air conditioning problem....

[footprintsinconc]

last year when the summer came around, we started up the air conditioning and it was blowing warm to barely cool air. the guy put like 6lb of freon and it worked fine.

no just yesterday, we turned on our air, and the same again. we have a slow leak. i checked for any oil stains and none at the unit or air handler. the house was built at the end of 2004.

the air conditioner guys want like 700 or 800 for leak checking and repair is going to be on top of that.

what do i do?

[Uncle Cracker]

You may be able to rent a leak detector, but that's only half the battle... You still have to be able to fix it and charge the system if you're wanting to be DIY. This is the time of year that A/C guys jack up the prices. It might be possible if you call around, you'll get some better quotes than that, though. The fact that this is not an old install should make it easier on the pros, so tell them that's what you expect. The worst that can happen is that they pass. This is not a job I'd suggest a DIY, however. Perhaps if you call the builder, you might be able to shame him into getting one of his subs to do it at builders' rate. That could save you some green.

[stormdog74]

I had a similar issue with my unit a few years ago and did what UC suggested and it worked. I don't think they were happy about it, but there were also letters from lawyers about defects in the homes (bogus in my opinion and it went nowhere), which certainly motivated them to fix anything.

Before that I also had a large quote from a company to leak check.

Good luck.

[Thalermade]

the house was built at the end of 2004.
what do i do?

1. Check the warranty.
2. Google the AC unit model to see if there are any other folks having the same problem.
3. Contact the original company that installed the unit. Can't hurt.
4. Pray to the freon gods.


Russ

[Ed62]

I don't really know what the cost of finding a leak would be. But unless you have a non-standard setup, that price seems to be high to me. Call several places for estimates, just to be sure you're not being taken to the cleaners. You probably have bargaining power because they will want to land the repair job too. Let 'em know you're getting estimates.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

I don't really know what the cost of finding a leak would be. But unless you have a non-standard setup, that price seems to be high to me. Call several places for estimates, just to be sure you're not being taken to the cleaners. You probably have bargaining power because they will want to land the repair job too. Let 'em know you're getting estimates.

Ed

If you lost 6 lbs of freon in a year, you have a pretty good leak.
The guy last year should have been looking for it when he found you were 6 lbs low.
I have 5 ton and 3 ton units in my house in Houston, when one of them is 2 lbs low it can't keep up with the Houston summer.

Finding a leak is one thing, fixing it can be another If the leak is in an accessible place then you can find it and probably fix it. But, if its in the wall or in an otherwise inaccessible place, $700-800 will seem like an absolute bargain. Compressors and evaporators are accessible, but if the leak is internal then they can also be expensive to replace.

[footprintsinconc]

thanks guys for the suggestions. i think i am going to call the builder today and the chas roberts and go from there. in the mean time, i am going to have to pull last years air conditioning refill bill. i am hoping for positivie results, otherwise its going to be time for quotes....

[JimD]

My house is 10 years old and has two systems, a heat pump for the second floor and a gas furnace with AC for the first floor and basement. Until this year, we used the outfit that installed them originally to check them and got bills of $200-300/yr starting after the first few years for adding freon and leak checking. For the last couple years, they were saying that we needed a new A-coil but I checked the old bills and one said in the upstairs and the next year it said the downstairs unit needed it.

I tried a different outfit recommended by another guy in the office. They said both units were fine, did not need freon, and were in good working order. I paid $80 for them checking. If my AC works fine and the bills are reasonable, guess which outfit will check out my systems next year.

It seems like the A-coil quote was around $800. If they were going to do that level of effort then the amount is OK. If it is just leak check and tighten a fitting or do a little soldering, then it is high - at least versus what I've paid.

Jim

[unclecritic]

Find out who originally installed the system and see if there is a warranty. 6lbs in 5 years is alot. Any freon leak is a lot. The systems are sealed, and I shudder when people tell me there systems were low. One time is ok, as the original installation might have been improperly charged. Any time after that, then a leak needs to be found.

Repairing the leak is definitely not a DIY job as there a numerous special tools, and then the problem of getting ahold of a jug of the correct freon and charging it properly. Add to that the leak could be in the condensor or coil and its a whole new bag of worms.

$800 seems steep for a leak detection and repair tho. Shop around a little if the original installer wont help in any way.

[iceman61]

If I'm not mistaken:

1. You have to have a license to purchase freon.

2. In order to get an HVAC license you have to be trained on a freon recovery unit & you have to have one (freon recovery unit) also.

This may just be a TN. State requirement but I think the EPA had this added a few years ago to keep freon from being released to atmosphere while charging & discharging a system. You'll find out inevitably if you try to purchase freon whether this is true in your state or not.