My 3 year old Trane XL15 microchannel coil just got a blockage and has to be replaced. Under warranty but I have to pay $700 for refridgerate. No reason it’s not going to fail every three years. Seems like an obvious design flaw anyone could have spotted. Thanks Trane. Should have went with another brand.
How did you get a blockage in the microchannel evap coil I wonder if they told you I also bought the 2.5 ton gas package in 2021 also xl1500 America standard?
Frigidaire and Maytag sold many of these units. We replaced hundreds of evaporator coils. They would leak, then freeze up, causing blower motors to burn up. Nothing but headaches. A lot of angry clients. Also adding uv dye voids the warranty on compressor.
You will be glad you did. My cousin just recently had his evaporator coil blow in his unit that is only 2 years old. Naturally the unit only came with a 1 year warranty. It may cost a little more to get copper coils, but that cost is far cheaper than the cost to repair these coils.
This is so typical of American corporate thinking and practice. Automotive condensers have thicker walled condenser tubes they say. If we make the walls thinner we can save $.50 on each unit not to mention the cost savings of less refrigerant. Upper management and shareholders will make millions more. Oh the product is less reliable? Screw the consumer. It's this thinking and practice that enabled Toyota to become the number one auto manufacturer in the world. GM used to be but they now follow the common corporate practice. So sad. Thanks for the video and the heads up.
Trane manufacturing started use micro channel on commercial units and that’s why they only give you 1 year warranty on commercial warranty. But uses copper and they give you 10 years lol
Automotive ac evaporators and condensers have been micro channel coils since the days of R12 refrigerant. But the micro channel flat tubes are thicker and more robust and both R134a and R1234yf operate at lower pressures than R410a.
I have the same problem not all leaked out. It just partially leaks out and will cool until it gets too hot then cools no more. I use a 12K BTU window shaker to help out. I can put more gas in but it leaks out a month later. I have a tank of gas and will just add gas. Before this I had an R22 Copper coil Coleman. Year later ev coil leaked. Replaced under 1 year parts warranty but labor was $600. Within 3 years another leak. Contractor put in stopleak and killed the compressor. So much for trusting a contractor. I remember in the 1990sbuying a miller packaged unit and others and never having these coil leak problems. Mfgs have decided to legally fleece everybody and make a lot of money by building garbage. Large Corporations are responsible for designing to fail today's HVAC systems. I would like to see an old coil copper tube thickness measured and compared to today's coil thickness. Bet they just build a coil to fail in 3 years on purpose. Designed to fail for profit. They should be sued for fraud.
Ac guy here. Just saw my first micro channel issue last week. 5 year old 2 ton ac and coil. Unit was on a rental for a big property mgt company so they just wanted it replaced. I took ac and coil home. Found leak in coil and hoping to repair. Going to cool my shop with it. Nordyn has an epoxy repair kit and a aluminized braze repair kit for these. This is my first attempt at repairing one so hopefully all goes well
@@Bbernhardsr I used the epoxy fix method on mine. It held 400 psi nitrogen. I installed the coil and condenser on my garage furnace...why not right. Might only use it a few times next summer but it'll be there
@@coryc1718 my repair with an aluminum braze kit lasted one season. I am not sure where your at but here in Florida it is not uncommon for condenser pressures to go well over 400psi. The issue is not that you can't repair the leak, the problem is that it is certainly going to get another one fairly soon. It is not economical for a customer to have to have an annual repair bill especially on equipment that doesn't even last 5 years. Sure if you have the means to repair yourself than it is virtually no cost to you, but for a customer to have to pay $600+ annually is not good. Honestly I think any company that sells equipment with microchannel is dishonest unless they explain to the customer that the equipment will only last 1/4 the time as something with copper fin.
@@Bbernhardsr absolutely agree. North Central Indiana here. No salt to deal with but we get high humidity heat for about 2 months. We have a local supply house that has switched all equipment to the micro channel. We can send a truck up about an hour away and get copper/alum coils that will last. So we've been driving to get them. I guess it depends on how you want to look at it. If you know the issue exists your just making service work for yourself later on. I dont want to put equipment into peoples homes i have known forever and only get 3 to 7 years out of it. Whats the excuse? Well you got a good deal on it? I'll go elsewhere to get proper equipment.
@@coryc1718 I think these micro channel units are what I call "builder grade." They are great for new construction because they save the builder about $500 or more per unit. You figure if he is putting in 50 homes then thats another $25,000 back in his pocket. The unit will last long enough for the builder to make his money around that town and then to move on somewhere else. Other than that I see no useful application for something that you know will not last.
My parents had Trane XE1000s from 1993 that lasted over 20 years average. The spine fin tubing never leaked a single ounce of refrigerant and one of them went through an evaporator coil in their lives and both of them seen repair brazes on the evaporator coil elbow(s). Both of them had seen a replacement condenser fan motor and a start capacitor, and only one of them has seen a new contactor relay replaced. Trane is excellent and spine fin condensers are very reliable but, a bitch to clean.
Good luck, that's terrible. We bought a big name system in 2006 with a new style efficient compressor. After 2 years it started to sound like it had rocks bouncing around in it. Just before our 5 year warranty ran out i had it replaced. The tech told me they only made that style one year and abandoned it, his boss said it sounded fine to him. I am no A/C guy but when ANY machine makes that much noise, its just not going to last. It was some "soft start" type compressor.
I live in Canada Southwestern Ontario it still gets 80-90 here but the max head pressure I seen is 350 PSI. We haven't had much issues but that may be why. Thanks
I believe by NorTek. This unit was a Miller but is the same as a Nordyne or GrandAir. They have many different brand names but the company who makes them all is NorTek I believe.
My unit leaked this week and it has two holes in the coil. I agree. Do not purchase these!
My 3 year old Trane XL15 microchannel coil just got a blockage and has to be replaced. Under warranty but I have to pay $700 for refridgerate. No reason it’s not going to fail every three years. Seems like an obvious design flaw anyone could have spotted. Thanks Trane. Should have went with another brand.
How did you get a blockage in the microchannel evap coil I wonder if they told you I also bought the 2.5 ton gas package in 2021 also xl1500 America standard?
I stay away from anything Microchannel.
Frigidaire and Maytag sold many of these units. We replaced hundreds of evaporator coils. They would leak, then freeze up, causing blower motors to burn up. Nothing but headaches. A lot of angry clients. Also adding uv dye voids the warranty on compressor.
I cancelled my AC order for microchannel and demanded a copper unit after watching this video
You will be glad you did. My cousin just recently had his evaporator coil blow in his unit that is only 2 years old. Naturally the unit only came with a 1 year warranty. It may cost a little more to get copper coils, but that cost is far cheaper than the cost to repair these coils.
This is so typical of American corporate thinking and practice. Automotive condensers have thicker walled condenser tubes they say. If we make the walls thinner we can save $.50 on each unit not to mention the cost savings of less refrigerant. Upper management and shareholders will make millions more. Oh the product is less reliable? Screw the consumer. It's this thinking and practice that enabled Toyota to become the number one auto manufacturer in the world. GM used to be but they now follow the common corporate practice. So sad. Thanks for the video and the heads up.
Well said
Trane manufacturing started use micro channel on commercial units and that’s why they only give you 1 year warranty on commercial warranty. But uses copper and they give you 10 years lol
Automotive ac evaporators and condensers have been micro channel coils since the days of R12 refrigerant. But the micro channel flat tubes are thicker and more robust and both R134a and R1234yf operate at lower pressures than R410a.
Great video for sure. My condenser coil is leaking will replace with a copper one not micro channel.
I have the same problem not all leaked out. It just partially leaks out and will cool until it gets too hot then cools no more. I use a 12K BTU window shaker to help out.
I can put more gas in but it leaks out a month later. I have a tank of gas and will just add gas. Before this I had an R22 Copper coil Coleman. Year later ev coil leaked. Replaced under 1 year parts warranty but labor was $600. Within 3 years another leak. Contractor put in stopleak and killed the compressor. So much for trusting a contractor. I remember in the 1990sbuying a miller packaged unit and others and never having these coil leak problems. Mfgs have decided to legally fleece everybody and make a lot of money by building garbage. Large Corporations are responsible for designing to fail today's HVAC systems. I would like to see an old coil copper tube thickness measured and compared to today's coil thickness. Bet they just build a coil to fail in 3 years on purpose. Designed to fail for profit. They should be sued for fraud.
I have a lot of problems with micro channel coils. I will never sell any units that has them.
Ac guy here. Just saw my first micro channel issue last week. 5 year old 2 ton ac and coil. Unit was on a rental for a big property mgt company so they just wanted it replaced. I took ac and coil home. Found leak in coil and hoping to repair. Going to cool my shop with it. Nordyn has an epoxy repair kit and a aluminized braze repair kit for these. This is my first attempt at repairing one so hopefully all goes well
My repair lasted. I brazed it. Didn't matter though because it blew out in another spot a year later.
@@Bbernhardsr I used the epoxy fix method on mine. It held 400 psi nitrogen. I installed the coil and condenser on my garage furnace...why not right. Might only use it a few times next summer but it'll be there
@@coryc1718 my repair with an aluminum braze kit lasted one season. I am not sure where your at but here in Florida it is not uncommon for condenser pressures to go well over 400psi.
The issue is not that you can't repair the leak, the problem is that it is certainly going to get another one fairly soon. It is not economical for a customer to have to have an annual repair bill especially on equipment that doesn't even last 5 years.
Sure if you have the means to repair yourself than it is virtually no cost to you, but for a customer to have to pay $600+ annually is not good. Honestly I think any company that sells equipment with microchannel is dishonest unless they explain to the customer that the equipment will only last 1/4 the time as something with copper fin.
@@Bbernhardsr absolutely agree. North Central Indiana here. No salt to deal with but we get high humidity heat for about 2 months. We have a local supply house that has switched all equipment to the micro channel. We can send a truck up about an hour away and get copper/alum coils that will last. So we've been driving to get them. I guess it depends on how you want to look at it. If you know the issue exists your just making service work for yourself later on. I dont want to put equipment into peoples homes i have known forever and only get 3 to 7 years out of it. Whats the excuse? Well you got a good deal on it? I'll go elsewhere to get proper equipment.
@@coryc1718 I think these micro channel units are what I call "builder grade." They are great for new construction because they save the builder about $500 or more per unit. You figure if he is putting in 50 homes then thats another $25,000 back in his pocket. The unit will last long enough for the builder to make his money around that town and then to move on somewhere else. Other than that I see no useful application for something that you know will not last.
My parents had Trane XE1000s from 1993 that lasted over 20 years average. The spine fin tubing never leaked a single ounce of refrigerant and one of them went through an evaporator coil in their lives and both of them seen repair brazes on the evaporator coil elbow(s). Both of them had seen a replacement condenser fan motor and a start capacitor, and only one of them has seen a new contactor relay replaced. Trane is excellent and spine fin condensers are very reliable but, a bitch to clean.
Spine fin coils are copper and are not the same as micro channel coils.
@@BbernhardsrGoodman had all aluminum tube and fin condenser coils that leaked but, they made it reliable once Daikin bought it out.
@@davidperry4013 never had a problem with goodmans aluminum tube evaporators. But again those are completely different than micro channel coils.
Good luck, that's terrible. We bought a big name system in 2006 with a new style efficient compressor. After 2 years it started to sound like it had rocks bouncing around in it. Just before our 5 year warranty ran out i had it replaced. The tech told me they only made that style one year and abandoned it, his boss said it sounded fine to him. I am no A/C guy but when ANY machine makes that much noise, its just not going to last. It was some "soft start" type compressor.
Yeah they come up with this "new technology" and leave it up to the consumer for field testing.
@@Bbernhardsr
And how! Everybody is doing it like that now. The auto companies, HD, lawnmowers, you name it.
@@upsidedowndog1256 very sad. This current state of affairs needs to change.
@@Bbernhardsr
My York has the thin tube evaporator. Thanks for the info on that, now I know what to watch for.
I live in Canada Southwestern Ontario it still gets 80-90 here but the max head pressure I seen is 350 PSI. We haven't had much issues but that may be why. Thanks
The lack of warranty says it all. Micro channel probably can't take high heat pump pressures.
Exactly. I think if they would have applied this to R-22 systems then it might have worked out better.
at 7:06 is hilarious when he shouted for stopping the background noise lol.
good video
And we can’t use coil cleaner on micro channels. Just water.
where was that microchannel condenser originally made?
I believe by NorTek. This unit was a Miller but is the same as a Nordyne or GrandAir. They have many different brand names but the company who makes them all is NorTek I believe.
@@Bbernhardsr Thanks for posting this video. What brands use micro channel condensers?
@@gmd1417 seems to me that the cheaper units use them. I have heard that some Lennox systems use them but I don't know if they still do.
@@BbernhardsrMy 3 year old trane xl15 has microchannel. Coil being replaced today. It’s happening to many. Buyer beware.
@@williams8198 I think your blessed that you got 3 years out of it.
stay away from micro channel , don't buy this grap
Don't by anything made by York