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On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:13:08 -0500, "Howard Beale"
<usenet@grasslake.net> wrote:
>We installed a new forced-air furnace and A/C system in our house 6 years
>ago. The A/C system is Puron and until very late last summer the system
>worked great; on the last cooling day of the year (more humid than hot), the
>expansion coils iced up and the system would not cool.
>
>We had it recharged right before memorial day and I asked the service guy if
>loss of refrigerent was normal -- he said no, it's supposed to be a sealed
>system but tiny leaks seem to happen and that I shouldn't worry too much
>about it -- every 5-6 years needing a recharge is not bad considering the
>service life is probably around 20 years.
>
>The system worked well until the past couple of weeks when it seems to have
>trouble keeping up with very hot days (>90F) and two days ago when it iced
>up again, which leads me to believe the 5-6 year leak has become a 2 month
>leak I need to have more permanently fixed.
>
>What's the industry best practice for solving these leaks? Is the supply
>line itself a culprit or is it typically just the solder joints at the
>expansion coil or the coil itself? Is it a soap-and-water mission over all
>the joints, or is there some high-tech tool to check for pressure losses?
>
>What I would like to avoid is a knee-jerk fix (like ripping apart sheet metal to
>replace the coil when it doesn't need it).
>
>The thing I am most worried about is a leak in the line itself, since most of
>it is soffited in an area of the basement that's been remodeled (a year
>after the install, so likely not a source of a puncture).
>
First things first. Its not Puron. Puron isn't a refrigerant. Its a
"trade name" for Carrier's shit. Its R-410a.
Next, your tech is a lazy dip (unless you specifically told him not to
look for the leak?). Anytime refrigerant is added, you should suspect
a leak and the customer should be advised accordingly. Then, he has
done his job. You can then tell him, "no leak check, just fill-er-up"
or you can tell him, "Yes please. I would like you to look for the leak".
Then he can quote you a fee for the leak check. After the leak is
found, he can then quote you a repair/replacement fee.
Look for the leak in the buried soffit last. You'll almost never find
a leak there unless you know you put a screw or nail through it?
By the way, constantly recharging a system is very hard on it,
especially the compressor. After you've spent a grand or 2 on a
compressor replacement you'll stop recharging that system.
Look at the indoor coil and if it has to be cut, chopped, ripped outta
there then someone didnt do their job in using an access panel for it.
Bubba
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Re: Best service strategy for leaking Puron A/C system?
