Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
bonbeat

air conditioner leaks

bonbeat
11 years ago

The house was built in 1989. I bought the house last march and the original air conditioner was working but I decided to replace it due to the age. I had a professional install a system, electric, compressor outside and heat pump in the attic. The professional got a permit and the work passed inspection. By May the house would not cool, The comprssor was running and the blower was working but no cold air. The A/C man came and added freon and all was well for another month , then I had the same problem again. He said I needed the copper pipe replaced which I had him do at an addiononal cost and more freon was added. I had the same problem again in June. He determined that the heat pump coil was damaged dring installation and he replaced the entire heat pump unit and added more freon. All was great until Oct and now I have the same problem again. What is going on??

Comments (20)

  • mike_home
    11 years ago

    It sounds like this contractor is swapping components without identifying the leak. It sounds like a bad installation.

    What is he proposing to fix the problem?

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The a/c man came highly recommended and he seems knowledgable. He did not charge me anything when he replaced the heat pump unit for the 2nd time because he felt bad we were having so many problems. He is in business for himself and I feel bad because we have had so many problems. Is it difficult to find a leak? Can you identify something else we could be doing. Is this type of problem common? It is frustrating to have so many problems and to live without the a/c after spending the money for a new unit. It is always hot here in Fl. I am waiting for him to come back out again tonight or tomorrow. I guess I am wondering if this type of problem is common and if I will ever get it fixed? Thanks for your response.

  • energy_rater_la
    11 years ago

    he really needs to use a leak detector and determine
    where the leak is.
    then determine why it keeps leaking.
    may not be a common problem, but it is unusual
    for a new install. if you were just nursing
    an old unit along..then it would be more common.

    if he troubleshoots the problem. determines
    what causes the problem, then correctly solves
    it..you should be good.
    nice that he will come on the weekend..hope
    you aren't paying weekend prices.

    let us know what happens.

    best of luck.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Well he said it was a clogged drain. I was not here when he was so I'm not sure what that meant. Where is the drain? He did not charge me anything and he came out on a Sat.

  • mike_home
    11 years ago

    He may be talking about the drain for the condensation coming off the coil in the air handler. In some cases the contractor will install a cutoff switch to shut down the AC if the drain is backs up. It is not a good sign the drain clogged up after a few months.

    Ask more about this drain problem. I would be concerned that the drain is going to clog again.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks! Why do you say it is not a good sign. We recently had some tile work done and it was dusty. Could that cause it

  • mike_home
    11 years ago

    I believe your air handler is in the attic. I doubt the tile work caused the problem. If it were clogged, it may have been caused by some debris left over from the installation. I say it is not a good sign because the drain may not have the proper pitch in order to flow properly.

    Get into the habit of going up in the attic and inspecting the drain. Hopefully the contractor has provided a proper trap and a method to clean it out properly.

  • energy_rater_la
    11 years ago

    drain is connected to the pan..which should have
    a shut off if the pan fills to a certain level..
    from the pan the pvc goes across attic and out
    of attic.
    exactly where..we can't see. you'd have to follow
    it from the pan to see where it goes.

    if insulation from the attic floor gets into the
    pan, it can get into the drain & clog it up.

    pitch of drain so that it drains is important
    as mike states. the pvc should slope downwards
    to its point of exit.

    all drains should have ptrap. some companies
    put a clean out in the drain line.

    best of luck.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thank you. Now I will have an idea what I am talking about when I ask him about this. THANKS

  • energy_rater_la
    11 years ago

    just fyi...
    condenser is outside.
    air handler unit is inside.

    there are freon leaks
    and water/condensate leaks.

    usually kick switches are installed ..kicks off unit when
    pan reaches a certain level of water.
    clogged drain lines cause pans to overfill.

    look at the pan under ahu. there should be a switch
    attached to the side of the pan.
    or post a picture of pan set up.

    the hvac world has a different language, which is
    very confusing to the general public. this may
    be the reason for mix up of componets. compressor
    outside...heatpump inside. the compressor & heat pump
    are the same..keeping it simple..the interior unit
    handles the air..aka ahu

    best of luck.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The air conditioner worked for 2 days and then it had the same problem . The blower works but the air is not cold. We are out of freon again. The A/C guy cannot find the leak. We are on our 2nd unit , got new copper tubing but still have the same problem. He checked all his sodered connections and can't find the leak. Now he said he is going to see if he can "find the sealant that used to be used with the old systems and see if it can be used". Has anyone ever heard of a leak that can't be found? Is there some type of special equipment to find a leak? Is it possible it will never be found? Is it feasible to recharge the freon every few months? We are in south Florida so a/c is a must.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    " Is it feasible to recharge the freon every few months? "

    It is a lot cheaper to find the leak.

    You need someone that knows what they are doing.

    I have never has a leak that could not be at least localized (like to a line running inside a wall).

    It may require some demo work to find the actual leak, but the same demo gains access to them make the repair.

    Refrigerant is NOT that hard to detect with the correct sniffer.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Is a leak detector something only a larger company would have? About how much do you think this might cost me? Will they just have to randomly tear up walls? I did not even know that the freon ran through the walls?

  • mike_home
    11 years ago

    If the contractor has installed all new equipment and a new lineset, then he should bear all costs for finding the leak. If he doesn't have the equipment or knowledge on how to find the leak, then he should hire an expert to help.

    In some houses the lineset runs through the wall up to the attic. You would have to open the wall the find the problem. I don't think you have this situation.

    I find it troubling the contractor said you had a drain problem and now it is back to a refrigerant leak. I don't have a lot of faith in this contractor. If you lost refrigerant in two days then you got a big leak and should be easy to find.

  • energy_rater_la
    11 years ago

    call other companies for leak detection services.
    there are dyes they can put into the system
    that will show leaks and 'sniffers'that find
    leaks.

    your guy is costing you money, and your leaky
    freon is not doing good things for the enviroment.

    call some other companies.

    best of luck.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    Anyone that works on refrigeration equipment should have a leak detector.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The A/C installer mentioned he would "try to find the sealant that used to be used with the old systems and see if it can be used". Does anyone know what this means and is it a good solution. I'm starting to think I need to cut my losses and hire someone else.

  • mike_home
    11 years ago

    I could be wrong, but it sounds like he is looking into adding some type of sealant to the refrigerant. If that is the case then you need to hire someone else.

  • bonbeat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The original A/C man will no longer answer my calls. I called a larger company and they came out and identified problems with the duct work which cost more to repair. They still have not found the leak. They put some kind of dye in the system and said they will come back. My question is , Do I need to be running the a/c during this testing period? We are in a cool spell and the a/c is turned off. Will the dye work if the a/c is turned off. Thanks so much for all the help.

  • mike_home
    11 years ago

    Ask the service tech if you need to run the AC for the dye to work. It may not be necessary. The system is under pressure even when it is not running. Hopefully the dye will indicate the location of the leak. The tech may use a UV light to help pin point the leak location.