package systems are considered commercial systems and typically have only 5 year part warranty. Sometimes drain pans are made of metal, sometimes of plastic.

Plastic can crack. It's typically not that common for newer equipment to have such problem... but that doesn't mean it can not happen.

If the pan is cracked in order to replace the pan the package unit would have to be taken apart to remove the coil so the pan can be replaced, then the system has to be put all back together again.

When water drips from a pack unit,9 times out of ten it's simply a clogged drain and no parts are defective. Cleaning drain is part of routine maintenance so that's what I would do first.

While plastic drain pans can be defective, 99% of the time it's a "defective" installation. I'd call the original installer and say it probably wasn't installed correctly. Also, you don't "waste" refrigerant (that's illegal) - you recover it and reuse it - so there shouldn't be any charge for "coolant".

At a price of $900 there's not much room for cost of 'coolant'. If anything they are likely talking about a fine tuning 'if it's needed' scenario. Cost of refrigerant these days the price would be much higher than $900 if it needed any significant amount.

The original installer is going to confess they didn't install it right? That was 4 years ago... LOL.

"The original installer is going to confess they didn't install it right?"

Some pros are honest............................ I guess most aren't.

"Some pros are honest............................ I guess most aren't."

Yes and if you carefully observe some will unwittingly show their hole card. Now that deserve's a big "LOL".

I wouldn't call an installer a pro... that is where the rubber meets the road.

99% installers can't diagnose equipment. Yet you want this installer to tell you why the pan cracked on a 4 year old piece of equipment?

This is assuming the pan is cracked? The world may never know....

'You just had to be there...wow, that crack... she was a beauty'.

Name one thing you own that is covered for 4 years of wear and tear with no cost to you?

All the above comments are correct. There shouldn't be any cracks in the coolant line. If there is, it must be replaced and the original installer should cover the cost. I would also check his refrigeration license, all refrigerants must be recovered. As for the crack in the pan, it happens and must be replaced from the manufacture, but you will have a labor bill. Also check for blockage in the drain line.

Also check for blockage in the drain line.

a cracked pan indicates the pan is not holding water. If the pan is not holding water how could the drain be blocked?

Ok all here is a update. I called first estimate company. They again said it included a 481.00 charge for coolant. I told them for 900.00 on a unit I am still paying for I wanted a second opinion. I called a five star company they were there in one day and said if the coil had to be removed it would be 680.00 but my coolant would be held and put back in. This was for labor as the pan was covered under warranty from Lennox. And he would need some help as it sits on the roof. BUT if the coil did not have to be removed and they could fix the repair would be 500.00. They again said my unit was full of coolant and the first company was probably capturing the coolant and reselling to next customer Also this rip off company is who installed my unit.

So within two days it is fixed the bill was 521.00 and the professionalism from my NEW A/C company was above and beyond. I did call back the first company and tell them why I would never use them again as this was in Las Vegas where it is 121 degrees today. Can you imagine how many people are paying for coolant that should be captured and reused. Thank you for all your expert advise.

It's against the law to reuse or sell used refrigerant that hasn't been run thru a process to put the quality of refrigerant back to virgin quality. Using used refrigerant will void your warranty from the manufacturer. The problem with recapturing and reusing is that the recapture tanks are typically capable of holding 30 pounds of refrigerant. (It's very rare to have a clean tank needed to do the work as you suggest in your post.) So while you can reuse refrigerant at same property... you need a clean place to put it. If you never take your reclaim jug to exchange for a clean jug, the reclaim jug you have could be contaminated.

So to do this properly they would have to have a 'new tank' to hold your refrigerant while the repair is made to your system. If the tank in question has been used previously for other job, if the refrigerant from that job was contaminated with 'acid' in the refrigerant some of this acid is now exchanged from the tank to your system.

There are all kinds of acidic levels. Some mild, some severe. Mild acidic levels become severe over time. This leads to compressor failure. (burn out)

It's always the impression of doing things cheap, off the cuff that make you think someone else is ripping someone off or over charging. The cheaper company is just going out creating more work for themselves at a latter date due to the practices they use to dupe you. Your enemy is time.

A refrigerant circuit: must be as clean as possible. You can't count on that by taking refrigerant from a 'used' drum and reintroducing this into your system. Virgin refrigerant comes from the refrigerant plant. It goes thru many processes to ensure it is clean... that is what you are paying for.