Table of Contents
- This article will instruct you on the top reasons and places in the HVAC system for refrigerant leaks. Some people say Freon® leaks.
- What happens when an air conditioner or heat pump has a low refrigerant charge as a result of a refrigerant leak. How a refrigerant leak affects your AC system.
- What you will see or experience with your heating and air conditioning HVAC system if you have a refrigerant leak.
- Why HVAC Contractors do not provide warranties for refrigerant leaks for heating and air systems.
- Making the decision to repair the leak or replace the system.
- Basic air conditioning repair and heat pump repair. How repairing a leak will take your system from low efficiency to high efficiency. This can also apply to a mini-split or ductless system.
- Differences between new refrigerants and old refrigerants.
- Plenty of in-depth related links that will allow you to understand the subject better.
HVAC Refrigerant Leaks | Air Conditioner Leaking Freon® - R410A - R22
New Clean Evaporator Coil for a Heat Pump
Top Reasons for AC Freon® Refrigerant Leaks – Air Conditioner Refrigerant Gas Leaks – Air Conditioning Refrigerant Leaks –
HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
There comes a day when the air conditioner stops cooling and you call your local HVAC contractor or air conditioning contractor for air conditioner service and repair. Your air conditioner is blowing hot air. Do you have an Air Conditioner Refrigerant Leak? The HVAC service technician arrives and checks the filter and some other things. You see him go to his truck and get some tools and a set of gauges while you hope for the best. Ten minutes later he comes back to report to you that your air conditioning unit is low on refrigerant.
Now comes the time when you need to understand why the air conditioner needs refrigerant and what to do next? Will this involve repairing a leak or getting a new heating and cooling system? You need air conditioner repair to fix the leak. The HVAC contractor specializes in repairing freon leaks so your AC won’t blow warm air.
Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps | HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
First of all the air conditioner or heat pump (if you have a heat pump) does not consume Freon or refrigerant. The system is a sealed system and the air conditioner does not burn or use up refrigerant to make your house cool. Cool and heat your home if you have a heat pump. Therefore, it should never have to be filled up unless a leak occurs in the system. Heating and air conditioning systems are supposed to be sealed but leaks do happen.
How, Why, and Where? HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
From time to time a leak occurs in the air conditioning system and the unit needs to be charged. A correct and precise charge is important so that it can continue doing its job of cooling the home. As the refrigerant leaks out, the system still cools. It cools too much. The indoor evaporator coil begins to freeze up because the temperature of the evaporator coil drops below the dew point.
That is humidity or moisture in your home or business, which passes through the air conditioning (or heat pump) indoor coil (evaporator) for conditioning. The refrigerant in your air conditioner is supposed to be locked in a hermetic system and sealed tight.
Signs of a Leak in an Air Conditioner or Heat Pump | HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
A leak causes ice to form on the coil and other parts of the air conditioner. Ice buildup on your AC stops it from cooling. The air conditioning system experiences a reduced amount of airflow because of the coil ice buildup. You may notice ice on the copper refrigeration lines, which run to the outside condenser.
If you see this, it is important to shut the system off immediately and call your HVAC service company. If the system is left running, the indoor evaporator coil will turn into a block of ice, and no airflow will come out of the vents. Reduced airflow is a symptom of a refrigerant leak.
Related Link: On a refrigerant temperature-pressure relationship chart or PT chart the less refrigerant in the system the colder the system. When the temperature of the coil drops below freezing, the moisture in the air freezes to the coil. (link opens in a new window)
Your vehicle typically uses R-134A, which is different than what is in-home air conditioners and heat pumps. Technically, it is inaccurate to refer to refrigerant as Freon®. Freon® is a name used to describe R-22 made by Chemours (Dupont spin-off). R-22 is currently being phased out with the final phase-out date set for 2020.
Air Conditioner Leaking Freon® - Causes of Refrigerant Leaks - HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
The most likely leaks for a central air conditioner system can be anywhere and caused by various things. Air conditioning units, as well as heat pumps, are mechanical systems with moving parts. Here are the reasons why your air conditioner has a Freon or refrigerant leak:
The bubbles indicate a leak
- Leaking Shrader Valve
- Heat Pump Accumulator Leak
- Capillary Tube Leak
- Flare Connections
- Evaporator or Condenser Coils
- Filter Dryers
- Line Set
1
Leaking Shrader Valve | HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
A Shrader valve is leaking Freon and needs to be replaced. There is a tool that can be used to change this Shrader valve without having to recover the entire amount of refrigerant from the system.
These Shrader valves look like the little valves in your car tire. They hold the refrigerant in the system and allow the technician to access the system to test the pressures or to charge the system if necessary. These Shrader valves are necessary, and sometimes the rubber seals deteriorate, or the Shrader valve gets stuck and allows Freon or refrigerant to leak out of the air conditioner system.
Shrader valves are located in or near the condenser unit but can also be in the indoor unit, the air handler. Consider yourself lucky because this problem repaired easily.
2
Heat Pump Accumulator Leak | HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
If you have a heat pump heat pumps have accumulators. Accumulators are necessary for the heat pump system to provide heat in the winter and protect the compressor from liquid slugging. Accumulators are steel, and after a few years, they begin to rust.
These rust holes allow Freon or refrigerant to leak out of the heat pump system. The heat pump accumulator replacement is possible, but the recovery of the refrigerant is necessary, and a new accumulator installed.
The new accumulators sold on the market today are also made of steel and will eventually leak after rusting occurs in the future. It is hard to say what the average life expectancy of an accumulator is and depends on the quality of steel used to make the accumulator, so the time varies on when the accumulator will leak.
To prevent this from occurring in the future with a new accumulator or new heat pump it is not a bad idea to spray the accumulator with some rust preventing paint upon discovery of a rusty accumulator on an air conditioning preventive maintenance check.
Performing a Leak Refrigerant Leak Test
3
Capillary Tube Leak
A capillary tube is leaking on the inside evaporator coil or if you have a heat pump on the outside heat pump condensing unit. These capillary tubes are tiny copper tubes, and over time and through the vibration of the system, they rub together or rub against another piece of metal.
A hole appears on the capillary tube, and Freon or refrigerant leaks from the air conditioning or heat pump system. These leaks can be difficult to find because disassembly of the system is necessary to find the leaking capillary tube.
Upon discovery of a leak, a cut is made in the capillary tube, the hole for the capillary tube reamed, and another larger piece of copper tubing soldered over the capillary tube.
This does not apply to capillary tubes which connect metering devices to thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) bulbs. These damaged TXVs need to be replaced and do not contribute to leaking Freon from the system.
4
Flare Connections
If the air conditioning or heat pump system has any flare connections, leaks generally occur at these connections. Sometimes these flare connections can easily be repaired while other times the flare fitting and connection have to be replaced and remade completely to prevent future leaks in your AC unit.
5
Evaporator or Condenser Coils | HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
The indoor or outdoor air conditioning or heat pump coil is leaking and needs repair or replacement. Most of the time, the leaks in the coils (whether they be outside or inside coils for an air conditioning or heat pump system) occur at the u-tubes. These are bends in copper at the end of the coil.
There is a tube sheet made of sheet metal that holds the coils together, and over time, and through vibration, the u-tube part of the coil rubs against the tube sheet, and a refrigerant leak occurs. Sometimes this can be easily repaired, but other times, replacing the coil is necessary. Depending on the age of the unit, indoor and outdoor coils are available for replacement.
The problem with leaks near the tube sheet is when the technician uses heat to repair the leak in the coil, the heat loosens other parts of the coils, and another leak could occur. It will take a very good technician who knows how to braze very well in order to repair this type of refrigerant leak.
6
Filter Dryers
Filter dryers are installed in all refrigeration systems. They are necessary for absorbing minute amounts of moisture in the system and for filtering trash before it gets to key components, which could be damaged or plugged if the trash was allowed to get to the components. These filter dryers have screens and desiccant inside them and the steel outer shell.
The same problem that occurs with a heat pump accumulator will eventually occur with a filter dryer, and a refrigerant leak occurs. Replacing the filter dryers is easy but only after recovering the entire amount of refrigerant or pumping the entire amount of refrigerant contained in the air conditioner or heat pump system into the condenser using the pump down method.
7
Line Set
The line set which carries refrigerant back and forth from the condenser to the evaporator coil has been pierced or damaged. Damage can occur from a lawnmower or someone tripping over the line set. Additionally, line sets generally run in voids inside walls and ceilings just below the roof.
I once had a line set that was pierced by a nail on a roof repair. The refrigerant took a year to leak out before the air conditioner was no longer functional and the customer required an HVAC professional to troubleshoot and repair the air conditioner system.
Refrigerant Leaks Final Advice - Air Conditioner Leaking Refrigerant
R-22 Refrigerant and Recovery Tank
That covers the major types of HVAC refrigerant leaks which occur with air conditioner and heat pump systems.
Depending on the age of the air conditioner or heat pump system and the type of refrigerant leak which occurs may determine whether or not you decide to replace the air conditioner or heat pump system.
Many air conditioning and heating service and repair companies will not provide a warranty for refrigerant leak repairs.
Because it is possible to repair one refrigerant leak and have another refrigerant leak occur in a different location.
It is a decision you must make by weighing the cost of the repairs versus the age of the equipment versus the cost of installing a new coil or air conditioning or heat pump system.
If the unit is old and has caused many problems, the decision may be easy, but it is a big decision, so take time and weigh it carefully.
Related Links | HVAC Refrigerant Leaks
Heat Pump Low on Refrigerant - Heat pumps are not immune to refrigerant leaks. Find out how to tell if your heat pump needs refrigerant.
(links open in a new window)
Refrigerant Leak Advisory | Health and Refrigerant Smell
Additionally, caution advised when around refrigerant chemicals, including the oil in the refrigerant, that lubricates the system. Newer refrigerant oils such as the POE’s or Polyol Ester Oil used in HFC refrigerants will absorb moisture, including the moisture in your skin, causing a burn. Furthermore, if your system is leaking refrigerant, it is almost assured that there is oil near the leak area.
The smell of refrigerant is nearly odorless. There is a slight chemical smell to most refrigerants. If you are a technician, be aware when brazing. When refrigerant burns, it turns green. That is phosgene gas, and it is very severe for your health. Avoid breathing it. The refrigerant in HVAC and automotive systems are asphyxiants. Too much will in a small area will take your oxygen away.
Most homeowners do not have to worry about this problem. If you are a technician and working on larger systems in a small mechanical room, a large volume of refrigerant can overcome you.
Maintenance
Make sure whether you have an older central air conditioning system or even a new air conditioning system, an air conditioning service provider for air conditioning maintenance. Heating and cooling systems, as noted above, are mechanical systems with lots of moving parts. It’s a good idea to have an expert check out your air conditioning equipment to make sure it is running optimally.
They can give your system a tune-up and find any problems that can result in a potential catastrophe in the future. Leak repair will increase your SEER rating, which will decrease your utility bills. Air conditioner repair of a leaky system will also give you better home comfort.
Conclusion | Refrigerant Leaks | Leaking Freon
Additionally, preventive maintenance can spot potential problems. Preventive maintenance can prevent expensive air conditioning repair bills. AC units have lots of moving parts and electrical and mechanical processes and need regular maintenance. AC maintenance can prevent AC freon leaks. It can also reduce your electric bills and keep your central AC running reliably.
HVAC Refrigerant Leaks – Leaking Freon
Technical Resource: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology
Could coldness coming up throughout the floors of the house and cold breezes floating all around an coldness of my furniture an my toilet a sign of refrigeration from my gas pac unit?
No.
Since there is continues vibration for motors and fans, would the leaks caused at joints and shrader valves be considered “fair wear and tear”?
This is only true if the tubing rubs against something which should be a quality check first at the factory and then after installation. Even tube sheet (the sheet metal at the end of the coils near the u-bends that hold the coils together) need to be tight with the coils to prevent leaks. I have found leaks at the u-bends before because they were not tight and the copper vibrated against the tube sheet and eventually wore a hole in it causing a leak. Two tubes rubbing against each other will eventually fail and leak. All this in addition to formicary corrosion for copper needs to be taken into account.
And speaking of vibrations, if a fan, pump, or anything else causes visible vibration to the touch or the sight then something is not right and it needs to be balanced better. Rubber grommets on blower mounts need to be replaced and it needs to be realigned. So to answer your question, I would say vibration does contribute to leaks especially when the tubing rubs up against something. As far as being fair, well that is another subject that should require individual case by case analysis.
One of our A/C systems started blowing hot air, so I call the tech that had put in 5 lbs of Freon a couple of months before. He said the capacitor was bad and replaced it with 2, one of which he said was just for the motor. He also said the system had dumped the Freon when the capacitor failed so he had to add another 4 lbs. If this is truly a closed system, how can it dump Freon? Is the tech conning me on this?
You have 2 run capacitors in your condenser and possibly a start capacitor. One run capacitor for the condenser fan motor and one for the compressor. If the capacitor went out for the fan then the pressures in the condenser would go to very high levels. If the condenser had a leak somewhere then it would cause the refrigerant to leak at a faster rate. I can’t say that was the problem just giving you my professional perspective and telling you how it works. 5 lbs is quite a bit of refrigerant and would likely cover most residential heat pump or air conditioner condensers for a full fill. This would depend on a few factors such as tonnage of the system and length of line set. However, 5 lbs is a lot for a residential system and I would recommend a leak check for a few reasons. To prevent repeating myself you can also see this article for additional information on what happens with your HVAC equipment when you have a refrigerant leak and why you need to get it repaired. https://highperformancehvac.com/rheem-heat-pump-troubleshooting/
It is a closed system and the unit doesn’t burn it. Read the above mentioned article for how to handle this problem. Thanks!!
Are there repercussions when a hghly reputable HVAC technician comes and pumps 4lbs of R-22 into a condensor because it is low to empty w/o doing a leak check. My concern is the lineset runs through the house and it’s not evident by (3) other Technicians that have come since where the leak actually is. Since the copper lineset runs under the duct work in an interior soffit I’m worried that if the leak is in the lineset the 4lbs of coolant that a few days later was gone leaked into the house.
Nothing in law about residential leaks as of yet and with commercial systems the leak has to be 50Lbs. or more a year. As far as health concerns I think 4 lbs is very minute. If it was dangerous there would be a lot of HVAC techs six feet under including myself. I am a licensed “Universal Refrigeration” technician and am not aware of any new laws about small leaks. I know, to you it is a big leak. The solution is to do a leak check. And the leak may not necessarily be in the lineset. Tell them you want a leak check done and that you want them to use high pressure nitrogen. Every HVAC contractor has nitrogen for this purpose and others. They can use a leak detector, soap bubbles, or other methods available for this leak check. See this page for more info about leak repairs.
It will likely be an expensive repair if they can fix it without replacing a major component. If that’s the case and the unit is very old you will likely be better off replacing the whole unit including the lineset. Newer systems are far more energy efficient plus, if they install it properly, you will not have to worry about any leaks. See our HVAC Consumer Buyers Guide if you decide to replace. Additionally, don’t forget to to like our High Performance HVAC Facebook page and other social media. Thanks and good luck.
Hi, I got both Inside and Outside unit replaced with GoodMan. Once the job was completed and AC was on I saw there was a little Air coming out right where the copper lines were connected to the furnace box I assume the evaporator. The technician mentioned this is very common. Is this true? I am wondering if there is a leak in the line or this is the air from the Handler?
yes, its just air but it should be sealed off with a rubber grommet or mastic duct tape.
Noticed ice around the outside upstairs unit and called HVAC tech and he said there is a leak in the air handler of the coil in the attic.
His comment is the coil would cost as much as a new unit. Unit is a Janatrol and is 13 years old.
Never had a problem with the unit however it is older should replacement be our decision?
It’ll will cost you because of the refrigeration work and the cost of R22 but not as much as a new unit. Get a second opinion. Even a third opinion if necessary.
Good article, well written. I was recently reading about the HFC proposed accord and remembered the one that banned Freon (CFC). Results higher costs and shifting the problem. I live in a 3rd world country and the A/C industry here purposely (by their own admission) installs faulty connections to ensure that the unit will need servicing in 4-6 months for “low pressure”. When then “clean the unit, they dump the remaining coolant to the atmosphere and then charge for a complete fill. I have been where this is the norm, and I believe that if recovery were mandated we would have to replace HFC’s or probably even the CFC’s. It is the abuse not the use that has caused most of the problem…. comment?
Sorry obviously meant the “we would NOT have to replace HFC’s
I have a Trane heatpump that is only 4 years old. Same for the air handler in our attic. We have the same for the downstairs. We were out of town labor day weekend and when we got home our upstairs unit was not working. The breaker was tripped. I reset it and it kicked out after pulsing for a few seconds. I had the original installer out and he said the compressor is bad and he replaced it and then he had oil coming out when he had his gauges hooked up to it. He said it must have been hit by lightning and caused a burnout? I noticed on the bottom copper line going to the compressor he installed there was black looked to be puddle of oil under where he had soldered in the new compressor. Was there a leak when he restarted and caused this? Or was it what came out of the old unit when it was pulled? He stated that Trane would not cover this and my air handler was probably ruined as well. I have a 10 year warranty but am only into 4 years of the unit. How would you proceed? Insurance? Get another Tech out?
get a second or even a third opinion from an HVAC service in your area. Most will give you a free estimate on major repairs. A compressor replacement is a major repair. And take pictures of the oil and what you see in the condenser. Before doing so turn the power off. A picture is worth a thousand words.
This was very helpful. I live in an apartment complex and the heat pump had to be replaced because the compressor”burned up”. The entire unit was replaced after they tried to replace the compressor twice. About every 6 weeks the AC begins not to cool well and the complex maintenance person comes in and says “these newer units are difficult to trouble shoot”. My electric bill has tripled and they are constantly coming in when I’m not her to “check the inside temperature gauge”.
I was here and up until to midnight the night they replaced the unit. I’m convinced there is a leak and they don’t know what to do and I’m concerned that there is a health risk depending on where the leak is; in the apartment air handler or the outside compressor. I do now that the night the unit was put in there was a leak at a solder joint in the connection of the new handler and the copper connecting tubing where they joined them. Is there any way I can find a leak if they continue to refuse to solve the problem.
I’m being told that they have installed 9 of these units this summer and mine is the only one with problems. Of course mine was the first one installed so maybe they figured out how to install them properly
The only real way is to get a leak detector and that is not always a bullet proof way of finding a leak because so many leaks are so small. Here is a good leak detector if you want to go that route. http://amzn.to/2bAw9LH
I’d make copies of the previous electric bills and the current electric bills and make the case to the maintenance/management people.
As far as a health risk from a refrigerant leak I would be dead if refrigerant was that bad for your health. A small leak will not cause you any harm. By the time it gets to you, if there is a leak, it has been diluted so much that is likely to be in the parts per billion category. On a few occasions, I’ve been in equipment rooms where something went wrong and the system experience a catastrophic loss of refrigerant in the equipment room. Before I could get out the door I was feeling lightheaded because refrigerant in large quantities will asphyxiate you. That’s not even mentioning the times I have inadvertently sucked in some phosgene gas when soldering refrigerant lines in a retrofit. A fully recovered system will have residual oil in it. The residual oil holds small amounts of refrigerant. When the fire hits the oil it will burn up the refrigerant. The flame will turn green. That means it is phosgene gas. It will take your breathe away. The point I’m making is that a refrigerant leak in a residential system will not harm you. It’s not such a quantity of gas to cause you problems.
How do you know if the leak is in the inside or outside. We just change the insidevunit, it was frozen. After 2 weeks we are low on refrigerant , same guy says there is a leak on the outside recomends to change the unit because it is expensive to find a leak and aluminum cannot be fixed.how do i know the leak was not on the outside since the beginning?
As the article says, to find a leak a leak check must be done. Changing parts will eventually fix the problem but its far more expensive to change parts than do a leak check. If you keep changing parts eventually you will have a new system. And the aluminum problem………..see copper versus aluminum article…………there is a fix for aluminum.
I recently had a whole new HVAC placed in my home in the summer of July 2014. In March of 2015, I came home & learned that the heat was not working. The company did come out to service it (same company that did the install) stating a problem with the wiring. A few days ago the system has stopped cooling the house. Today (8/9/16)they are here stating that the unit need Freon. I feel that there is either a problem with the unit itself (which is a Trane) or the workmen ship has been extremely poor. What would your recommendations be? The unit has a 25 yr warranty on it & parts has a 10 yr warranty. I would like to have another company come & check the entire system. I also plan on filing a complaint with the BBB.
Yes, I always recommend getting a second opinion or even a third opinion for any major work done. Trane has a well developed network of contractors. If you look on the Trane site you will likely find a directory of contractors in your area that will provide service and installation for Trane systems. Of course, it doesn’t have to be someone Trane has listed on their site but it could possibly (no guarantees) lead to a factory rep coming to look at the system. I depends on the problem(s) and the complexity of the problem. You can also use our advice for finding a good HVAC contractor.
Could a lightening strike damage heat pump? I was hit on Thursday night, come Friday afternoon everything was frozen, tech added Freon. said to call when it does it again and he will run that nitrogen test. My question is should I turn this in to insurance?
I don’t think a lightning strike would cause a refrigerant leak. Maybe an electrical problem, which I have seen before, but unlikely to cause the problem you describe here.
My widowed sister has been dealing with what she has been told by techs is a refrigerant leak in her central air system. This has been going on for 3 years now. The original installer put the unit in 7 years ago and is out of business but she has had 3 techs from different local hvac companies come and none of them have been able to find the leak. One guy spent 2 hours in search of a leak recently (but did not charge her labor since he came up empty). So she’s been just getting it recharged once or twice a season (St. Louis). Any suggestions?
Some leaks are very difficult to find. In those cases, I give my customers a decision to make but again this is a service I provide to my customers and not everyone will provide this service. Either keep filling it up (if it is an R-22 system that can get expensive unless they are using a cheaper alternative drop in refrigerant) or I do a high-pressure nitrogen leak test which is very involved.
I evacuate the system leaving only a trace amount of refrigerant in the system. I then pump the system pressure up very high with nitrogen (an inert gas commonly used for this purpose). I then use a refrigerant leak detector and meticulously go over the whole system. Depending on the complexity of the system will depend on how much time it takes and that is important because I charge by the hour. 99.9% of the leaks I find using this process with some leaks being repairable and sometimes not – in the case cases where the leaks are not repairable it involves replacing an evaporator coil or some other major component.
Either way, I find and fix the leak and my customers are happy. Of course, it can be an expensive job and that should be factored into the annual cost of refilling or replacing the entire unit. It is a decision I let the customers weigh but I always give them options. I simply guide them by laying out their choices and allow them to make up their own mind. BTW, on more than one occasion I have found more than one leak using that method. This is likely more successful over what the standard leak check is because I pump the whole system up to a high pressure including the low-pressure side of the equipment. If there is a tiny leak in the low-pressure side and the technician doesn’t pump the pressure up using nitrogen then the leak will likely not be found. The next question: is it worth it for the age and condition of the equipment?
In some cases yes and in some cases no. If it is an older R-22 system then I recommend replacing over spending the time and money for a leak check. If it is a newer system just out of warranty then repair it. Some of the specialized leak checks have taken a few hours while others have taken several hours. Again it depends on the complexity of the system and if everything is easily accessible.
Thanks Richard. I’ll check with her on the refrigerant type. Its a 7 year old Comfortmaker. Would you ever consider a leak stopper like Easy Seal or Super Seal?
never used it. Heard some negative things about it that I won’t repeat here because it is only hearsay. I would rather make sure the problem is fixed the old fashioned way than introduce something foreign into the system that may or may not work.
Our a/c started blowing warm air. We turned off the thermostat so as not to waste energy. The a/c tech says there’s a leak in the line set. To fix it, he recommends to move the a/c back to its original location. We are original owners of the home since 1990. When swimming pool was built a month after we moved into our then brand new home, we had a pool/spa installed which necessitated a move of the ac due to code stating electrical appliances must be set back X number of feet from the area where there’s water. There is a concrete deck protecting the copper line set, the gas line for the pool and electrical for the pool. He did not open the a/c unit to check for leaks. I was watching him, although now I wish I videotaped him. I read your article, thank you; it was quite informative. How can one detect a freon leak in the line set underground? Is there a way to tell freon leak underground from the line set?
Hello Josefina, I also got your email on the same subject and in most cases for residential HVAC equipment the unit does not have to be opened to find out the refrigerant has leaked out. However, it is impossible to know exactly where the leak is unless a full leak check is done. A cursory look can determine a small leak somewhere but just hooking up gauges to a system and then declaring the line is leaking underground is impossible.
As stated in the article, the leak could be anywhere and if the technician was doing his job 100% then he would have likely looked in some of the available places first before declaring the line set underground has a leak. I would check the simple things first like the shraeder valves (where a technician accesses the line with their gauges) and then work my way through the other areas in the system where a leak would likely occur. The equipment panels would definitely need to be opened up then.
A cursory look could take all of an hour or two with the proper tools. I have really never heard anything good about home warranties so I would never buy one myself. To find a good contractor to help you with your problem see this article I wrote to help people find a good HVAC contractor (click here). By the way, I am not in California but visit there from time to time. Beautiful state!!
I truly appreciate your response. You confirmed what I knew all along that it took more than 10 minutes to diagnose a leak. Good news though, I heard back from the home warranty company late yesterday afternoon. They are sending a second opinion technician from another company. Hopefully the second one will really look for the leak. I am a tad hopeful.
Let us know how it goes with the leak and the warranty company. It will be refreshing to hear about a home warranty success for a change.
What is the life expectancy of the refigerant line connecting the air handler to the condensing unit
In theory more than the life of the equipment but if it was not properly installed ie installed in an area subject to damage or some place highly corrosive then it will likely fail early. I’ve written an article about proper refrigeration piping installation here.
Hello!
My heat pump outside ran out of Freon, seems like a large leak. The HVAC tech that came out used a probe to test for Freon and found that all around the bottom of the compressor (Black cylinder in the middle), was detecting leaked Freon (He put some in to pressurize the system). He quoted a new replacement system. When asked, he said a replacement compressor would be $2.500. It’s a Rheem 13PJA, 5ton we had replace in May ’09. It’s an r22 system (The blower inside is working, but around ’97). I love to replace it all with the new Puron system, but will have to wait to do that financially. If I could reasonably expect a replacement compressor to last a few years, that would be more than enough time to save for replacement of inside and outside systems.
Thanks for the advice!
Sorry I am late responding to you………..get a second opinion especially when the technician recommends replacing the system. As #2 in the article states heat pumps can get large leaks in the accumulators and this can be easily repaired by replacing the accumulator. If the compressor is actually shot then yes replace the system but before you make that decision get a second opinion on the compressor.
My dryer on my outside air conditioner is rusty but works fine. Tech says replac for $450 do I need to do it
only if it leaks………..or if any part of the refrigeration system was opened up.
A question – Will the heat function work if the Freon has leaked out? For instance, if you don’t know there is a leak, and you haven’t used the a/c for a few days, and then you need to turn on the heat, will that part of the system work?
Almost all air source heat pumps (when you have a condensing unit outside) aside from a geothermal heat pump have some kind of backup heat such as the most popular, electric heat inside the air handler or as in the case of dual fuel heat pumps gas heat where the air handler is actually a gas furnace that provides the backup heat when the temperature outside gets too cold for the heat pump system to produce heat from the outside air.
If you have a refrigerant leak then the obviously the heat pump will not work or work at a reduced efficiency rating depending on how much has leaked out. In that case when the house gets colder than the set point (~3 degrees F. below the set point depending on the thermostat) then the auxiliary or backup heat will kick in and provide heat so you should always have heat with a heat pump unless you have some sort of catastrophic failure with the system that prevents it from providing heat at all.
The problem is that most backup heat sources whether it be gas or electric heat strips cost far more to run than using the process of refrigeration to provide heat. In other words, the system should only use the backup heat when necessary as it is set up to run. Get the leak fixed and return it to normal operation otherwise, it is going to be an expensive heating season for you using only the backup heat source.
Finally, most thermostats for heat pumps (not all) have a switch on the thermostat for auxiliary heat or emergency heat. That switch, when in the on position, utilizes the heat pumps back up heat so make sure if you want the heat pump to run normally that that switch is in the off position. If there is a problem with the condenser such as the one you are describing then by all means, turn that switch (if your thermostat has that switch) to on position so you can have heat. If your thermostat does not have that switch then simply turn the set point up by 3 degrees F. above your comfort setting of the thermostat set point.
Additionally, I do not know how you would know the heat pump has a leak unless it has a history of leaking in which case you really need to get the leak repaired. As the article mentioned, a lot of heat pumps get leaks in the accumulators so that would be a great place to check first. The technician should know where it is and what it is. The only other way you could know it had a refrigerant is if you had the skill to check the charge yourself which beyond most people’s ability unless you have been trained in it. A quick service call by a trained and skilled technician should identify any problems with the heat pump. Good Luck!!
Why would you not just change both lines! Not much more expense or time, guess you can charge the customer again to the other one later
Why change when, clearly, there is nothing wrong with it. BTW, that is a YouTube video and not affiliated with this site at all except it was relevant to the content but I agree with the video. Besides the cost of copper is outrageous and the HVAC tech likely asked the homeowner what they wanted………….and the homeowner likely agreed that if there is nothing wrong with the other line then don’t replace it. So it is not always an HVAC technician trying to screw someone out of a few bucks as happens a lot in HVAC and most mechanical repair occupations.
Very descriptive Well Done!!!