Using heat pump as air conditioner - sign of freon leak?

[dmark.cinsoft]

Had an air conditioner go bad. Compressor wasn't running; tried everything. Got a used Trane heat pump (that I know worked when it was unhooked from i ts old house) and connected low voltage wires as follows:

Yellow - switched on thermostat cool mode - to yellow Orange - reversing valve - also to yellow as never need heat from this unit Blue - common - to blue

I realize that color codes outside of the heat pump could be arbitrary and the common is indeed more of a grey to my eye, definitely lighter than the blue from the unit. Am reasonably sure I got this part right (once I learne d there was such a thing as a reversing valve).

Then hired "professionals" to connect the high voltage lines and the two co pper pipes. Apparently they got the wiring right as the unit does power up, is controlled properly by the thermostat and I'm sure the reversing valve is energized as removing and replacing the orange wire trips a relay inside the unit.

Thing is, the previous workers that removed the unit made really bad cuts a nd my hires soldered (yes soldered!) it to my pipes as best they could. The y had a leak initially, but came back and supposedly fixed the leak with th e aid of some Dawn liquid. I suspect they've botched it again.

So the fan is running, the compressor is running (constantly of course), th e thermostat controls it all, but the liquid line is nowhere near cold (coo l at best) and the temperature coming out of the vents is basically the sam e as ambient. The suction line is neither hot nor cold. IIRC, it did get fa irly warm at one time, before I connected the reversing valve wire. Had to Google that myself, as the "techs" apparently forgot about all about it (ju st left the orange wire hanging).

Have never gotten cold air out of the vents. They always tell me it will ta ke a little while, but the air temperature stays steady. Does this sound li ke they have managed to leak at least a portion of the freon out again? Not sure what else it could be as I know the unit did a good job for the neigh bors. Their layman's opinion is that it is not fully charged with freon.

What else could it be? Any suggestions appreciated. Would hate to have to c all in a "real" professional as it seems like we are almost there.

[default]

The first sign it is low is for there to be some ice forming where the expansion valve/capillary is and that part of the evaporator - instead of the refrigerant boiling along the whole length of the evaporator it is only boiling where it leaves the expansion device.

Really low and there is no cooling whatsoever, likewise too much refrigerant will cause poor cooling (and may lead to other interesting problems like a compressor lock up)

The temperature should begin dropping fairly quickly once the compressor switches on.

[dmark.cinsoft]

ng. Got a used Trane heat pump (that I know worked when it was unhooked fro m its old house) and connected low voltage wires as follows:

nd the common is indeed more of a grey to my eye, definitely lighter than t he blue from the unit. Am reasonably sure I got this part right (once I lea rned there was such a thing as a reversing valve).

copper pipes. Apparently they got the wiring right as the unit does power up, is controlled properly by the thermostat and I'm sure the reversing val ve is energized as removing and replacing the orange wire trips a relay ins ide the unit.

s and my hires soldered (yes soldered!) it to my pipes as best they could. They had a leak initially, but came back and supposedly fixed the leak with the aid of some Dawn liquid. I suspect they've botched it again.

the thermostat controls it all, but the liquid line is nowhere near cold ( cool at best) and the temperature coming out of the vents is basically the same as ambient. The suction line is neither hot nor cold. IIRC, it did get fairly warm at one time, before I connected the reversing valve wire. Had to Google that myself, as the "techs" apparently forgot about all about it (just left the orange wire hanging).

take a little while, but the air temperature stays steady. Does this sound like they have managed to leak at least a portion of the freon out again? Not sure what else it could be as I know the unit did a good job for the ne ighbors. Their layman's opinion is that it is not fully charged with freon.

o call in a "real" professional as it seems like we are almost there.

Thanks default. I think it is really low as they didn't know what they were doing when measuring (didn't even have reversing valve energized at the ti me). Got a different tech coming to top it off.

[dmark.cinsoft]

hing. Got a used Trane heat pump (that I know worked when it was unhooked f rom its old house) and connected low voltage wires as follows:

and the common is indeed more of a grey to my eye, definitely lighter than the blue from the unit. Am reasonably sure I got this part right (once I l earned there was such a thing as a reversing valve).

wo copper pipes. Apparently they got the wiring right as the unit does powe r up, is controlled properly by the thermostat and I'm sure the reversing v alve is energized as removing and replacing the orange wire trips a relay i nside the unit.

uts and my hires soldered (yes soldered!) it to my pipes as best they could . They had a leak initially, but came back and supposedly fixed the leak wi th the aid of some Dawn liquid. I suspect they've botched it again.

), the thermostat controls it all, but the liquid line is nowhere near cold (cool at best) and the temperature coming out of the vents is basically th e same as ambient. The suction line is neither hot nor cold. IIRC, it did g et fairly warm at one time, before I connected the reversing valve wire. Ha d to Google that myself, as the "techs" apparently forgot about all about i t (just left the orange wire hanging).

ll take a little while, but the air temperature stays steady. Does this sou nd like they have managed to leak at least a portion of the freon out again ? Not sure what else it could be as I know the unit did a good job for the neighbors. Their layman's opinion is that it is not fully charged with freo n.

to call in a "real" professional as it seems like we are almost there.

re doing when measuring (didn't even have reversing valve energized at the time). Got a different tech coming to top it off.

Confirmed. They had no clue what they were looking at when trying to gauge the freon level. Were running it heat mode at the time. Took 5 minutes on G oogle to find where they fouled up (and another 2 to confirm on YouTube). G ot to love the service industry (or the underground equivalent in this case ).

Maybe the guys from the phone book could have done better, but most refuse to do anything unless they installed the unit. And they all think they dese rve a C-note just to show up. :(