Air Conditioning - a/c leak
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ms.m
04-27-08, 08:07 PM
Just to recap my ac leak saga since 6/2005 purchase of 3.5 ton slip system Carrier unit : ( 2rs 11months)
6/20/2005 installation 3.5 ton split system Carrier SEER14
6/29/2005 installation check and Tech added Puron
6/7/2006 Service call for system not cooling. Tech unable to identify etiology of low refrigerant Puron and explained it off as a possiblity that the unit was not in full charge at installation and added more Puron.
5/9/2007 Service call for system not cooling. Tech unable to find cause for low Puron and returned again on 5/21/2007 using to same electronic devise to try to detect the leak. Tech claimed the leak from the stem valve and tighted it but also added 5# 10 oz of Puron. During this visit I asked several times about other methods to identify source of leaks such as the dye or nitrogen testing as it seems even to a lay person without ac knowledge that it seemed quite a loss of refrigerant since the last service call.
4/24/2008 Service Call for system not cooling. Guess What...Tech reveals on this visit that the leak is in the indoor evaporator coil now and declined to comment and defer issue to manager.
I plan to check with Carrier manafactor my warranty rights before speaking to the manager and would like advise aswhat I should expect is a reasonable offer from the manager to remedy this issue? Is labor cost usually covered if my Carrier unit part under warranty?
Let's be optimistic and say the manager agrees to replace the evaporator coil. As it is a closed system, what technical steps do i need to make sure they do during the installation process? Do they need to recover the residual Puron refrigerant and evacuate the system first? How do I ensure that it is fully charged this time (since that was their orginal explanation for the loss of Puron)
Again I appreciate your input...this forum site is fantastic source of technical advice for us clueless individuals .
6/20/2005 installation 3.5 ton split system Carrier SEER14
6/29/2005 installation check and Tech added Puron
6/7/2006 Service call for system not cooling. Tech unable to identify etiology of low refrigerant Puron and explained it off as a possiblity that the unit was not in full charge at installation and added more Puron.
5/9/2007 Service call for system not cooling. Tech unable to find cause for low Puron and returned again on 5/21/2007 using to same electronic devise to try to detect the leak. Tech claimed the leak from the stem valve and tighted it but also added 5# 10 oz of Puron. During this visit I asked several times about other methods to identify source of leaks such as the dye or nitrogen testing as it seems even to a lay person without ac knowledge that it seemed quite a loss of refrigerant since the last service call.
4/24/2008 Service Call for system not cooling. Guess What...Tech reveals on this visit that the leak is in the indoor evaporator coil now and declined to comment and defer issue to manager.
I plan to check with Carrier manafactor my warranty rights before speaking to the manager and would like advise aswhat I should expect is a reasonable offer from the manager to remedy this issue? Is labor cost usually covered if my Carrier unit part under warranty?
Let's be optimistic and say the manager agrees to replace the evaporator coil. As it is a closed system, what technical steps do i need to make sure they do during the installation process? Do they need to recover the residual Puron refrigerant and evacuate the system first? How do I ensure that it is fully charged this time (since that was their orginal explanation for the loss of Puron)
Again I appreciate your input...this forum site is fantastic source of technical advice for us clueless individuals .
pflor
04-27-08, 08:47 PM
Puron is a blend, not a single compound refrigerant. As such, topping-off the system with additional refrigerant to compensate for a loss due to leaks, is not the appropriate thing to do; and Puron should be charged in the liquid phase (did the tech at least do this much?). Your A.C. system should have been evauated (refrigerant recovery), pressurized with nitrogen, had the source of the leak identified and fixed, and finally a full charge added.
Hopefully someone else in the forum will pitch-in with advice regarding warranties and your rights as a customer. I'd prefer to assist here with tech info on what are (or are not) acceptable service/maintenance practices and/or provide advice on how to troubleshoot/fix related problems.
Hopefully someone else in the forum will pitch-in with advice regarding warranties and your rights as a customer. I'd prefer to assist here with tech info on what are (or are not) acceptable service/maintenance practices and/or provide advice on how to troubleshoot/fix related problems.