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I have a central AC unit and when I turned it on to cool this summer I noticed that it is blowing warm air and not cooling. I called the HVAC technician who came in and told me that there is not enough Freon in the cooling system and added 4 LBS of Freon Pressure to the system. He mentioned thatere may be a minute leak, but since there was no complete Freon drainage, and that several LBS remained before he put in more, he said that this refill should be good for a few years. We ran a test and the condenser did start cooling the air.
The tech charged $85 for service visit and $90 per each LBS of Freon pressure he filled up. THe bill came out to over $500 as a result.
This is a separate unit for a tenant apartment in my house, my tenant complained to me that the central ac is not cooling again, and this is about 1 week later after the repair.
The tech mentioned that the cooling system leak test would cost $400 and there would be no guarantee that the leak would be found. Holes in the walls may need to be drilled to get to the leak.
I have not called the HVAC tech since the problem was ''repaired''
I have a dilemma since I don't know what I should do now, and if I should trust the tech, and I am sure he will try to do a test now and charge me even more money?
Any good, sound technical advice?
Greatly appreciated.
Vlad
I am just concerned with the rising cost, does a test for leaks cost $400? If there was a leak wouldn't all the freon escape before? Thanks for the response.I am just concerned with the rising cost, does a test for leaks cost $400? If there was a leak wouldn't all the freon escape before?
Thanks for the response.
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The man said it sould last a few years. It lasted a week? Thats not a small leak! He should come back for free for the amount of money he charged you the first time. If he doesn't I would never call him again.
If you have access to your piping system you may use a soap bubbles to test the pipe connection. the leak gas will blow the bubbles if there is leaking. But if your system is out off freon gas, you can not use this method. just try it check the connection first put the bubbles around it.
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If your system starts to blow cool air when your Nest thermostat is in Heat mode (or if it blows warm air when its in Cool mode), change the settings for orientation of your heat pump. The instructions depend on which thermostat you have
Hello, sounds like it is either a low charge or lack of airflow, what type of filter are you using? sometimes those filters that claim to be super effecient will actually cut down on your airflow and cause the ac to freeze up.
to me it sounds like filter are dirty, need to be cleaned or replaced,
home systems, packaged or otherwise are hermetically sealed and should
not need freon recharge. Always start with airflow and/or unit being set
too low. An AC unit of any type will build ice if a) the filter is
plugged up and can't move enough air, b) it has been run without the
filter, clogging the coil, again, not moving enough air, c) setting an
AC unit below 68 degrees F will almost ALWAYS cause icing, and d)
running a standard AC when it's warm inside and cold outside (unless
equipped for "low-ambient operation"). When in doubt, a bit of
maintenance(thorough cleaning) by someone with AC skills can cure a b,
common sense will cure c d.
Sounds to me like you have wiring issues. Need to make sure all your connections are tight, wires are clean and free of bare spots (possibly from rodents chewing them)and your settings on your tstat are correct. Heat pump with back up electric heat.
It probably has a low refrigerant charge. The air coming out of the outside unit should be warmer than the outdoor temperature when in the cooling mode and if it's a heat pump it should be colder than the outdoor temperature in the the heating mode. Check the big line going to the unit, it should be somewhere around the 40 F range and the small line should be hot.
ductless mini split units are a very good choice!
they are obviously quieter, more efficient and easier to maintain than window units. the downside is the initial expense of buying the unit, but this is paid back in eletric savings and peace of mind. Good luck Peyton
every single component in your cooling unit is needed for it to work, so anything can shut it down. If you could provide more information as to what type of unit you have: is it a central heat and air package unit? or central split system (furnace indoors and condenser outside)? or a wall a/c? Does any part of the system/unit do anything?
I am just concerned with the rising cost, does a test for leaks cost $400? If there was a leak wouldn't all the freon escape before?
Thanks for the response.
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