mean the original installation was done improperly by the factory or the installer. I would give the manufacturer a call to see if they would help.
