Any HVAC Oppos Out There?

"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/26/2016 at 10:40 • Filed to: None

I bought a house last year. It came with central air and the unit was installed late 2014. Last Summer the the refrigerant line froze up, because we forgot to change the heavy duty winter filter. I had already scheduled a tech from Horizon to come out before I discovered my mistake, so I let him come out anyway.

He said that the unit was fine but it was low on refrigerant, which apparently is not common on a new unit. So somewhere there is a slow leak. I forgot all about it until I decided to test the AC this year, it’s cool but not cold and not blowing very hard.

Horizon wanted $300 just to diagnose the leak... My fiancee and I are both avid do-it-yourselfers, so I figured that I would buy the required tools and have a go.

So HVAC Oppos, what do I need to test/recharge/diagnose a leak. Any pointers are much appreciated.

DISCUSSION (19)

1111111111111111111111 > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 10:52

You can get a UV light with yellow glasses for about 15$ on Amazon. You’ll be able to spot it. But you’ll have to get someone to recharge it and patch it...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 10:52

I am not an expert, but there should be a refill of your house’s refrigerant type available with a fluorescent dye, and if (as the picture shows) you can just use a set of automotive gauges, it should be pretty simple to recharge and then after a couple of days roam the setup with a blacklight looking for things that glow. I don’t know what the pressures are for your specific mix (you may just have R134A), so it’s possible the desired pressure ranges on auto gauges would be off a bit.

jariten1781 > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 10:54

I'm a 99% DIYer. Anything that touches the refrigerant loop in HVAC is in the 1%. Code enforcement/greenies have way too much interest in that piece to make it worth getting caught.

Party-vi > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 10:54

2014? You should check with the manufacturer or installer and ask about their warranty. Usually there’s a 1-2 year installation warranty and a longer warranty for the unit itself. I would not advise pursuing this fix as a homeowner though, as the unit is almost new and this leak should not have occurred. Get a few more quotes, at least 3 total, and pick one to inspect your system an recommend a fix.

Urambo Tauro > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 11:01

The presence of a leak is confirmed by putting the system under vacuum, but when it comes to finding the location of a leak, dye is the way to go. That leak could be anywhere.

Brickman > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
04/26/2016 at 11:06

Household refrigerant is R410A and works at much higher pressure than 134a. A die injector would work.

jminer > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 11:15

To be honest, I’d pay somebody to do that. Freon is not to be messed with (both physically and legally). The tools for managing the compression side of the house are expensive and you won’t legally be able to buy household Freon (tightly regulated).

I’m an avid do it yourselfer, my father was an hvac engineer (design) and I just replaced the blower motor in my air handler myself. I won’t touch household freon though.

McMike > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 11:15

A leak is unusual. They should not be leaking at all.

Unless you understand how it works, pay the man. Screwing it up will be expensive.

Birddog > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 11:29

Unless you have an EPA License don’t screw with the A/C.

You may be able to locate *a* leak but what if there are more? Any Contractor is going to need their own diagnosis in addition to yours.

“I forgot all about it until I decided to test the AC this year, it’s cool but not cold and not blowing very hard”

This sounds like it could be multiple issues. What was the ambient temp outside that day? Indoor temp? Humidity? Is it a modulating blower?

E92M3 > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 11:41

You have to be licensed in your state to even buy the refrigerant. They don’t want DIYers letting these gases escape into the atmosphere.

With that said $300 is a bit much to diagnose. Most companies will diagnose for around $100, in hopes they’ll get to do the repair. Don’t be surprised if it’s cheaper to refill it every spring for 15 years than it is to replace the leaking part. That’s where I’m at.

Tripper > E92M3
04/26/2016 at 11:45

Ugh, that’s whack. Agreed on getting some other quotes. Horizon is easily the most expensive in my area, but I called them initially because they take calls until 1am and arrive the next day.

Bullitt417 > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 12:10

If the unit was installed that recently, you should probably still be under warranty. I would definitely look into that. That being said, you would typically use a dye injector and then walk all of your lines looking for the leak. However, having done that on my parents house, what I can tell you, is that you don't always find the leak. In the case of my parents house, we just refill it every spring. It's easier than tearing down or tearing out the 20 year old system.

E92M3 > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 12:50

Shop around. As a homeowner I recommend joining angies list. Good way to see who has a good reputation, and many reviewers tell you what they paid for services. Worth the small cost, even for us DIYers.

Tripper > Party-vi
04/26/2016 at 13:46

Yeap, I was thinking of doing that and after hearing all of the warnings from people, I think that is where I will start. I was just kind of hoping it might be a sub $100 job that I could handle, which would be faster than calling someone and dealing with all that noise.

We’ve done a bunch of successful DIY projects in the last few weeks (fence, replaced a big ol drainpipe) so from Sunday afternoon until this post I thought I was the master of everything. I’m back now.

Tripper > jariten1781
04/26/2016 at 13:48

Thanks, I was trying so hard not to accept this reality but the warnings just kept pouring in. haha

Tripper > Birddog
04/26/2016 at 13:50

Good points, and I can’t answer any of your questions. Soooo it seems as if I will be hiring someone. I appreciate the advice.

jariten1781 > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 14:12

Yeah, it blows. I’m 100% sure that if I was allowed to buy the tools/materials/fluids/etc I would have no problem doing the job but it just isn’t worth it. I have replaced just about everything else related to HVAC systems at home: starting capacitors, blower motors, flame sensors, igniters, indoor and outdoor fans, ducting, registers, relays, etc. etc. so there’s still plenty of stuff that will break which you can repair yourself to save some dough (and play around with, heh).

Meatcoma > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 14:34

You can buy a 30lb can of R22 for about $300.

IF you are certified. Thankfully I have a friend that is and I have went halfsies on one before. I haven’t needed it since we moved to a new house, but when he does off the clock calls, he charges about $60/lb so next one is on him.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Tripper
04/26/2016 at 16:23

Yeah, that is one of the few systems in my vehicles I don’t mess with. besides licences and tools. I just don’t feel comfortable with it.