Quote:
Originally Posted by theroc5156
I'm currently looking for someone to check my AC as well but I am also wondering if anyone knew about the current Freon "issue"? From what I understand, it has been phased out and all that is left are "stockpiles". Is this true? I live in The Reserve and I believe I have a leak in my system, hence it not working properly, and I know a few people on my block have had the same issue. It would be one thing if all it took as a charge of freon, but the units that Centex used are going to be obsolete because it can only use the Freon that has been phased out. Am I going to have to buy new units soon?
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Can you tell me what the problem is? Is it just blowing hot air? If so, it sounds first like you really need to consider a good coil cleaning. If your coils are dirty, the evaporative and condensing cycles that are the root of all refrigeration systems will not work. If you can disconnect power to the unit (i.e. shut it off) then it's a really easy process to do yourself. Either last month's issue of Handyman has a good tutorial on the basics. Personally, I'd deviate and say clean with water before putting on the acidic solution. But that's personal preference. This will at least help you to troubleshoot the problem before calling in a pro.
Next, to freon. I've had some time in commercial refrigeration up here in WI (managing large scale food companies...my largest cooler was about 47500 sq ft with 30ft+ ceilings), so I've seen a number of refrigerants. In my facility alone, I had coolers running R-12, R-22, and some had benn upgraded to R-134A or R-406A. My freezers were all R-717 (ammonia) which is an entirely different ball of wax. Honestly, you can still get a unit charged with R-22 if your company of choice deals in both commercial cooling and residential cooling systems. It's expensive because it's harder to find, but you can get it. I would encourage you to look at a company that does both commercial HVAC and residential HVAC. I've found commercial guys to be a bit sharper, but that may just be in my area. If you have a local food manufacturer that has cold storage, find out who they use and go with them.
If you have an obsolete refrigerant, you will need to have all of the existing refrigerant evacuated by a professional before new refrigerant can be added, have an oil change performed, have the oil filter/dryer replaced, and then have the system recharged. Depending on how broken down the coils are in your compressor motor, you may need several oil changes. It depends on how acidic the oil is. They CAN test that when they do the first oil change and should be able to show you the oil. If your compressors are only a few years old, the oil change should suffice...your coils shouldn't be that toasted!
They'll also likely have to play with the expansion valves and the pressure settings to get the proper cooling cycle if there is a large difference between the refrigerants. Note that this does NOT mean that you have to replace a compressor or coils! Some companies will try and sell you on that because they make a good deal of profit on it, not to mention the trips and whatnot that they win from the HVAC companies. Understand that these oil changes and whatnot will be expensive, but will be cheaper than a new $2K-$3K compressor (plus install). If you do need to have a unit replaced, they should be able to explain exactly why they have to replace it. If they can't, get a second opinion.
If you've cleaned your coils and you still think you need a recharge, look at the incoming coils to your condensor unit (on the outside of the building...the evaporator is inside the house usually). If you have access to it, it wouldn't hurt to vacuum the dirt and dust off of the evaporator coils as well. They'll likely be located near your furnace unit. There should be a small sight glass on the tubing leading into the condensor coil (outside of house). When the compressor is running and the fan is blowing you should be able to shine a flashlight on that sight glass. If you see a large number of bubbles, chances are you're looking at a recharge. If you see a good flow of fluid (sans bubbles), you should be OK. If you see no movement, you may have clogged condensor coils that are starving the system. Then you look at cleaning the coils. Sometimes the fluid in the sightglass can change colors indicating contamination. There may be a legend on your sightglass telling you this.
If you do have a leak, your HVAC person should be doing a basic check for it before recharging the system. They'll usually start with a "sniffer" for larger scale leaks and eventually can drop down to the "soap and water" spray technique for smaller stuff. Some guys use penetrant, but that takes a while to cycle. The major ones are usually what gets you. Finding small pin holes is much harder, and sometimes it's cheaper to just do a recharge every few years. Big holes can be easily brazed up in an exposed area and again, do NOT require a new set of coils. We've brazed a number of coils in our units over the years and always do this as a first resort.
If you're a handy person, doing the basic troubleshooting isn't too hard (i.e. cleaning). When you have to start playing with the expansion valves, pressure settings, electrics or compressors, etc., that's a good time to call in the pros. Good HVAC guys are expensive, but they are well worth the cost. I've also done a lot of work in the engineering field with compressor builders, so if your unit is less than 10 years old it shouldn't be failing so soon.
Hopefully this wasn't too over the top for you! =)
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