Air Conditioning - Air Conditioning Doesn't Work (Freon Leak?)

About 6 months ago our air conditioning unit (a Train which is just a few months over 5 years old) stopped working. We had it serviced and they told us it was a bad blower moter. So we dropped a little over 300 on that.

Then, about 3 weeks ago, it stopped working again. We had the same servicing company come out and he mentioned that it sas froze up, and he couldn't tell us anything at that stage. He did mention that we needed to let it thaw and he would be back the next day. He said they would do a "leak check" which would run us about $350, and then if it was a simple leak, it would cost about $300 more to fix, or if it was a "not simple leak" it would cost us about $600 more. I did not like what i heard, so I had a second company come out. He somewhat confirmed the same pricing, but did mention that he could just top off the freon and we could see how long it took us. We took that route.

Now the AC is not working again. The last time when it froze up, we did not get much air blowing through the vents, this time we get lots of air flow, but it is not cold air. Is there some "do it yourself" way I can take care of this without having them back out to drop another $1000+ on this 5 year old unit?

Would love recommendations!

Thanks
Bob

Is there some "do it yourself" way I can take care of this without having them back out to drop another $1000+ on this 5 year old unit?

robertlair

Unless you are an HVAC certified tech, the answer is no. Your tech should have made an effort to locate the leak. There are methods to determine where the leak is located as well as special tools. Your tech was either lazy, ignorant, or flat out did not care. He should have at least shot some dye into your system when it was topped off with refrigerant. You received what is known in the trade as a "gas and go". The prices quoted for a leak check and repair are outrageous without knowing where the leak is located. I suspect a real HVAC pro can locate leak within an hour-now as to the time to repair and whether it is worth it, that is the real question. Usually leaks occur at the condensor or the evap coil. I am assuming compressor, condensor fan, and inside unit blower are operating. If correct and big copper line to outside condensor is not cold and wet, this would pretty much confirm a freon leak.

Sorry for your trouble. I would not want that service company back to my home.

Good LucK!

The two service companies I have had look at this situation are both big companies that service the many new homes in my area. My assumption was that these companies often prey on the new home owners since I would guess that the majority of homeowners (like myself) call the people who the builder had put the unit in the home to begin with.

Who would you recommend I contact about this? Should I look in the phone book for some of the smaller AC unit service companies? Or should I stick with the larger companies?

If I were you right now I would spend some time on the phone interviewing HVAC repair companies. You will not get satisfactory info from the dizzy blonde that answers the phone and schedules appointments, ask for a technician even if you have to get them to call you or set a time to call back to them. Have your unit info handy brand model number etc. and explain that you know that you have a leak and that it looses the charge in approx TWO WEEKS (which indicates a large and typically easy to find leak) most companies have one or two technicians that are leak finding specialists, they take great pride in finding leaks, that is the tech you want to come out on YOUR job. The more information you give them the better prepared they will be to quickly identify your problem and come up with a good solution. If you do not get the answers you need over the phone, keep courtesly interviewing untill you find someone that will do the job for you, do your due diligence. Do not let the dizzy blonde just schedule a service call you will most likely be disappointed. Note: you may have to wait a few extra days untill their leak specialist is avaliable. Good Luck

Excellent, many thanks to both of you for the information. I will start calling tomorrow morning and see what I can come up with.

Just out of curiousity, I know that it highly depends on where the leak is, but can you give me a rough ballpark that I can expect to pay for (1) detecting the leak and (2) fixing depending on where the leak is.

Now that I am home, I took a look at the copper line that is coming from the inside unit (I am ASSUMING this is the right one, since it is the only copper line coming from the unit inside). It is about 1/4-3/8 flexible copper. Anyway... if that is indeed the right thing, it is cold, but it is not wet. My wife told me that the last time they came out, that line was dripping wet.

Does this mean that the problem may not be a freon leak this time? Is it normal for a 5 year old trane system to have this many issues?

Thanks again for all the help.

Unfortunately a refrigerant leak usually requires a pumpdown of the refrigerant charge and possibly coil replacement, be sure your tech checks the factory warranty on the parts, some manufacturers have extended warranties on problem coils and the part may be free, but you will have to pay for the labor charge and it will run hundreds of bucks, even if the coil is easily accessible. Some coil repalcements can cost nearly as much as a complete new unit if the part is not under warranty. Hopefully yours will be something as simple as a bad line set weld or service valve. I do not charge any extra if I run my electronic leak detector over a unit, if I am still within my 1 hour service charge hour, but most will hit you for a fee. Good Luck

Sounds like I need to be doing some praying about my unit. :) I am assuming you are not in the Dayton, OH area, are ya?

Out of curiousity, what does it cost to replace an entire unit?

All HVAC work cost big bucks since the techs like name brand beer and cigs not the cheap stuff LOL I am confident you will find someone that will help you in your area, just be a involved Homeowner and don't be afraid to ask questions, lots of questions until you completely understand what you are buying. No one will take care of your money like you will.

So, it turns out I was definitely wronged, but much worse than I thought. I found out that the company that installed my unit, Airtron (not sure if they are nation wide or not), apparently substituted a generic coil in place of the Trane coil that I thought I was getting when I moved into the house. Apparently this is a very common thing they do as this tech said that he has seen this happen to many of his customers. Anyway, unlike the Trane coil that is under warranty for 5 years, this generic one of course is not, and of course the major leak was in the coil.

The GOOD news, however, is that I took your advice and did my homework and called around and found someone I was comfortable with. They only charged us 48 bucks to locate the leak and they topped it off with freon to hopefully cover us until the coil comes in next week. They quoted me $710 for the Trane coil and the labor to install it, and he told me he would top it off with freon for no additional cost since he just topped it off today.

Thanks a bunch for the advice and good information guys, I am not too happy with what Airtron has done, but I am glad I found someone I feel I can trust.

Thanks for posting back the resolution (so many people never seem to post back) I am pleased that everything worked out for you. Isn't this a great site? I have a lot of fun here.