Air conditioner broke need suggestions

[Justme]

Fisrt off let me say we live near charleston,sc. In case you don't know we have three seasons here spring and fall(lasts a few weeks each) and sauna - temps in the upper 90s and humidity almost always above 80%. And we are just close enough to the coast to get more of the humidity from the ocean but not benefit much from any breeze.
So last night our AC decided to conk out. Blades don't turn and you just hear clicking from the electronic area. We were told the unit was installed about 5 years before we bought the place 21 years ago so I guess it's served a good life. We only plan to stay here about 5 more years then are moving to Tennessee. We were hoping the AC would last until then and maybe use putting in a new unit as a bargaining chip to sell the house.
My question is how much do we spend on repairing this one (if it's possible) and what to get if it's not? Need the best price for the best return. We have one in college now and the other will start after she graduates HS next spring. Keep in mind we are only gonna be here about 5 more years but also a house will not sell without AC and heat in this area. Currently we use wood stove for heat but the unit was a central heat and air and we would need to have non manual heat also to sell. And remember our humidity is HIGH.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

We started out this year with a broken AC. Three weeks into our 100+ heatwave in May and we had had it. Have to keep my son's meds at "room temp" ... not 81, which was our average inside-the-house temp. Cost about $2,500 for us: new fan and new compressor thingy.

My opinion: well worth replacing it.

You need to weight the pros and cons: not replacing means saving money but may mean it may take longer to sell the house, if at all. Plus do you really want to go into the "hottest" part of summer with no AC if you can help it? Not to mention the additional 5 years!

 

[Justme]

It will either get fixed or replaced. Cannot go without it. Already wringing out the shirt I have on. I'm just trying to balance fixing vs replacing and how much a new unit would cost and how much it might save us on electricity. And balance that with the fact that we will sell the house in 5 years. And what to get if we do replace. A lot will depend on what the service man say this afternoon I guess.

Yea I always wonder what room temp means. We usually set our thermostat at 81 - that's typically a 15-20 difference from outside temp. My sister though would have a heat stroke at that temp. I usually carry a jacket when I visit her in the summer.
Thankfully I canned all current supply from the garden yesterday.

 

[k15n1]

We have had dew points in 70s and 90+ oF all summer and haven't needed the AC yet.

We use several ceiling fans and a few portable fans to keep comfortable. Whole-House fan is on order (after a decade of failed appropriation bills and lobbying)! There's a huge psychological component... If you believe you'll be OK, that helps. Do summer things, like sit on the porch. Let the kids play in the sprinkler or take them to the pool. Wash your face with cool water when you're about to snap. Drink cold drinks, like beer and lemonade. Put a handkercheif in your pocket and use it if you feel sweaty. WEAR DEODERANT!! Wear less clothes, if possible. There's all kinds of traditional fabrics that are great for summer but somewhat lost on the synthetic-wearing crowd. Try linen pants and summer weaves of cotton.

If you do all of these things, you won't feel like a cucumber, but you'll certainly adapt to it and be able to get on with all of the other things in your life.

On another note, I wouldn't ever do anything for the lofty claim of re-sale value. Well, don't build a geodesic dome house, but other than that, do what's right for you. You can never anticipate the next buyer's needs and chances are, they'll gut your favorite room and totally crap-ify it. Real estate is not an investment---it's where you live. You can think of it as a hedge against inflation, but that's all. Anyway, I'm off topic AND ranting, so I'll just stop now.

 

[Wannabefree]

If that unit is as old as you say....replace it, hands down that is the best option. Energy efficiency has come a long way in two and a half decades, and I believe it would save you a bundle in electric bills to just replace the thing. DON'T let them haul the unit away for you. Keep it, tear it down, seperate the metals and scrap it to save additional money(they're worth usually between $200-400 in scrap metals). We replaced ours 2 years ago, paid $2500 for installation and all, and scraped the old one for $250. Our electric bill immediately looked MUCH better, and it has already paid for itself. Just my personal experience and personal opinion, but I would replace, no doubt about it. I hope that helps you make the right decision for you

 

[Justme]

Turns put it was just a fuse which the service man didn't have one but showed us how to put new one in and we found a TSC which is only 10 minutes away.

K15n1 thanks for those suggestions. Yea we can survive the heat and in my younger years did really well which is part of the reason our thermostat is generally set at 81. But the humidity kills me. Less clothes- my neighbor would get nothing done all day and instead would spend the day gawking. Hanki in my pocket for when I get sweaty -i'd need a beach towel ,I don't sweat I pour. Only wear cottons and as for the weave considering most are 10+ year old tshirts they are fairly thin and breathable. Don't have a screened porch and otherwise you don't sit still outside or you'll be carried off by the blood sucking buzzards. I donate at least half a pint a day just doing garden and chicken chores. Without AC humidity levels in the house make mold and mildew go wild, bath towels will not dry from one day to the next, breads, cookies or chips cannot be left out even in closed containers or they mold and get limp within days. And yes my home is where I live and we do things for us and not for resale in general but since we are going to sell in a few years we do have to consider what needs to be done or it will be like many others around here and sit till it falls down. There are many things that will make a difference in resale value. A house will not sell around here and no bank will give loans for a house without AC and auto heat (as in my wood stove is manual heat). We also know we will have to remove the loft bed in my son's room and put the closet back in. And repaint his black mountain wall. Bottom line while I can live without AC as long as I have power and means to support it then we want to keep one around at least in this area.

Wannabe, thanks very much. That was just the kind of thing I was looking for- how much we could expect change in the electric bill. DH talked with a few coworkers yesterday and a few said similar things - that their new unit dropped their bill significantly. I cannot wait till we move to Tennessee. We will be in the eastern corner. Have yet to be up there when conditions are anything like here and we've been camping on the property a lot in all seasons. It may get hot but the humidity is not near as heavy and it always cools down some at night. And you don't get carried away by bugs.
Thankfully though it was something minor with the AC and now we can shop around for the best deal on a new unit. From the little checking I did yester day it seems prices might be higher here than what you and Greeneggs lucked out on but we still think it will be worth it to do it soon.

 

[Wannabefree]

Having time to shop around will definately serve you well. Find a smallish local company, usually those are your best bet for deals. Generally, they have less mark up on the units, or at least more flexibility in lowering the prices, in my experience, and better overall services. Some places will have units someone ordered and then didn't want, or didn't follow through on getting, and is taking up space in their building, so they are eager to get it out of their way and will offer a discounted price. That is what I ran into with mine. I'm sure you know to make sure to get the appropriate tonnage for your dwelling and all that. Trane makes a good unit, and for reselling the home, I'd go with a recognizable name brand when you do purchase. People are funny and nitpicky when buying a home, and rightfully so. Recognizable name brand would stop any hesitation on a buyer. I KNOW how important it is...I live in a area with climate similar to yours, and people pay a lot of attention to the AC units when buying!! It gets so muggy here I hope you find a GREAT deal!!