How ancient is my A/C?

[Colleen Knipfer]

I can't find any info on this outdoor portion of my HVAC unit:

Singer Comfortmaker
Model# ACR51048-1C
Ser.No. 393843

The home was built in 1974, we bought it in 2004. According to pre-owners the indoor Carrier portion was installed in 1996.

[Jim Luttrall]

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_inspection/heating-ventilation-air-conditioning-hvac-home-inspection-commercial-inspection/3180-help-dating-singer-ac-unit.html
Here is a related thread

[Jack Feldmann]

1975 4 ton unit. Looks like its original to the house

[Colleen Knipfer]

Thank you Jack, that's what I was afraid of. I guess I won't be replacing just the fan blade then.
And thank you Jim, didn't know whether to post in that thread or start a new one.

The unit tried to self destruct last night. Epic failure occurred this morning at 6:30. One of the blades got caught somehow and bent back on itself and tore. Beautiful mangled metal and a very loud noise waking us and our neighbors!

[BridgeMan]

You might want to reconsider just fixing/replacing the bent blade. A few hundred $$$ should cover it, even if it has to be custom-made. Our 15-year-old heat pump died last week (leaky coil, bad compressor), and the best quote thus far for a Trane replacement (2.5 ton) is just north of ten grand.

[Jack Feldmann]

It is well past its expected life. "IF" it was working fine and cooling OK, then you might consider just the fan replacement. However, you are really just patching something that could die at any moment.

[Jim Luttrall]

Think of it as a Mini Van with bald tires and 500,000 miles on the clock. It might be worth putting a set of tires on but spending a couple of thousand on a new tranny or such just doesn't make sense.
Good luck.

[Colleen Knipfer]

:D It's fixed! Local company came out and replaced Blade, Rotor Shaft, and Motor for $300. No special orders or fabrication necessary.
He quoted $3,000 to replace the entire unit but said it wasn't needed. Overall satisfied with results and we're not baking in the heat anymore!:D

[Binford Tools]

Glad to hear, I thought you might have been entering the old A/C contest. So companies do that to drum up business.

[Bob Wisnewski]

Are you sure the unit was manufactured in 1975? I am reading the numbers as a 4 ton unit manufactured 3/93.