Freon (a brand name of refrigerant) is the blood of your air conditioner. Without enough refrigerant, your AC can’t cool your home properly, leaving you sweaty and uncomfortable. Not only that, but a low level of refrigerant can severely damage your air conditioner, just like a low blood count damages your body. We’ll explain why in more detail. Here are the signs your AC is low on refrigerant...and what you need to do to get things back to normal. Freon (a brand name of refrigerant) is the blood of your air conditioner. If your AC is taking longer than normal to cool the home, you may be low on refrigerant. Because refrigerant is what absorbs the heat in your air. So without enough of it, your AC can’t absorb enough heat to cool the air well. In other words, think of refrigerant like a heat sponge: the smaller the sponge, the less it can absorb. If you’re really low on Freon, you’ll notice that your supply vents are blowing lukewarm/warm air.

Now it makes sense why your home is taking forever to cool off! Due to lack of refrigerant, your AC runs much longer than needed to cool the home, increasing your energy bills as a result. Go to your outside AC unit (the one with the spinning fan). If you see ice building up on the copper refrigerant line, then you may be low on refrigerant. When low on refrigerant, the inside AC unit’s evaporator coil (the part that cold refrigerant flows through) gets too cold, causing cold liquid refrigerant to flow back the refrigerant line. This causes the surrounding moisture on the refrigerant line to freeze up. Eventually the liquid refrigerant will make its way to the outside unit’s compressor (the “heart” of your AC). This flowback of refrigerant will damage the outside unit’s compressor. You see, liquids can’t be compressed, so when the refrigerant flows into the compressor, it’s quickly converted into thousands of pounds of hydraulic pressure, and something (valves, rods, plates) will break.

Compressors are extremely expensive to replace and, if yours doesn't have a valid warranty, you’ll probably end up replacing the entire outside AC unit since it’d be more cost efficient.sizing an hvac unit The only reason you’d be low on refrigerant is due to a refrigerant leak (refrigerant isn’t used up like gas in a car, so escape through a leak is the only conclusion).parts of split type air-conditioning unit And if you have a bad refrigerant leak, the refrigerant makes a hissing or bubbling noise as it escapes.how to install a hvac unit If you suspect you have low refrigerant (and thus a refrigerant leak) call a professional AC technician for a diagnostic check. If they find a leak, they should repair it (if possible) before adding more refrigerant.

Adding refrigerant without fixing the leak will cause the refrigerant to escape again, and you’ll have this problem all over again. And older R-22 refrigerant is super expensive now. If you have any other questions about the refrigerant in your air conditioner, ask one of our experts for help. If you think your system needs refrigerant and you want a refrigerant leak check, schedule an appointment time online with Cool Today. Cool Today provides award-winning air conditioning service to Sarasota, Florida and the surrounding cities and counties.When something technical or mechanical breaks, you’re at the mercy of the expert’s advice to figure out what’s wrong and what you need to do to fix it. Who hasn’t had that feeling with a car mechanic when your car breaks down? But we’re betting you feel the same way if your air conditioner stopped blowing cold air and a contractor told you that it needs a refrigerant charge. You wonder, “Do I REALLY need a refrigerant / Freon charge, or am I being ripped off?”

It’s a good question! There’s nothing wrong with a healthy dose of skepticism when your money is on the line. Here are 2 signs an A/C contractor may be trying to scam you and charge you for refrigerant when you might not really need it. Imagine this scenario: You’re sick, go to the doctor and tell him your symptoms. The doctor looks you up and down and says, “Aha, all you need is surgery!” No tests, just a quick solution. Sounds silly, but that is what some air conditioning contractors will do. They’ll hear the “symptoms” (air conditioner is blowing hot air) and recommends a refrigerant charge without actually checking to see if that’s the case. This may have some nasty consequences for you: What else could the problem be? Well, there are several things that could cause your home’s air conditioner to stop blowing cold air, including: A contractor needs to use special equipment to check the refrigerant levels before recommending that you need a refrigerant charge.

OK, so the contractor has actually checked the refrigerant levels. But you still may be getting ripped off if... Refrigerant isn’t like gas in a car; it’s not “used up”. Refrigerant flows between the inside and outside unit going from a liquid and a gas over and over again in what’s called a “self contained system”. If you’re actually low on refrigerant, then there’s most likely a leak somewhere in your system where the refrigerant is escaping. If there’s no mention of finding a leak, then that means a couple things: If it’s a major leak on a condenser or evaporator coil, repairing your A/C may be expensive. And if the air conditioner is old, then replacing your air conditioner may be the most cost efficient option. Do you think you need more refrigerant, and you live in the Phoenix-area? Contact George Brazil, and we’ll examine your home’s A/C, find the real problem and make sure to fix it right the first time! Does a freon leak mean I must get a new home AC unit?

Can't I just get the leak fixed? A PSE&G technician was at my house to charge the freon in my AC. He told me that I've got a leak & that I'll have to get a whole new unit. This seems a little far-fetched to me, especially because my unit is only 10 years old. Can't the leak just be fixed? The technicians are getting lazy, especially if the companies pay commission , then they would rather try to sell you a new system , than repair !Call and get someone else to perform a proper leak check on your system ,I've got systems that we service that are 40 years old and still operating. Call and get someone else to perform a proper leak check on your system ,I've got systems that we service that are 40 years old and still operating.The technicians are getting lazy, especially if the companies pay commission , then they would rather try to sell you a new system , than repair !good luck Source: Owner of hvac company 9 out of 10 times if you have a good tech with enough technical skills he should be able to find your leak.

if it is a single leak he should be able to fix it. But now a days it is more advantage to sell you a new system than repair it because the fix is time consuming and they would rather have the tech stick to schedule than waste time looking for the leak. time is money and techs are paid by the call then by the hourRaymond gonzalez Did he say where the leak is ? If in a fitting or line, simple and cheap to just repair or change that out. If in the exchanger coils, commonly they have to be replaced unless it is in a reachable spot that can be brazed. If in the compressor (compressor bypass leak) then that is a major component, and probably the most expensive part of the system to replace, so in that case you would be putting down a lot of money to fix a system that is out of warranty and is probably 65-85% of the way to its average service life of 12-15 years.One other possibility which he may have been thinking but did not say, is if it is an R22 refrigerant system, that is costing hundreds of $ to fill now that it is going out of production, and will cost more in the future, so he may have figured you were better off with a system that uses the replacement refrigerants.

For more on that subject and when the phaseout takes full effect, see the discussions in Home - HVAC (link right below your question, above).I would call him back and find out where the leak is (if he tested for that, rather than just checking the pressure and saying there was a leak somewhere), and why he recommended a new unit over repair.Then you can decide what you want to do, and if you wnt to get another opinion. You might want to check his firm's rating on Angie's List too, to see how much weight you want to give to his opinion. If the leak is in the "indoor" Evaporator coil, the cost to replace the coil, if not covered by a ten year parts warranty( you should check warranty), is far greater then 50% of a new system. These coils are not repairable , in most cases, there are numerous pin holes from Formicary Corrossion, and more on the way.The tech should and may have indentified the leak, if not ask that they do so.Most all new systems will have a 10 year parts warranty, though it must be registered with the manufacturer to be valid.

Check out Carriers new Green Speed system, terriffic system, much lower utility bills.As always find the best contractors on Angie's List! One thing I did not mention directly, but is in the referenced discussions on R22 (Freon) under the HVAC category, is that refilling your system will cost from $100+ to several hundreds of $, because of the rapidly rising price of Freon. Therefore, unless the tech is certain he has found and totally fixed the leak (by using an inert gas pressure test after the repair and BEFORE refilling the system with Freon), then you could end up sinking a hundred or two in repairs, and a hundred or few in Freon that would just leak back out if there is an unidentified leak. Therefore, that might weigh on your decision on whether to repair or get a new system.That is why a quality, reputable, HONEST contractor is vital - an honest craftsman will explain your alternatives and truthfully say what he would do in your position, and give you honest pricing for the alternatives, not just give you one choice to take or leave.