How do I add freon to a portable air conditioner?

[Bob F]

Here that costs $38, and you have to schedule it.

[gfretwell]

Free or more correctly, included in the regular waste charge here (Lee County Fl). We just set them out and they come get it. You can call or if it is around trash day the regular trash guy calls it in for you.

[maxmuller2199]

that's nice!

[vladfilipenko]

четверг, 30 августа 2007 г., 4:58:29 UTC+3 пользователь Marc написал:

Hey, so I think that the general idea is to add fun with the help of some service. However, when I had a situation where my air conditioner got broken without freezing and I wanted to add it by myself but later it got broken all over. Since that situation, I searched on different forums about this and I found an article about aircon service

that helped me to resolve that sticky situation.

[scottbean63]

I’ve been on this web for an hour and a half to find out where to add Freon to my portable hazier Model number HPY08XCM and for some reason nobody and I mean nobody gives a straight answer it’s right here or it’s right there or its behind this I still don’t know where the hell it isI don’t get it what is it a secret for AC guys only I install Flooring all types anyone have a question Would be more than happy to answer it straight into the point it shouldn’t be a big deal im mechanically inclined I got it apart I just don’t want to tear it upThat’s why am asking

[Rhonda]

First you need to fix the leak...which is likely more trouble than it's worth.

[trader_4]

I haven't been inside a portable AC in decades, but AFAIK, small refrigeration devices like that typically don't have service ports to add refrigerant. They are charged and sealed at the factory. If it becomes necessary to add refrigerant, they figure it's leaking, it will be opened and worked on and then service ports can be brazed in to recharge it. It makes sense. Ports like that on cars, central AC are one of the prime places for leaks that cause the refrigerant to be lost. Bottom line, if it needs refrigerant, then somehow it leaked out and that needs to be fixed first. All the above translates into time for a new AC, typical window units start at $100.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Not easy to do. There are no ports like you would find on a big unit or auto unit. To do it properly you have to find the leak. Refrigeration is not the same as a water pipe though. To fix the leak you have to evacuate the system. Before soldering you add an inert has to avoid contamination, then solder or braze. Draw a vacuum and then recharge with the proper amount of refrigerant by weight. Seal it.

The easier and more economical way is to head to WalMart or Lowes and buy a new unit.

[Ralph Mowery]

guys only I install Flooring all types anyone have a question Would be more than happy to answer it straight into the point it shouldn?t be a big deal im mechanically inclined I got it apart I just don?t want to tear it upThat?s why am asking

++1

The small and even large appliances like the refrigerators do not have any service ports to add refrigerant to them. Freon is a trade name. There are several types of "Freon", and now several other types of refrigerent. You would have to know what kind to add. Years ago it was usually r-22 for many home items and r-12 for cars. Due to the ozone depelation caused by this (true or not) they have been phased out and many other chemicals are used in the last 20 or so years.

For most cooling devices look at the compressor. Then follow the lines, most likely one will be larger than the other . Follow a line and see which one goes to the coil outside the house (the coil that gets hot).

On one of the lines you may see a T connector with a short stub sticking up that is sealed. This is where the refrigerent is put in at the factory. Due to testing the factory knows to add a certain ammout in pounds or ounces to the AC. That is added and the line is then sealed.

That is the line you add the 'freon' to. Just after it comes out of the compressor and before it goes to the 'hot' coil. This is the low pressure side.

The high pressure side line will come from the coil that gets cool. It is under much more pressure than the low side. Do not even think of trying to add anything to that.

If you do not have enough knowlege about the AC to know this, I do not see how you could even think of adding any refrigerent to the AC. You will need some gauges to tell you how much to add and some means of checking the temperatures also.

Most service men would not even think of recharging the low dollar (under $ 500) items now. When you add up the cost of the refrigerent, service valves and other items and time, you have exceeded the cost.

[Snag]

Ralph , you've got your service ports switched . Output from the compressor - the small line - is high side , the big line coming in from the house is the low side .

[Ralph Mowery]

That is what I ment to say. Must have gotten ahead of my self.

But you are right. Big line at compressor is low pressure side and that is where the refrigerent would normally be added.

[Snag]

After Dad retired from civil service (forced medical) he opened an AC/Refrigeration repair business . I learned enough to maintain and repair my own systems , but never followed thru with licensing so I could do it for others .

[Ralph Mowery]

Where I worked we had some large refregeration equipment. Funny way that plant operated. I was an electrician and then we had mechanics. The mechanics did all the major work and I just had to make sure the electrical part worked. If the motor/compressor went bad I unhooked the

3 480 volt wires going to the motor. The mechanic changed out the motor/compressor and then I had to hook up those 3 wires again. Crazy place.

When the government came out with the ozone rules, I and othes sat through about 3/4 of a day on the rules and then had to take a test at the end of it to get license to work on them. Big waste of time and effort as nothing was about how they operated, just the rules.

The whole thing could have been summed up in two minuites. Do not blow the refrigerent out to the air, but use the recovery machine. If caught putting the old refrigerent to air, there is a big fine.

[rbowman]

I set up a molding system in the Omaha Western Electric plant in the

70's. Theoretically I couldn't touch anything. You needed a millwright to move the equipment, which necessitated an electrician, plumber since there were air lines, and a mechanic if anything had to be disconnected. The plant had huge washrooms where everyone hid out. So, I'd find the millwright and go looking for an electrician. By the time I dug an electrician out of hiding the millwright would have wandered off.

I started going in on the second shift when there weren't so many shop stewards hanging around. I hate seeing American manufacturing going overseas but it crap like that was partially responsible.

[Ralph Mowery]

Union plants I can see things like this going on, but this was a plant in the south and there was not a union. You did what your supervisor told you to do.

Many years I worked rotating shifts. The plant had to run 24 hours a day and the process lines could not be just cut off and on. Took about

2 days to do a controlled shutdown and that long to bring up a production line.

Usually a mechanic and electrician were on shift as breakdown people. We worked together to do what ever it took to get the breakdown repaired. If nothing was broke, we just sat on our butts in a break area or our shops. Some nights we did nothing and some nights we were lucky to stop 20 minutes for lunch, but that was only about once or twice a year. Sometimes the mecahnic would wire the simple motor and somtimes for small motors I would just change and wire them. If either of us needed a helping hand , we helped each other the best we could.

[gfretwell]

I don't know what is going on these days but you used to be able to get "certified" on the internet with a silly course, a 10 question test and a fee. I have a card around here somewhere that I used to buy a "lifetime supply" jug of R22 to install a system. I don't know if that card expires tho. These days everything uses unregulated gas.

[Ralph Mowery]

I don't know what the rules are now either. Back when I was certified we had to take a test. There were several classificationse. I think 3. Small appliance, high pressure , low pressure system. Then the universal license for all the above.

When the licenses came back to work, there was something about working on car AC. The compnay sent off for that. It came back as a small booklet of about 15 or 20 pages, an open book test and a fee. We sat down together found the answers and sent off for that.

Found my card and that was back in 1993.

All of that was mainly a money making device for many companies.

I don't know if they still do it or not, but every few years there was a new program for the companies. One was STAR. People came around and looked the plant over for safety issues and planted a flagpole and flag with a star on it.

For about 10 years one man really had it made. He came around and taught necular safety. Had to take a 3 day course for about 3 years, then a 2 day course for a couple of years and it was finally a one day course. Every year it was the same as the first, but with more and more left out. All we had was some small amounts that were sealed in tubes about the size of a cigarett and then those were in lead containers that just had a shutter that opened up. Again, a 30 minuit talk would have done all we needed to do.

[Clare Snyder]

Unless it is different than most it is "non-serviceable" and would require a technician to braze in a service fitting or two - which would likely be more expensive than the unit is worth.

[gfretwell]

only I install Flooring all types anyone have a question Would be more than happy to answer it straight into the point it shouldn’t be a big deal im mechanically inclined I got it apart I just don’t want to tear it upThat’s why am asking

If this thing uses a politically correct refrigerant (401 or 134) you can get a piercing valve in the big line, shoot some gas in until it blows cold and see how bad it leaks. (squirt some soapy water around) You might get a season out of it. That thing probably doesn't hold a whole 14 oz can of gas.

[Clare Snyder]

If it's 134 it lighly doesn't hold much more than 4 oz, tops. My truck only holds about 8.