[zannej]

Hi, my first post here. I might do an introduction post later.
My old HVAC system (don't remember the brand) made by a company that went out of business circa 1973 was replaced in 2010.
The inside unit is a Trane 4TEC3F60B1000AA . It is able to heat without the condenser. It runs fan without the condenser as well. There is an odd odor when heat first comes on-- like burning dust, but it either goes away or we get noseblind to it after awhile.

The outside unit is a Trane 4TWB3060A1000BA (I think XB 13). It has already had both capacitors and fan motor replaced within the past 6 months. Now it needs a replacement compressor but the problem is I can't seem to find that part for sale anywhere. The new units were made in 2009 and apparently have been discontinued for obvious reasons. The inside unit is for sale used and refurbished but other than a small list of parts that do not include the compressor, I can't find much on the condenser unit.

The original installer no longer returns calls and won't send anyone out. He was supposed to send someone out last November but never did. There was a 2nd person who worked on stuff but he went to jail for DUI (crashed into a schoolbus full of kids) & lost his business. New guy just came out and said he wanted to replace the condenser unit with a different brand one. I started looking it up and finding that some sites were claiming that if it is not the matched/paired model it won't run as efficiently and worst case can even cause a fire.

We don't have the budget to have the entire thing redone and don't want to replace the inside unit since it is working fine. So, I'm trying to find out how to get a new compressor OR find a compatible condenser.

This is the sticker on the inside unit:

This is the sticker on the condenser:

Sadly, I don't know much about HVAC systems or how to find which models match.

Editing to add info: Both units were running fine up until we had unusually cold weather in late November so the heat was turned on. For some reason the cooling stopped working after that. We'd set it to cool and nothing would happen. It was mostly cold up until the last couple weeks. We replaced the thermostat (which was a 2006 model & sucked) with a new one that we like, but it did not fix the lack of cooling problem. I figured it was the compressor but we could not get anyone to come out until this morning. He said he thinks the compressor shorted out-- although I'm not sure how or if that speaks to another electrical problem.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[zannej]

Does anyone know if its true that using units that aren't matched can cause a fire? Also, should I get a 2nd opinion on the compressor if I can?
The new AC repair guy is pushing an off-brand replacement condenser hard & claims it doesn't matter which one or if they are paired or matched. That has me suspicious. But I'm still not able to get a response from the original installer.

 

[eggs]

Does anyone know if its true that using units that aren't matched can cause a fire? Also, should I get a 2nd opinion on the compressor if I can?
The new AC repair guy is pushing an off-brand replacement condenser hard & claims it doesn't matter which one or if they are paired or matched. That has me suspicious. But I'm still not able to get a response from the original installer.

You have a lot going on here. First off, that compressor is available. It is a 5 tom R410 scroll train compressor. Those compressors normally do not have issues, but can time to time. As for the capacitor on the fan motor. As a motor starts to have issues, it will burn up the capacitors. Personally, I would not change out the entire condenser, much cheaper to change the compressor. The would take an HVAC specialist as you will need the correct equipment. The compressor can be purchased, but if you are not a contractor, they will not sell to you, Trane is rather protective of their parts as they should be. The wrong person installing can make a mess and give the brand a bad rap. The compressor is easy to test, but would require a refrigeration manifold, and amp probe and a hard start kit. If you want more info on that, I can get it for you. Your unit is a 5 ton, 60,000 BTUs, not small by any means. As for the smell, dust / dirt or something got onto the heating elements. At the beginning of any heating season, the dirt from over the summer does build up on the elements and over time it just burns off. It is important to use pleated filters, not cheap fiberglass ones. Hopefully, the installer put in a 4" filter for you. A 1" would not cut it, too high of a velocity for that size filter. Trane is one of the best units made out there, if you can tell me the brand they are pushing, I can tell you how good they are. Good Luck

 

[zannej]

Thanks for the reply. The only HVAC people in my state who are authorized to get Trane parts were in Sulphur and Lake Charles (with the latter being closer). The price of just the compressor was over $4k. I ended up getting a company called ACR to install a brand new condenser unit. They checked the old unit, checked the ductwork, the lines, etc. Hauled the old one off and installed the new one. They even leveled the ground where the new one sat as there was some soil erosion caused by the condensate line dripping in a spot that was undermining the soil. They tested everything to make sure it worked and one of them even helped me take trash out my trash (I have an injured arm and was having difficulty with the bag). Really nice guys. It ended up being $5741-- which is high, but that included them buying the unit, transporting it all the way from LC, driving down some really terrible roads out into the middle of the woods, and installing the unit. It works great! Came with a 10-year warranty. I still need to take a picture to get the model number of the new unit.