I had a new carrier A/C 2.5 ton installed last Oct 07 after the cooling season. The installer didnot add any refrigerant other than what was pre charged in the condenser. He installed about 30 feet of line and new evap coil (neither was pre-charged). Turned system on this spring and it didnt seem just right. Service tech came today and added 1.5 lbs of R410A. Do you think they should have added refrig last Oct or do I have a leak. It only ran at most 2 weeks since it was installed. Thanks
A/C advise
Jun 20, 2008
15 Replies
Call the service tech back in a couple of months for a check up. Explain to him clearly your concerns. The performance and gage readings at that time should allay your worries. Repeat next year and if no major deviations show up, your system will probably be trouble free for a number of years. IMO a pound or so of refrigerant is no big deal in new system.
Joe
THE precharge in the outdoor unit is good for the inside coil and 15' of line. The installer should have topped it off accordingly.
s
Hi, Did installing tech checked charge level then? After adding refrigerant is it working OK now? They can detect leak if suspected.
I guess your full labor warranty lasts 1 yr? Maybe they did it right the first time and there is a leak, have it checked out in a few months.
The tech should have checked delta t, super heat, and a few other things. It's very possible the system was just fine. Turning on an AC in the spring or summer, needs a while to dry out the indoors.
If the tech did as he/she should it was properly charged last fall. A leak can be as simple as a loose bolt or as complex as a very slow in-the-wall leak. Find the most competent A/C technician you can get!
Was the weather last Oct. really cold, if so then the installer might have not wanted to top off until warmer weather. Remember a installer is not the same as a service tech.
If it was to cold when it was installed and not run and checked by temperature maybe it is something the installer thought would be done this year and forgot about it.
in the wall!??? what part of the ac system is 'in the wall'?
s
good ones are.
s
But then they would be service technician and be paid alot more. :-)
I was wondering where was the loose bolt, that caused the leak. Maybe the loose bolt is in the wall?
Part of the run of the refrigerant lines?
They need something like a minimum of 80 F to properly charge/tune a new system. It was too cool last Oct?
Likely neither.
Consider the following:
a.) It was too cool to fully charge last Oct. b.) The tech added the correct amount of R410A when requested and system was fully testable.
If you've got the full documentation for the outside unit, it should tell you what the pre-charge was. Add 1.5 lbs and see if it is not very close to the R410A charge indicated on the spec plate. If so, *and* it is cooling properly, you should be OK, so far as I can tell from here.
Puddin'
" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head." - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson
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