Replace Seer 10 evap coil with Seer 13??

[pcumming]

Have 2 10 year old Comfortmaker (ugh) residential units-2 ton and 2.5 ton with gas Comfortmaker furnace on top.
No ice on coils. Last year my great and trusty hvac guy had to top off the R22. This year he has been out 2x to top off. One needed more R22 than the other.
This time he got out his leak detection meter (for R22) and found a leak in both evap coils, one more than the other. I was interested and watched him do this. *Tomorrow he will come out and check the outside condenser for any leaks-we ran out of time today.
A. Also tomorrow, he will get me a price on 2 replacement uncased downstream Seer 10 Comfortmaker coils.
B. He also mentioned that Seer 13 uncased evap coils (Goodman/Aspen) could work with my Seer 10 condenser unit assuming they fit in the evap case. He said we would need a TXV valve and would need a 3/4 to 7/8 adapter or something. He also said that this would not make my units operate at a seer 13 level. These Seer 13 evap coils can handle R22 or R410A per Alpine.
Since I am not working currently and been out of work for a while. I do not have the money to replace both AC units (and condenser) in their entirety-ie: 2 completely new systems.
But I was thinking that if I used seer 13 coils with R22, that if the condenser went out in the future, perhaps I could go to a Seer 13 condenser and run R410A making things more compatible
Would this give me a Seer 13 unit or are there more factors???
Whats best to do-=A B and any comments you might have?
Thanks so much
Peter

[paul52446m]

Have 2 10 year old Comfortmaker (ugh) residential units-2 ton and 2.5 ton with gas Comfortmaker furnace on top.
No ice on coils. Last year my great and trusty hvac guy had to top off the R22. This year he has been out 2x to top off. One needed more R22 than the other.
This time he got out his leak detection meter (for R22) and found a leak in both evap coils, one more than the other. I was interested and watched him do this. *Tomorrow he will come out and check the outside condenser for any leaks-we ran out of time today.
A. Also tomorrow, he will get me a price on 2 replacement uncased downstream Seer 10 Comfortmaker coils.
B. He also mentioned that Seer 13 uncased evap coils (Goodman/Aspen) could work with my Seer 10 condenser unit assuming they fit in the evap case. He said we would need a TXV valve and would need a 3/4 to 7/8 adapter or something. He also said that this would not make my units operate at a seer 13 level. These Seer 13 evap coils can handle R22 or R410A per Alpine.
Since I am not working currently and been out of work for a while. I do not have the money to replace both AC units (and condenser) in their entirety-ie: 2 completely new systems.
But I was thinking that if I used seer 13 coils with R22, that if the condenser went out in the future, perhaps I could go to a Seer 13 condenser and run R410A making things more compatible
Would this give me a Seer 13 unit or are there more factors???
Whats best to do-=A B and any comments you might have?
Thanks so much
Peter

PRODUCT
MARKETING
NEWS
C-GN-SP-351
Date:
August 17, 2010
To:
Goodman® Brand Distribution, Amana® Brand Distribution, Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. Sales, Logistics and Marketing Personnel, Goodman Distribution, Inc., Regional Vice Presidents, Regional Managers, and Staff
From:
Andrew Karl – Product Manager, Split-Systems
Subject:
Application of R-410A Split System Air Conditioner with Existing R-22 Indoor Unit
We have received many questions on whether it is acceptable to apply a 13 SEER R-410A split system air conditioner with an existing R-22 indoor coil or air handler, to reuse an existing R-22 line-set, and to use a flushing agent in existing line-sets.
With the transition from R-22 to R-410A, we understand there may be situations that preclude the removal of installed line-sets or indoor coils. Outlined below are guidelines and estimated outcomes of such a transition. Please keep in mind that these guidelines only apply to air conditioning systems and do not apply to heat pumps systems. In heat pump applications, existing R-22 indoor units should not be used with 13 SEER R-410A heat pumps.
Replacing an R-22 air conditioner with a 13 SEER R-410A air conditioner using an existing R-22 indoor unit:
1)
Goodman always recommends the installation of an AHRI certified and matched system.
2)
System mix-matches of 13 SEER R-410A outdoor units and existing R-22 indoor units may experience reduced capacity. AHRI testing procedures do not provide a means for these combinations to be rated, and no AHRI rating will be available.
3)
System mix-matches between SEER levels should be avoided whenever possible.
4)
If a system mix-match cannot be avoided, the units must be properly charged in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation procedures. Units with fixed orifice expansion devices are charged by the system’s superheat and units with thermal expansion valves are to be charged by the system’s sub-cooling.
later paul

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There is a super glue fix for leaks. If they start applying heat to fix the leaks you may end up with more problems in the not too distant future. You would be better off repairing the present system and start saving up for a total replacement.

There are some new systems out that are ductless. If you could get one installed it will end up saving a lot from not having to run conditioned air through extreme environments such as a 150 degree attic. I suspect that you will see a decline in the price of these units in the next few years as competition heats up.

We had the same problem recently. Our solution was to get some window units until we got some money to make the repairs. A 6000 btu unit is enough to cool up to 1000 sq ft of space. A fan will be necessary to distribute the conditioned air away from the window unit.